To quote Mike: "Photojournalism is all about storytelling, and aviation is full of great stories just waiting to be told."

Mike was born in Cleveland, Oh, but the family moved to Lexington, KY, in 1969. In Junior High, Mike took an interest in photography to the point that he decided to set his course to become a professional photographer. Mike taught himself black-and-white darkroom skills in junior high school. He worked on the staff of the school newspapers in both junior high and Tates Creek High School as a photographer and photo editor. After graduating in 1980, Mike entered Western Kentucky University as a photojournalism major and was the leading photographer for the yearbook and newspaper. In 1987, Mike became the Co-Founder and first Editor of The Southern Aviator, a regional tabloid.

Six years later, in 1994, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association hired him to be a part of its internationally renowned AOPA PILOT magazine team, where he quickly became its Managing Editor. The magazine is the most widely circulated aviation publication in the nation. Mike wrote thousands of articles and took thousands of pictures covering a broad range of aviation-related subjects, from general aviation aircraft and equipment to pilot training and evaluating FAA regulatory policies and procedures. His commitment to exhaustive research supported his standard for editorial integrity and excellence.