PAUL REKIETA

Paul doesn’t have the “classic” pilot origin story. No one in his family flew an airplane, and he didn’t spend weekends hanging out at a local airport washing airplanes and bumming rides. One day he drove by an airport near his home in Houston and signed up for a Discovery Flight. Once that tiny 152 hopped off the runway, he was hooked! But a 16-year old in high-school, flipping burgers after school and on weekends, doesn’t have a lot of time or money for a flying hobby, so the dream was put on hold. 

Years later, after college, marriage, and child, he again lived close to a small airport. He purchased a 172 with a group of friends and completed his pilot training. He also began working as a computer consultant with a Doctor who flew frequently and gained experience flying right seat on many cross-country flights in a progression of pressurized twin engine airplanes.

Then came the opportunity to move cross-country and accept a job at Apple Computer. Pressures of work, child-rearing, and high cost of living put another hold on flying. Paul picked up flying after his Daughter was off to college. After renting an SR-22 for a number of years, he decided to seek out a partner for a high-performance airplane and settled on a Mirage in 2012. After a few years of flying, it was time for the next step. He and his partners purchased a Meridian in 2015 and continue to enjoy it for frequent travels throughout the Southwest, with the occasional longer cross-country.

Paul retired in 2017 after a long career at Apple, which included 15 years managing the WiFi software team. During the Covid years, he went back to work at Lucid Motors, managing the Mobile Apps team, until retiring again last year.

Paul currently serves as the IT Team Leader, helping guide PMOPA’s current and future data needs. He developed the PMOPA Master Aviator app and maintains the annual Convention App. He is contributing to the planning process for future data analysis projects.

Paul and his wife Rhonda live in San Jose where they remain close to their Daughter’s family, and relish the time they can spend with their two grandchildren.