Who
is... Chris 'Pine' ?
Born on 24th April 1958 in Pontiac, Michigan
Currently living in Brandon, Florida
My
parents moved our family from Michigan to St. Petersberg/Clearwater,
Florida when I was 12. I Graduated
from Clearwater High School. I’ve
lived in the area ever since.
Status:
I’ve
been Married 30 Years to my wonderful wife, Diane.
We have 3 Children together and 1 Grandchild.
I have 2 dogs, a Rottweiler – Byson and Miniature Pomeranian - Onyx
Profession / Qualifications:
I
worked as the Plant Supervisor for 17 years at a Block Plant.
Later on in life I acquired my Contractor’s License and worked as a
Pool Service Technician doing various types of plumbing, electrical, motor and
pump work.
Hobbies:
I am a simple man with simple needs.
I love gaming, virtual sim flying, and coaching sports (football and
softball) With the time I have
spent on the computer, my wife has described me as a “Vidiot”.
Joint-Ops (How you came about Joint-Ops):
I had been
playing Nintendo and Playstation when I finally moved up to a PC.
Flying has always intrigued me. I
had seen Combat Flight Simulator on the shelves at the store and decided to buy
it. I’ve loved it ever since.
Once I learned how to get to the Zone, I joined the 52nd Close
Combat Squadron (CC_Pine) and became the Squad CO for a couple years.
I met Ice and Fifties shortly after I joined the squad.
They approached me about an idea they had of organizing a training
program for new pilots after recruitment. Although
I thought their idea was a great one and supported them from the beginning,
their concept wasn’t received as well as you would expect at first.
Everyone thought they we were trying to steal everyone’s squad members.
Eventually word of mouth and a great reputation made Joint-Ops what it is
today. Fifties and I have been
amazed ever since that this small hobby idea would snowball into the business it
is becoming today.
Pilot Career (Real and/or Virtual):
In real
life, I haven’t done much more than flew as a passenger in an Aircraft.
Virtually, I have flown Combat Flight Simulator mostly.
I have flown a little IL2 from time to time.
Joint-Ops Claims to Fame:
Two
time Top Gun through the JO Combat Flight Simulator School.
Personal Comments:
I have been
a Football Coach for 19, coaching kids from 8 years old through High School.
I’ve won three Super Bowls and made 5 Playoffs.
My memories of coaching take me back to a couple boys who made it to the
pros. I coached one boy for a
couple years at the age of 12 that went on to play for the Washington Redskins
(Mike Purcillo). He was originally
drafted to Buffalo for a few years, then to Cleveland for a year, and finally to Washington as a free agent.
He is currently playing.
Another boy I had coached in Junior High School was Jonathan Ordway.
He went on to play Arena Football for the Tampa Storm for a while, was
named Defensive Back of the Year and is currently playing in the League.
I also coached Women’s Fast Pitch Softball for 18 and under
girls. We traveled the country and
won many tournaments. As Head
Coach, I was responsible for helping 23 girls get scholarships for college.
Three quarters of these girls graduated College with degrees.
The Future:
The future is very uncertain for me at the moment. I have been in a fierce battle with cancer. It has made it very hard for me to see the monitor and can’t fly any more. I miss it terribly. With the support from my wife, my daily goals are to live another day, make memories with my family, and stay close to God.
