Roy M. Coulliette, a resident of Phoenix, Arizona since 1954, was born in Palatka, Florida in 1941. His interest in Aviation began early. He dreamed of being a pilot after he saw a glider club operating off a dirt highway.
Roy Coulliette’s rise from novice aviator to owning and operating
one of the top soaring schools in the country started when he bought his
first airplane in 1967; a 150 HP Citabria. He hired on to tow gliders
for a soaring school in Buckeye, AZ. The school moved to Chandler, Arizona,
where the owner offered to sell his interest in the school to Roy Coulliette
and two partners. Roy and his two partners moved the school to Turf Paradise
Airport where the business grew substantially and changed the name to
Turf Soaring School. Later, Roy Coulliette became sole owner and in 1976,
he moved the school and began building the Pleasant Valley Airport. By
the year 2000, the school was recognized as one of the major soaring schools
in the country with 11 gliders, 4 tow planes, and operated over 12,00
flights per year. Pleasant Valley Airport is also home to Civil Air Patrol
Cadet Training Squadron Flight 400, the most active in the U.S.
Click on the image to view a Youtube video by Focus TV on Turf Soaring and Pleasant Valley Airport.
