February Chapter Monthly Luncheon Meeting

Kirk Forbes, MBA 

I am originally from Indiana and have been a resident of Sun City Center, Florida, for the past four years.

I earned my degrees from Purdue University: a bachelor’s in Professional Pilot Technology and an MBA.

My professional career includes 29 years in sales management, followed by 20 years as a corporate jet pilot before retirement. During that time, I accumulated over 9,900 hours of flight experience and earned my Air Transport Pilot (ATP) rating.

My passion for aviation started in 1968 when I joined the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) in Indiana. This early experience inspired me to pursue my Private Pilot license at age 16. I participated in CAP throughout junior high and high school for three years, and later returned as a senior member after college. That foundation ultimately led to a rewarding career flying corporate jets.

Recently, I was motivated to help establish a new Civil Air Patrol squadron in the Wimauma/Sun City Center area (officially launched in October 2025 as the Wimauma/Sun City Center Cadet Squadron). The goal is to provide meaningful opportunities—such as aerospace education, leadership training, flight orientation, and community service—to the region’s large population of disadvantaged teenagers, helping them build character, skills, and confidence through this outstanding youth development program.