General Aviation Pilot, Aerobatic Pilot, Instructor, & Reno Air Racer Scott McDonald Passes Away

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Below is an excerpt from his obituary.

Scott James McDonald, 37, of Henderson, NV passed away on November 15, 2023 in a plane crash. Born April 16, 1986 in St. Johns, MI.

Scott’s love of aviation started young as he had the opportunity to fly in many planes with family friend Al Schiffer. After graduating from St. Johns High School in 2004, he pursued his Associate & BS degrees in Aviation Flight Technology at Lansing Community College (2011) and Siena Heights University (2012) respectively. Scott purchased the Fixed Based Operation (FBO) DBA as Three Point Aviation, LLC at the Gratiot Community Airport in 2013 and became the Airport Manager and worked as a flight instructor for Crosswinds Aviation (’13-’16). There he found his lifelong calling to not only fly but to help others in their aviation pursuits through instruction.

Scott bought his first aerobatics plane in 2015 and dreamed of attaining his Air Show card which he did in 2019. He moved to Las Vegas in 2016, to fly an Extra 300 at Sky Combat Ace in which he created memorable aerobatic flights for customers in Red Rock Canyon and was given his call sign “McFly”. Scott additionally worked for Thrive Aviation obtaining his A/CE-525 and A/DA-2000 type ratings and most recently obtained his type rating A/B-747-4 for Kalitta Air. His love for flying spilled into his “free” time in which he ferried planes all over the country, instructed new pilots and did over 100 skydives. Scott loved to take his Jeep out to camp and hike and he traveled the world with his fiancé Sara Velez.

Scott never met a stranger and those fortunate enough to spend time with him always walked away feeling as if they had just made a new friend. He was a highly skilled pilot with more than 7,000 hours in more than 75 different aircrafts. He was a 4 time participant in the Reno Air Race Bi-Plane Silver division with a 3rd place finish in 2021. Scott’s life was cut far too short but as family and friends gathered to share memories everyone recognized that he had enough stories to fill multiple lifetimes. Scott will be forever remembered for the smiles and fun that he brought to so many.

Scott is survived by his parents Dennis & Joyce McDonald; sister Karen Mayerik, brother-in-law Joe Mayerik and nieces Julia and Lucy; sister Brenda Keim, brother-in-law Josh Keim and nephews, Ethan and Eli, and nieces Alivia and Evalyn and his beloved fiancé Sara Velez.

https://www.mcgeehanfh.com/obituaries/S ... d=29938819