Periodical Vol. 20 Issue 3 August 2017
Customer Spotlight
Cody Fleck
Our Customer Spotlight this issue features Cody Fleck, local business owner and pilot. If you ask a pilot to use a phrase to describe how they were introduced to aviation, some common choices might be: My father. Aerial crop sprayers. From a friend. However if you ask local business owner and pilot Cody Fleck, you may not expect his answer: Nursing. Mandan native Cody Fleck is involved in a variety of local businesses, but the majority of his time is spent with his family’s company Dakota Travel Nurse (DTN). Cody and his wife Jamie, a Registered Nurse, founded DTN ten years ago. Since then it has come to provide staffing to more than 90 health care facilities in the tri-state area and has over 700 employees. Busy with DTN and his other business ventures, Cody had been interested in aviation for a long time but never had the opportunity to pursue it. In one day, that all changed. A few years into operating DTN, Cody and Jamie woke early one morning to drive all the way to the Grafton, ND area for a business meeting. Shortly after they arrived, the meeting was cancelled and the Flecks had to drive all the way back to Mandan. On the way home, thinking of all the hours they wasted driving, Jamie turned to Cody and said, “Do you still want to learn how to fly?” “The next day I set up my first flight lesson, and two days later I started flying,” said Cody. He wasted no time immersing himself in the aviation world. After six or seven flights with CFIs Jeff Horan and Terry Sletto he bought his own aircraft, a Cessna R182. Within one calendar year of beginning flight instruction, Cody had his 100 hours, instrument rating, and upgraded to a Piper Saratoga 2TC. Cody likes to say that “time is of the essence”, and he proved that by his thorough but rapid training. Being able to fly has been a great benefit for DTN, as Cody utilizes it primarily for meetings and checking on rental properties they have in North Dakota, South Dakota, and Montana. These rental homes are available so nurses have somewhere to stay on extended work trips. In the past year, Cody upgraded from his Piper Saratoga to a Piper Mirage. “At this point,” Cody said, “the Mirage is the perfect aircraft for what I do.” Dakota Travel Nurse is growing at a very fast rate so Cody stays busy flying. “Sometimes I’m flying five days a week,” he said. “If I didn’t fly, I’d never be home. I try to be home every night so I can make it to my kids’ soccer Mandan Aero Center • 701.663.9925 • mandanaero.com
Cody with his new 2005 Piper Mirage.
and hockey games.” In addition to flying for work, there have been wonderful family benefits. Cody and Jamie have three children ages 13, 12 and 7, and all of them play hockey yearround in addition to other seasonal sports. Air travel is a fantastic opportunity for the kids to be able to attend games, tournaments, and camps all across the state. Cody has also utilized air travel for a variety of excursions, whether it’s snowmobiling and skiing trips in the winter or cruising above his favorite hunting grounds during the off-season, scouting for that buck of a lifetime. Soon he hopes to add Alaska to the list of places he’s adventured to as a pilot. For those who are waiting and hoping to get into aviation, just as Cody once was, he has three recommendations. First and foremost, take it seriously. Flying is not a trivial thing. Second, make sure you set aside time to get the proper training. Maybe you want to try an accelerated schedule like Cody did, flying every other day three to six hours a week. And third, don’t stop at your private license but get your instrument rating for added safety. In a state where the weather is always changing, an instrument rating is very handy. As Cody said, “If I didn’t have my instrument rating, I’d be grounded most of the time.” Cody’s advice, based off of his own experience, goes to show that if you’re determined and passionate about aviation you can go far very fast! Attention all readers: The Periodical is in maintenance for an overhaul, be on the lookout for our design reveal next issue!
Bismarck Aero Center • 701.223.4754 • bismarckaero.com