I was born in London, England in the late spring of 1973 in a hospital in Chelsea to Brian and Mary Rushton.

I would live the first nine years of my life in London, in Fulham. I attended primary school at Sullivan Primary School in Fulham. While at Sullivan, I would meet Camilla Bruce, who would become a long and dear friend in my life. We would get up to all kinds of mischief together and with our Mum’s.

In the summer of 1982, my Mum and I moved to the United States. This was not my first time to the States as I had visited the States I believe two previous times. The way I would move to the US was unique as Mum put me on a flight from London Heathrow to JFK alone, where I would be met by my father in NYC. So, my flight across the Atlantic, at age 9, was my first time alone and I as a child that grew up loving aviation, being allowed to fly alone on a British Airways 747 was very exciting, even though I was scared and nervous about moving to the US at the time.

My Mum and I would set up shop in Roanoke, VA, which was in stark contrast to London. To say I went through culture shock is putting it mildly. But, I would eventually settle in. I attended elementary school at Crystal Spring Elementary School. I would go on to attend school at James Madison Junior High (now James Madison Middle School) and graduate from high school from Patrick Henry High School in the spring of 1992.

During my time in Roanoke, I had to opportunity to learn to horseback ride, which I loved doing. During the summers, I would normally be sent to NYC to visit my father and to attend camp at Camp Friendship in Palmrya, VA, where I could continue to work on my horseback riding.

At age 15, I started working, my first job being at the a neighborhood grocery store named Tinnelles. At age 16, I would go on to work at Krogers at Tanglewood Mall. Then at age 17, I secured a job with Montgomery Wards in the Housewares Department. At Montgomery Wards, I learned how to mix paint, put up ceiling fans, light fittings and what not. I would stay with Montgomery Ward for the remainder of High School and the first two years at University.

In 1992, my opportunity to leave Roanoke came through attending University at George Mason University. For me, it was a return to a more urban environment, close to but not quite the same as that found in London. But Roanoke had served a particular purpose in my life. I had been fortunate enough to enrolled in Roanoke City Schools which offered a good education and Roanoke, compare to other urban centers, offered a safer environment for children to grow up in. If you compared education standards and school conditions between London’s public schools and Roanoke’s, Roanoke’s would win hands down.

I started off at George Mason University very strong academically. I declared my major right from day one and never changed it – BA in Communications with an focus on Print and Broadcast Journalism. It wouldn’t be until much later that I would add my minor, 3D Animation in Studio Art. I can honestly say that I really enjoyed my major and my minor. Granted there were some courses that were tough, but overall, I really did enjoy the work associated in earning my degree, soo much so, that I did not graduate until 2001.

While at GMU, I joined the Virginia Army National Guard and GMU’s ROTC company. I did my basic training at Ft. Benning, GA as an enlisted soldier at C Company, 2/58 Training Regiment. I joined ROTC upon my return. Both the Army and ROTC made a profound impact on my life and am very proud of my service in both.

As I was paying my on way through University, I held down a number of jobs. ROTC and the VaANG did provide some assistance, but I held down part-time jobs on top of a full academic load from 1992-1998. I held down some prime campus jobs: Event Manager and Building Manager. The building manager position was great in that I could study during the quiet periods.

I also worked on the school newspaper, the Broadside. There I was a photo-journalist and had many articles published. One my most notable personal achievements while at the Broadside, was being able to photograph the Rolling Stones, live, in concert at FedEx Field. I had three photographs published and was allowed to keep the negatives. All the photographs were shot on colour film and it was an amazing experience by itself.

In 1998, I was close to finishing up my degree, but had grown tired of working 3-4 jobs to cover everything. So, in the summer 1998, I decided that I need to secure a full time job and one that might help with tuition. Well, I lucked out, I secured a job in an industry that I love, aviation, at National Business Aviation Association. It was an entry position, but one where I could learn a great deal. I would work full time and attend classes at GMU at night.

In 2001, I would not only graduate from GMU, but also become a property owner. I purchased my current residence, a condo in Silver Spring, Maryland, just before the market in the Washington Area went hot. I have slowly been making upgrades on the condo and making it more my own.

In August 2005, my father passed away. My way of coping with his loss was to travel and in 2006 I did a block of intense travel. I traveled to:

• February – Prague
• March – Paris with side trips to Versailles, London and Amsterdam
• April – Florence, Pisa and Lucca (Italy)
• May – London with side trips to Dublin and Cambridge
  - Chicago, IL

My travel since then has eased up, but I continue to travel for work and for pleasure. I do try to go to one new location both in the US and abroad each year.

I continued to work at NBAA and have rose up slowly through the company. In February 2009, due to the economic down turn in the United States, I was laid off from NBAA. I had spent over 10 years with the company and had some truly amazing experiences while work at NBAA. I did not remain idle for very long as I was able to secure a job with CRGT as a Web Content Manager. My job with CRGT started a new chapter in my life and I have no doubt that there will be plenty of adventures down the road.

I remained at CRGT until January 2010 when I secured a job with Lockheed Martin as a Contractor with the FAA.

These days, I spend my free time traveling, doing photography, working on my web sites and simply enjoying life. I frequently travel to Europe, namely Paris and London. I travel to Paris to work on learning French and I travel home to London to see old friends and family.

On 10 July, 2008, I earned my private pilot license. I fly out of Freeway Airport piloting a Cessna 172. Flying has always been a huge passion in my life and prior to earning my pilots license, Microsoft Flight Simulator had been my main means of being able to pilot an aircraft. Trust me, there is nothing like the experience of actually taking control of a real aircraft and flying it yourself, especially solo for the first time. When the weather permits, I do like to take the time to get in the C172 and go up flying for a bit.

I am currently on working on earning my instrument pilot rating. I completed instrument ground school in August, 2008 and will started instrument flight training sometime around April/May 2010. I look to complete my instrument course work by the end of 2010. My overall goal is to become a commercially rated pilot before or by the time I turn 40.

London remains home to me for many reasons and always will be. London played a huge role in defining who I am today and I am proud to be British, just as I am in being American at the same time.

---

*From birth, I have had dual national status – British and US citizenships. My father was British and my Mum is an American citizen.