Ricardo Aguilar has combined several passions in his life: family, flight and poetry in his children's book debut. After graduating from the US Air Force Academy with a degree in International Affairs, he has spent 31 years as a pilot; 21 in the Air Force and 10 with Southwest Airlines. Ricardo hails from Charlton Heights, West Virginia and has been happily married to his bride Catherine, who is an interior designer, for 25 years. They reside in York, PA and are the proud parents of three children: Nicholas who is currently serving in the US Air Force, Alejandro who is a cadet at West Point, and Victoria who is studying fashion design. Ricardo has also earned an MS degree from Saint Mary's University in San Antonio and an MBA from Southern Illinois University. In addition to flying airplanes and writing poetry, Ricardo also enjoys tennis, scuba diving, weight lifting, playing chess and traveling. A big believer and supporter of education, Ricardo also volunteers at local schools through the Southwest Airlines Adopt-A-Pilot mentoring program.