Flying High With Joey Sanders

By: Austin Crafton

            He was just a country kid living on the river with a dream. He’d look up to the sky with his father and just wait to see an airplane crush through those puffy clouds. That was Joey Sanders growing up. He knew what he wanted and he’s still chasing after it to this day.

            For the small town of Jasper, Alabama – Joey “Gordo” Sanders may be as considered the one that made it for everyone. He joined up with the Air National Guard when he was of age, making it to Lieutenant Colonel and then was one of the first men called into action during the Gulf War of the early 1990’s. The “Phantom” he flew in the conflict stands in a monument in the heart of town. 

             He’s been one of FedEx’s top pilots for almost three decades and was one of the first pilots certified to fly Boeing’s new, state-of-the-art 777 which was just released this year. And now he flies the fan-favorite "Big-Red" in the World-Famous Reno Air Races, which is essentially “3-D NASCAR” as Joey says.

Joey with his famous "Big Red"

            “I’ve been lucky to do what I’ve wanted for all of these years,” Joey says as he sits back in his office overlooking his hangar full of planes. And at 58, he still has plenty left in the tank. “I want to get at least a few more years in of serious flying before I hand it over to the next generation.”

            His hangar is his home-base, from there he keeps up with not only his race team, but his flight school. “We always have several students with us, but we’re hoping to have around thirty in the fall. We’ve signed some contracts for some European students to come over.” He’s always excited to give someone their wings.

            

       Joey is absolutely full of stories and this package could’ve easily been two-hours long. Having flown with Joey in the past, I can easily say I’ve never seen anyone more at home than he is in the air.

To see what Joey is up to Click Here