OUR TEAM
Meet The Skybound Team
Ryan Mendon
General Manager
& Pilot
Ryan is a Kansas City area native, having grown up in Louisburg, KS. He trained and flew extensively in the busy airspace of the Philadelphia area where his wife, Sarah grew up and attended the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University.
Ryan is a Certified Flight Instructor and a Certified Flight Instructor-Instrument. He has long held a passion for instructing and sharing his knowledge with others.
Ryan has spent many seasons as a certified ski and snowboard instructor in Colorado, California, and New Zealand. He still enjoys trips to the mountains to ski, snowboard, rock climb, and hike with his wife.
Gregg Bourdon
Gregg is a retired Army aviator, having served for 23 years in a combination of active duty and reserve assignments. His last was flying the giant CH-47 Chinook in Olathe. He also flew for several EMS operators to include Kansas City’s Lifeflight Eagle and was the voice of KSHB’s Skytracker helicopter for 15 years.
Gregg has over 12,000 accident-free flight hours and is a Certificated Flight Instructor-Helicopter. He is originally from Massachusetts, but along with his wife Kelly has called Kansas City home for the past 25 years.
Chief Pilot
Cory Harris from Hutchinson KS, has always had a passion for aviation. The spike of his interest in becoming a pilot was when taking a scenic tour, over the beautiful island of Kauai. It was shortly after that trip in 2017, that he began working on his private pilot license.
Cory has had amazing opportunities with several instructors along the way and is eager to share his knowledge and passion.
Cory enjoys spending time with his family, traveling, photography, and of course flying.
Cory Harris
Pilot
Joel Richardson
Pilot
Hello, my name is Joel Richardson. I have a background in military, law enforcement, and now flying helicopters. I attended school through Dodge City Community College, where I attained my PPL, CPL, and CFI certifications and IFR rating. I am working toward my CFII with Sky bound Helicopters. On my off time I like to spend time with family and go on day long adventures, like going to an amusement park, scuba diving, walk around the zoo, and just about anything else that is not part of my day-to-day activities. I have 3 dogs, A German Shepard named Kodak, a Beagle named Maggie, and a Dachshund named Sadie (she’s the baby of the family) I have three daughters Makinzee, Maddison, and Avirlyn, and of course I can’t keep out the beautiful wife, T’Ra (Tiara).
My name is Derrik McCall and I have been flying since 2014. I learned to fly helicopters and airplanes at a little airport called Allen County Airport (K88) in southeast Kansas. This is my third year as a CFI. Currently I fly part time for a news station, pipeline patrol, and flight schools. Fun Fact, I have one kidney. I enjoy hunting, fishing, and being with my family.
Derrik McCall
Pilot
Laurie Mendon
Administrator
Laurie and her husband, Todd, have lived in the Kansas City area for several years. They have 2 children, Erinn & Ryan, and 3 grandchildren. Besides loving being “Nana” to Oakley, Finley and Kallan, she enjoys traveling, crafting, and spending time with family.
Laurie recently retired from the Insurance Industry after 10 years of owning her own agency. The Mendon’s have been involved in several business interests throughout the years, including a retail store in Colorado and currently have several real estate endeavors.
As a Kansas native, Laurie grew up in Erie and graduated from Pittsburg State University.
Lloyd Hetrick
Mechanic
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Lloyd Hetrick grew up around aviation and started his career at the age of 15 working in his father’s maintenance shop. Lloyd soloed on his 15th birthday and earned his private pilots license on his 16th birthday. He followed up his private license with a commercial license in both helicopters and multiengine as well as obtaining his CFI single certificate. Working on aircraft and helicopters in his father’s shop Lloyd obtained his Airframe and Engine license and later his IA license.
Lloyd has over 1000 hours in the R22 and worked on them for over 20 years completing the Robinson maintenance and safety courses when they started their first dealership in the 1980’s.
Penny was born in the neighboring state of Arkansas, but spent the past 25 years in Colorado where she began her career in accounting. After graduating from the University of Phoenix with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting, she began working with several of the big project management firms in the Denver, Boulder area. Penny gained practical knowledge of the construction and accounting worlds and has also worked closely with several private families and businesses. Forensic accounting is her special niche. Now back in Arkansas, she spends most of her time with her family and two dogs MagPie and Willard.
Penny Cox
Financial Administrator
