John T. Kounis

Graduated Cum Laude from University of Southern California in Computer Science at age 19¹.

¹In 1978, at age 14, I wrote a paper entitled A Computer Study of Galactic Structure. It described my research to refine our knowledge of the galactic plane through statistical analysis of star positions and calculation of star distances based on their spectral class and observed characteristics. The paper was accepted for publication by Astronomy West, the annual conference of the Western Amateur Astronomers, sponsored by the Astronomical Society of the Pacific and the Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers, who were unaware of my young age. ( Click here to read a copy of the paper. Remember that the graphics at the end of the paper were created on a line printer using self-programmed transformations in Fortran.)

Publication of the paper was one of the achievements that enabled me to be accepted to the University of Southern California just before my 15^th birthday.

Co-founded Airventure Publishing LLC, which publishes Pilot Getaways Magazine. My primary responsibilities include:

• Wrote initial business plan to launch the business and continue to work with my partner on regular business plan updates.
• Participating in securing investment and funding for the business. Our most recent award was a grant from the Wolf Aviation Fund.
• Determining editorial direction of the magazine.
• Coordinating video production, including a five-minute Pilot Getaways television segment that appeared on Channel 9's Nine on the Town program.
• Coordinating a diverse team of writers, editors, artists, and photographers that span the country, as well as recruiting of new talent.
• Financial management, including budgeting, invoicing, payroll and accounts payable/receivable management.
• Nearly all information technology requirements, including writing a customized subscription database, web development, configuration of local email, file, and database servers, establishing virtual private networks, e-commerce and data security. There are too many to list; click here for a list of recent IT-related work I performed.

• Meeting with state and local agencies and negotiate agreements to promote recreational aviation and encourage land use policies beneficial to aviation.
• Making presentations to pilot groups, when necessary.
• Presently renegotiating a Memorandum of Understanding between the RAF and Death Valley National Park for maintenance and support of three airstrips in the national park.
• Maintaining and updating the legacy website.
• Currently in the process of gathering requirements for a next generation website to integrate a content management system (CMS), customer relationship management (CRM) system, and e-Commerce. I intend to begin the design work in late 2010/early 2011.

Started JPL at age 16 as an academic part time employee. After graduation in 1983, I converted to a full-time engineer. Highlights over my 18-year employment include:

• Programming utilities for the first office automation project that replaced typewriters and mail with workstations, printers, and email (leading edge technology for 1980).
• Distributed Management Information and Control System for management and dispatch of C-130 and C-141 aircraft at McChord Air Force Base, Washington. I was responsible for programming the database code for the maintenance subnet that tracked aircraft squawks, parts, and service times.
• Technical Group Leader for the Monitor and Control and Database Group of the Central Weather Processor project for use in FAA Air Route Traffic Control Centers (ARTCCs).
• I was the first JPL employee to move to Germany for the US European Command Center System project and played a key role in establishing the JPL Field Office there.
• My final project was as the lead system engineer and technical group leader of a team of 30 engineers to develop and maintain database, network, web, and help desk services for the Cassini spacecraft that is now orbiting Saturn.

Click here for a complete list of positions I held at JPL.

Programmed an IBM 370/158 for statistical studies of heart disease. Maintained code that performed real-time analysis of EKG signals during stress tests of L.A. County firefighters and sheriffs.

In 1998, I wrote the initial business plan for Pilot Getaways Magazine and co-founded Airventure Publishing LLC to publish it. Today, Pilot Getaways is regarded as a definitive source of information for private pilot travel. I have effectively built a cohesive, stable team of nationwide contributors, who are enthusiastic, energetic, and talented, and consistently produce high-quality content that is respected in the industry. Most of our contributors have been with us in excess of five years.

I have over 30 years of experience in information technology. At Jet Propulsion Laboratory, my technical skills have allowed me to progress from a programmer to a technical group leader and lead system engineer for components of the Space Flight Operations Center. In my current position at Airventure Publishing LLC, I am primarily responsible for the development of database and web software in PHP, Visual Basic, Perl, and different scripting languages. I am also responsible for procuring, configuring, and maintaining all our in-house data processing equipment. Click here for a list of recent IT-related work performed at Airventure Publishing LLC.

My first flight lesson was on my 18^th birthday in 1981. Since then, I have accumulated about 5,500 flight hours in 50 countries. My flights have taken me as far north as the island of Spitsbergen, more than 700 nm north of the Arctic Circle, and as far south as Cape Town South Africa. I frequently give talks about flying in Africa, Europe and the Middle East. Click to see videos of flying over the pyramids of Egypt and flying to the altiport of Courchevel in the French Alps.

I have a passion for everything involved with aviation. Under an A&P’s supervision, I have done significant work on aircraft such as replacing aircraft and engine parts—even cylinders. My last project was a major avionics upgrade that entailed installation of a multi-probe EGT and digital fuel-totalizer, fuel pressure, oil pressure and temperature, volt/ammeter, and outside air temperature gauges. My background extends to meteorology, regulations, and aerodynamics.

I fly a Cessna 185 that I have owned since 1996. The part of my job that I enjoy the most is flying around the country to research and photograph destinations for Pilot Getaways. This includes formation flying for nearly all photo shoots, and I am recognized as a talented formation and backcountry pilot.

My public speaking career began at age 14, when I presented my paper, A Computer Study of Galactic Structure at the Astronomy West conference at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. At JPL, as the Technical Group Leader for Data and Computing Services, I made frequent presentations to the entire spacecraft team (hundreds of engineers) regarding security, deployment to an alternate control center in case of emergency, database procedures, etc.

I am a dynamic speaker who consistently attracts crowds for both content and presentation style. AOPA Summit has invited me to speak each year since 2002, along with aviation conferences around the country. Click here for a video of a presentation made at AOPA Expo about fly-in destinations in the East.

As editor-in-chief, I edit all articles that are published in Pilot Getaways Magazine. I also write the regular Flight Plan column, describing recent developments in the magazine and periodic travel articles. AOPA Pilot has also published articles I have written. Click the following links for sample articles on the Yucatan Peninsula and Long Beach, California.

Like the Pros LLC, recently commissioned me to write three scripts about flying technically advanced aircraft. The topics were: the Cirrus SR22 with Avidyne avionics package, a Columbia (Cessna) 350 with Garmin 430/530 package, and a Garmin G-1000 equipped Cessna 182.

I speak German and Greek fluently and frequently made presentations or drafted documents in German while I was the JPL Liaison in Germany for the USEUCOM Command Center Project. This included presentations to Stuttgart Airport officials for land use by the Ludwigsburg Army Aero Club. In addition, I can speak conversational Russian and once was proficient in French, though I would need practice to reacquire that skill.Years ago, I spoke Japanese well enough to give a six-minute speech in Japan.