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).
Marsha Conner
Senior Flight Instructor
Marsha is a senior flight instructor from Gainesville, GA. She graduated from the University of North Georgia (BS) and the University of Georgia (Master of Education). Her professional career began as an instructor in high school and college in Georgia and North Carolina.
She has flown numerous types of aircraft and logged over 9,000 hours. Safety of operations is paramount in flying and Marsha has volunteered with the FAAST safety program of the FAA in NC and GA for decades.
Upon returning to the Northeast Georgia area, Marsha continues to enjoy teaching flight students, mentoring, and doing pilot service. She supports numerous professional organizations including the EAA, Women in Aviation, and the FAAST program. She has mentored numerous students from private pilot into career aviation professionals. She holds an Airline Transport Pilot certificate and Flight Instructor certificate with Instrument and Multi-engine ratings.
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.
Grant Gibson
Flight Instructor
Grant is a third generation pilot who has spent the last two years working on receiving his Commercial, CFI, CFII, and MEI ratings. He graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in Mechanical Engineering where he went on to pursue a career in aerodynamics engineering. While working in the aerodynamics industry he took some interest into aviation and went up for an intro flight. This flight sparked his passion for aviation and Grant has since devoted himself full time to flying and instructing. His favorite part of flight instructing is getting to see the end result, and watching a students hard work pay off.
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.
