Aviation View - Dec 2023

40 AVIATION VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 3, ISSUE 4 to pilots training at Southern Utah University, as Galetka points out. Learning to fly over mountains is crucial to any pilot’s training. More about Galetka A Cedar City native, born and raised, Galetka admits to being something of a paradox. Whilst he has no flying background, he nonetheless has a great interest in aviation and its history, especially during World War II. Cedar City Regional was then involved in training pilots to fight the Germans and Japanese. Galetka shares that he finds it fascinating how much things have changed in aviation in the past 80 years. Plus, as a kid, he also enjoyed watching P-3 Orion and P-2 Neptune firefighter airplanes take off from Cedar City. “I’d have my mom take me to the fence, and I’d watch them take off and land all day long, fighting a wildfire,” he recalls, “and that’s kind of where my passion for aviation sprouted. Growing up, I didn’t honestly expect this to be the line of work that I’d be in. I did join the military, serving in the National Guard for eight years. I wanted to go into aviation, but there were no local units for the Army air side of things with helicopters in my area. I chose to do a different job in the military.” Then about eight years ago, he started working at Cedar City Regional, fueling aircraft, before attending college. This caused him to fall in love with aviation more deeply. After putting in his dues and learning the trade, Galetka has moved seamlessly through the ranks of the exciting aviation management side of the airline industry. Fast-forward a few years, and now Galetka is heading up a dynamic gem of an airport as it flies into a brighter future fueled by first-tier initiatives. PREFERRED VENDOR/PARTNER n Straight Stripe Painting, Inc. straightstripe.com