Scott Tyree

I’ve been around aviation in one form or another most of my life, but I didn’t actually start working toward my pilot certificate until January 2020. Yes… that January 2020. Perfect timing. Once the lockdowns lifted, I went full throttle on training and found myself sitting across from a DPE in May of 2021. The knowledge test felt like the longest twelve hours of my life. The flight portion, on the other hand, was the most fun I’d had in an airplane up to that point. With a fresh certificate in my pocket, I immediately began searching for the fastest way to retire completely broke. Naturally, that led me to start building an RV. It didn’t take long to realize that “forever” and “WAY too much money” were both baked into that plan. Then in July of 2023 I spotted an ad for a sweet little Kitfox not too far from home. I went to “just take a look” and, through a series of extremely questionable life decisions, ended up trailering it home. A few hundred hours and more than a few dollars later, the RedRiver Fox is flying again and doing exactly what airplanes are supposed to do: creating adventures and introducing me to an incredible community of pilots who love flying as much as I do. This will be my second season competing in National STOL, but my involvement goes back a bit further. I spent two seasons volunteering before I ever rolled onto the competition line, so 2026 marks my fourth year with this incredible organization. My goal in competing isn’t about trophies. It’s about flying alongside some of the best stick-and-rudder pilots on the planet and pushing myself to become more precise and disciplined every time the wheels touch down. Along the way I’ve been documenting the adventures of the airplane on my YouTube channel, The RedRiver Fox, where I share the occasional upgrade project, hard-earned lesson, and the ongoing quest to land shorter than I did last time. If nothing else, at least the YouTube channel will capture the lessons learned. And if I manage to actually stick a good one… well, that’ll make it on the channel too.