Meet Your Pilot
Dr. Gareth Williams
An accomplished pilot, PhD and retired business consultant.
One of Gareth’s greatest joys besides his dedication to his family and his passion for life and helping others, is to see the expression of pure joy on the faces of those that experience open-air flying for the first time.
So, whether you’re interested in an airplane ride as gentle as a cloud or the thrill of an aerobatic experience you can rest assured, as a Certificated Flight Instructor (CFI) you’re in good hands. Gareth and his wife Joy, run the only open-air cockpit aerial tour company in Southwest Florida offering both year-round aerial sightseeing tours and thrilling aerobatic experiences to satisfy any guest of Suncoast Biplanes.
Born and raised in the UK, Gareth’s earliest flying experiences were with the Air Training Corps (ATC) beginning with his first solo flight in a sailplane when he was 17 years old.
Soon after moving to the USA in 2001, he took a Discovery Flight in a Cessna 150, and as the saying goes, the rest is history.
Over the past 20 years, he has flown numerous general aviation (GA) airplanes, including his first biplane, a Boeing Stearman. He has been sharing the fun of an open-air biplane experience with passengers ever since.
With hundreds of biplane rides given to date, he is a capable, experienced and knowledgeable guide.
Gareth and his wife Joy live full-time in Lake Suzy, FL, near Punta Gorda and the Sunseeker Resort.
They have five children - Isaac, Debs, Timmy, Bryce and Sean, and four grandchildren - Nehemiah, Norah, Andrew and Beatrice.
FAA Accreditations
Commercial Pilot.
Certificated Flight Instructor (CFI).
Tailwheel Endorsement.
High Performance Endorsement.
Accomplishments
Flew cross-country solo from Pennsylvania to California in his open-cockpit 1942 Stearman biplane.
Founder of Fly-Hope-Dream, a 501(c)3 nonprofit providing flight experiences to grieving families.
Flew his Stearman in the documentary film “Steve McQueen: An American Icon” with Mel Gibson, Gary Sinise and Greg Laurie.
Flew his Stearman in the upcoming movie “When the Moon was Twice as Big”
The Air Training Corps (ATC) is a British volunteer youth organization of the United Kingdom; primarily focusing on military aviation. Part of the Royal Air Force Air Cadets (RAFAC), the ATC is sponsored by the Royal Air Force (RAF).
The Stearman (Boeing) Model 75 is an American biplane formerly used as a military trainer aircraft, of which at least 10,626 were built in the United States during the 1930s and 1940s.
Meet “Gracie”
The WACO Aircraft Corporation hand builds, in small numbers, a three-seat biplane, the WACO YMF-5, based upon the original manufacturing plans which were filed by the Weaver Aircraft Company with the Library of Congress. The aircraft are constructed at the Battle Creek Executive Airport at Kellogg Field (BTL) in Battle Creek, Michigan.
