Bob Ferris was born to fly and first took the controls of a plane at age 7. He later entered the US Air Force Academy in 1990 but he left in 1992 to start his own simulation firm while attending the University of Arizona, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in systems engineering in 1995. In 1996 he flew his first paraglider and was hooked on foot-launched aviation. The company he founded, VirTra, Inc., became the world’s leading simulation and training company for small arms and situational awareness with a listing on NASDAQ. He was honored to be one of the few people inducted into the National Center for Simulation Hall of Fame in 2023. Bob plans to bring his 31 years of public board experience, training expertise and organizational know-how to enhance what USHPA can do for its membership and for the future of free flight.