Meet The Team
"A dream doesn't become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work." - Colin Powell
Michelle curcio
Owner/Senior Flight Instructor
When she opted for civilian life instead of a military one, Michelle thought her opportunity to fly was gone. That all changed during college when she met a distant cousin, Bill Miller, who was a Vietnam pilot and an FAA employee. He told her she could train at a local airport. That knowledge changed the course of her life. She worked nights at an emergency veterinarian clinic and put herself through flight training at Peachtree-DeKalb Airport (KPDK) outside of Atlanta, Ga.
After earning her private pilot license, Michelle enrolled in the aviation program at Lansing Community College in Michigan and obtained her other licenses and ratings — instrument (IFR), commercial, multi-engine (MEL), and flight instructor (CFI, CFII, and MEI). In 2005, she began teaching students pilots at Lansing.
Michelle’s own flight instructor at Lansing, Ed Cox, influenced her path to become a career instructor. Ed left an airline job so he could resume teaching student pilots. Michelle gleaned not only his instruction but also his passion and love for teaching.
Expertise in training, dedication to students, and devotion to her young family set Michelle apart from other instructors who are just building hours. She is a proud member of AOPA (Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association), EAA (Experimental Aircraft Association), NAFI (National Association of Flight Instructors), and SAFE (Society of Aviation and Flight Educators).
Walt Beach
Flight Instructor
Walt is an 11,000 hour retired NetJets Captain and former S-3A Viking Naval Flight Officer. He began flying with the Navy in 1981, completing 2 Mediterranean cruises and 183 catapult launches and arrested landings from the USS Saratoga CV60. He now holds a Single-and Multi-Engine Airline Transport Pilot Certificate, a Single Engine Sea Airline Transport Pilot Certificate and 3 type ratings. He is type rated in the Citation CE-500, Hawker 800XP and Citation CE-680 Latitude. During his time at NetJets he flew to Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and every US state except Hawaii. He flies with us today as a Certified Flight Instructor and Instrument Instructor.
Erich Fritchman
Flight Instructor
Erich started flying in 2014, spending the past 8 years operating as a private pilot out of Toccoa Georgia. During that time he has earned his instrument rating, commercial single-engine, commercial multi-engine, remote pilot, and certified flight instructor certificate. He has recently transitioned into instructing full-time with Horizon Dreams Aviation and is continuing to work towards earning his CFII (flight instructor instrument). His favorite part of instructing is taking future aviators up for their very first flights. Erich is a lifetime member of the AOPA as well as a EAA volunteer pilot for the young eagles program. He admires vintage aircraft and enjoys visiting aviation museums throughout the United States to catch a glimpse of historic aircraft and learn about their significant histories.
Austin Smith
Flight Operations Manager
Austin is an aspiring student pilot with a background in motorsports and auto sales. He has always dreamt of becoming a pilot but never thought it a possibility until now. He handles front desk operations at Horizon Dreams Aviation and oversees accounts, billing, and hangar maintenance. He will be there on a daily basis to help you with moving planes in and out of the hangar as needed and booking your future flights.
