I'm Just Ken

At the 2023 IAC National Aerobatic Championships, I flew my four minute freestyle to “I’m Just Ken” by Ryan Gosling from the Barbie movie. So naturally, we had to dress the part.

That’s me on the right with Olivier Masurel and Grant Nielsen. We went all in on the Ken look.

My dad drove up from Oklahoma to watch me compete, bringing along his new dog Sherman. When he walked into the hangar, I had completely forgotten I was still wearing a ridiculous blonde wig. Dad didn’t skip a beat. He just started chatting like everything was perfectly normal.

Eventually it dawned on me that I still had the wig on. “Aren’t you going to ask me why I’m wearing a stupid blonde wig?” I asked him.

“I figure you had a reason,” he said.

My very confused dad and his dog Sherman graciously pose for a picture with three Kens.

That’s my dad. He was an excellent pilot himself and gave me my love for aviation. He’s always been an inspiration to me. And apparently, he’s also completely unflappable when his son shows up dressed as a fictional beach boyfriend.

We are all just Kens.