Lori MacNichol learned to fly in McCall, Idaho, in 1982, because she wanted to get into the most remote fishing spots in the Idaho backcountry. Through her love of fishing, she developed a lasting love of flying and voraciously accumulated as much aviation knowledge as possible. This knowledge grew to include the history of the Idaho backcountry and its early aviators. The private pilot license led to commercial and flight-instructor ratings, and Lori carefully began keeping notes on the essential piloting skills and peculiarities of backcountry flying.

While expanding her piloting experiences working as an air-taxi pilot, she absorbed invaluable insight into the mountains and canyons from the old-timers in the area. Along the way, she added multiengine and seaplane ratings and is qualified as an airline transport pilot. After many years of flying as a 135 air taxi pilot across the Frank Church Wilderness, USFS contract fire pilot and corporate 135 pilot, 
Lori also discovered her true calling in aviation, as an instructor and teacher. She now owns and operates McCall Mountain/Canyon Flying Seminars LLC, a flight school located in McCall, ID conducting seminars in Idaho, Utah and around the world.

In addition Lori conducts aviation-safety seminars for general-aviation pilots and many advanced specialty groups, such as US Border Patrol and US Forest Service, military Special Operations and Susi Air an on demand carrier located in Indonesia. She is currently involved in the preservation of the wilderness airstrips across the nation and has been invited to speak in Washington, D.C. during Congressional hearings, giving testimony in favor of preserving backcountry airstrips. She has had the opportunity to work with Idaho Public Television’s “Outdoor Idaho” filming and has been hosted on segments of “Back Country Pilots” and the History Channel series “Modern Marvels” titled “Runways.” During the past years she presented seminars at the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association national convention, Sun ’n’ Fun, and the Alaska Airman Show.

Striving to foster the love of aviation and share the beauty of air travel in the wilderness, Lori continues to travel and speak at seminars and conventions across the country, radiating her enthusiasm for flying and teaching. Her total time is over 10,000 and of that she has flown approximately 8,000 in the backcountry.

She considers herself extremely lucky to be able to spend every day doing what she loves best.

“I told my third grade teacher that I wanted to be an airplane driver, and I have been very fortunate to have earned a living doing exactly that for over 40 years. “
Rich earned his Private Pilot Certificate on his seventeenth birthday flying out of the same big red hangar that is home to McCall Mountain Canyon Flying Seminars today.

“My summer jobs in college and off and on for a few years after were flying the Idaho Backcountry for commercial operators. Even during the many years after, as I was flying FAR 135 charters, FAR141 flight schools, Corporate and Airline, I always made time in the summer to get in some flying in Idaho.” 19 years ago having moved to McCall full time, Rich began instructing for Lori and has been active each season on his days off from airline flying.

“Of my 31,000 hours in 135 types of airplanes, my time instructing for this school is among my most cherished; I am very proud to be associated with this school”. Besides instructing the scheduled seminars here in McCall and in Utah, Rich has been involved with the programs for the Military and has made three trips with Lori and Holbrook to instruct in the mountain/jungles of Indonesia.

“I still pinch myself sometimes; I am so grateful for the incredible opportunities I have had in aviation and I look forward to each new season of flying the backcountry”.

Gary has over 13,400 hours of flight experience and over 4800 hours as a flight instructor.

He learned to fly in Rangely Colorado in 1985. While there he also became a volunteer firefighter and a 911 dispatcher.
After going to college he moved to Danville Virginia to work at a 141 flight school flying Piper Tomahawks. He also had an opportunity to fly pipeline patrol from southern Virginia to Boston Massachusetts in a C-182.

Moving back to Colorado, he took a job as a flight instructor in Grand Junction Colorado, gaining experience in aerobatics (Decatholon & Extra 300) air to air/air to ground photography, search & rescue, wildlife tracking and backcountry training.

Working for Redtail Aviation, a 135 charter company out of Moab & Green River, Utah, was about as much fun as you can have in an airplane, mostly doing scenics and support for river rafting companies. One dirt runway was at 9200’!

Exciting times!! Other duties included fiber optics line patrol, wildlife tracking, emergency services, flight instruction, movie support, OAS and UPS contracts. Gary has also worked as a corporate pilot flying a P210 over most of the west for almost a decade, as well as instructing for American Bonanza Society for a few years.

His time at Weststar Aviation, an FBO in Grand Junction was another interesting turn of events, he got to be part of a team to help design a stall test recertification program for the Lear 20/30 series. Flying first officer was a hoot for him!
Gary was also involved in transporting aircraft coming or going to Mexico, Central/South America for maintenance via Texas or Louisiana. He would also fly mechanics around to repair or inspect aircraft.

For a time, he worked for a company that bought & sold airplanes, and he would deliver different aircraft across the United States to their new owners and teaching them to fly.

Throughout all this diverse flying, he has always kept one foot on the path of flight instruction. Having kept in touch with Lavar Wells, which he knew from his Redtail years, Lavar asked Gary to get in touch with Lori MacNichol and said “you’d make a great instructor for her”, so he did!

I earned my pilot certificate during the summer of 1969.

Since that summer, flying has evolved into a passion, a lifestyle. Along the way, I acquired over 15,000 hours of flight time in Jets, Turboprops, Helicopters, Floatplanes, Gliders and some very interesting experimental aircraft. I have been employed as a 135 Charter Pilot in airplanes and helicopters, a Director of Maintenance, Chief Pilot, Chief Flight Instructor, Test Pilot, and some other not so glamorous aviation jobs like cleaning hangars and pumping fuel. Altogether, I have had a wonderful career in aviation.

I retired in 2013 from corporate aviation, but I'm still active in aviation. I am a FAA Designated Pilot Examiner which keeps me occupied. Now, it is time for me to join my fellow flight instructors and share the knowledge that we have acquired throughout our flying careers.

By far, my favorite place to fly and teach flying is in the Idaho Back Country with McCall Mountain Flying Seminars. I am eager for the new flying schedules to be announced every year and to meet new Pilots who want to expand their flying experiences. Get on the schedule and come join us!

Neil had spent most every summer since 1998 working at McCall Mountain Canyon Flying Seminars, doing various activities from flying overhead air support, dispatch of aircraft, many tireless hours of filming clients taking off and landing at various backcountry airstrips to assisting in website design and creating training videos for classroom curriculum.

Neil began his aviation career at a very early age.  In Kindergarten, Neil would ride the school bus to his mother’s business at the McCall airport every day after school and be entertained by videotapes of John & Martha King.  As he grew, so did his passion for aviation, he began to wash airplanes at the airport in exchange for flights, his business card read “will work to fly”. This evolved into driving the fuel truck & fueling airplanes for his mom’s business, as well as answering phones & mowing the lawn.  

At age 10, Neil was trained in & conducted aircraft dispatch. He would soon begin to co-pilot with his mom in a C/206, carrying elk meat out of the backcountry.  
Neil did his first solo flight at the age of 16, and was a licensed pilot at age 17.

In 2013 Neil became a commercial, single & multi engine, and instrument rated pilot. The Spring of 2014 Neil was employed by “RedTail Aviation” at Canyonlands Airfield in Moab, Utah as a 135 air carry pilot flying within the Canyonlands and enjoyed climbing the red rocks on his days off. 

Tragically, Neil passed away July 2nd, 2015 in his PA22 aircraft while flying from Moab, Utah to Stanley, Idaho for a family reunion.