Fancy for flight leads to Air Force career, air shows

No one knows for sure what sprouts the seeds of life ambitions. So parents and educators cover all the grounds – summer vacations to new places, field trips to fire stations and fish hatcheries, tours of hospitals and farms, motivational speakers, career day and Veteran's Day assemblies – just to name a few. The whole point is revealing life's possibilities. But sometimes kids discover their passions all on their own.Retired Lt. Col. Tim Decker, of Rocklin, found his, in the sky. "The next-door neighbor was a crop duster," Decker said. "One day I asked him to take me flying, and he said, 'Sure.' We flew low and rolled upside down… I was hooked. From that point on, I knew that was what I was going to do."Having no prior pilots in his family, Decker sought the advice of a school counselor. After looking over different flying-career pathways, he decided the military was his best route."I couldn't believe the military would pay me to learn to fly. I checked in on it, and they said, 'Yeah.' If you qualify for pilot training, and you get selected for it, the military will pay you to fly, and you'll fly some great stuff," Decker said. "It was a pretty easy choice." While other high school kids were buying their first cars, Decker was busy readying himself for Air Force pilot training, using money from a summer job to take flying lessons.Decker said the initial eight-year military commitment didn't bother him. "I had to work anyway and build my experience," Decker said. He said the chance to get paid for flying Air Force jets sounded much better than paying tens of thousands in expenses flying lower-performance airplanes. "I've always liked the military thing, and I've always had fairly good grades and athletics and all that, so it seemed like a good fit," Decker said.Twenty years later with U-2, F-117, T-38, RV-4, and Pitts S-2B flying experience, and a 12-month tour flying missions 70,000 feet above the Middle East, Decker landed and retired, only to take flight once again on a new mission – flying in airshows.While Decker was still in the Air Force, he was asked to plan the Holloman AFB Airshow. "I planned the whole thing," Decker said. "Everything from parking to medical to flying to the logistics of porta-potties and food and vendors." The airshow marked the reopening of Holloman after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, so it was a big event. And it went flawlessly, Decker said. He knew then that airshows would be an avenue enabling him to stay in the flying industry after he retired from the Air Force.Flash forward – achieving an Airline Transport Pilot Certificate, Certified Flight Instructor, Certified Flight Instructor Instruments, Multi-Engine Instructor ratings, and a Level 1, Unrestricted Solo Aerobatics, Circle Jumpers, Statement of Acrobatic Competency License – and Decker is flying high for airshows all season long and giving flying lessons at Lincoln Airport in the offseason. Decker said he loves flying for the crowds in his Pitts S2B and wowing them with torque rolls, hammerhead stalls, barrel rolls and aileron rolls. His favorite maneuver is recovering from an aileron roll. "You fall backwards through the sky, and then recover going straight down…it's probably one of my favorites," Decker said.He'll be performing next in the California Capital Airshow held at Mather Airport Sept.11-12 where he'll spend time both in the air and on the ground talking with kids and other fans.Decker said he loves inspiring kids to following their dreams. He feels fortunate to be paid for doing something he loves and wants to spread that message to kids, making sure they know it's not impossible to make a living fulfilling your dreams. "I did it, and you can, too," is Decker's message. Darcy Brewer, executive director of California Capital Airshow, said she invited Decker to perform because he is a remarkable team player concerned with inspiring the next group of leaders. "He's about honoring the past and inspiring the future … a humble, silent, leader," Brewer said. "We'll never let him go."Decker said as long as he's healthy and able, he'll keep on flying. See Rocklin's Tim Decker in actionWhat: California Capital AirshowWhen: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 11-12Where: Mather Airport, SacramentoInformation: capitalairshow.com