2024-2025 PAASS - North Carolina AAA

Matt Hovdenes became interested in aviation early in his life. His father, while not a pilot himself, was very interested in aviation and passed that interest on to Matt. Some of Matt’s early aviation memories come from going to the Air National Guard base in Fargo, North Dakota where his dad worked and watching F-4’s being launched and recovered.
 
After graduating high school from Detroit Lakes, MN Matt attended college at the University of Minnesota Crookston. Loading for an aerial applicator in the summer and playing football made college life busy but not too busy to fly! At college Matt earned his private and commercial pilot certificates along with instrument and Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) ratings. Matt Graduated College in December of 2000 with Bachelor of Science degrees in both Agricultural Aviation, and Plant Industries Management (agronomy). Since college he has earned his multi-engine rating and added an instrument rating to his CFI Certificate.
 
After College Matt worked as a full time flight instructor at a small FBO for slightly less than a year. In 2002, after years of hard work, Matt finally started flying ag.  He has flown many different types of aircraft in this industry and now flies an AT-400 for his own company Right Way Ag.  of Harwood, ND.
 
Matt was married in December of 2002 to his wife Hilary. They have twins Emma and Anders who were born in 2008. In the off season Matt enjoys camping and traveling with his family and friends. He also tries to fit in as much hunting and ice fishing as time allows. Matt is always trying to find a way to fly by giving occasional instructional flights and flying as a contract pilot in the winter.
 
Matt has been active in the NDAAA serving as the president from 2010-2012 and is currently serving as the North Dakota representative to the NAAA Board. He has hosted Cub Scout groups and given many people and children in the area their first airplane ride. In 2005, Matt was awarded the John Robert Horne Memorial Award from the NAAA. After graduating from the Syngenta Leadership Training in 2006, he has seen the value of the NAAA and has been willing to help where he can. Matt looks forward to working with PAASS as he has witnessed and experienced the safety and professionalism that it promotes within our industry.

Born and raised in southwest Missouri, Sam was next to the youngest of six kids - four brothers and a sister.  He joined the Air Force after graduating high school 1976.  While serving four years as an avionics components specialist, Sam enjoyed being stationed in Colorado, Idaho and Germany and working on F-111 Aardvark and F-15 Eagle fighter jets.  Sam earned his private pilot license at U76 during his stint at Mt. Home AFB. 

In 1981, Sam graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering from the University of Missouri.  He is a licensed professional engineer and maintains a consulting business providing primarily residential and commercial site development engineering services.

Sam’s desire to fly and escape the big city life pushed him to pursue an agricultural aviation career in 1992.  Attending Ag Flight provided some basic agricultural pilot training, at least enough to get insurance for the first season of flying for an “optimistic” operator.  The following flying season Styron, with his vast experience of 300 hours ag flying, became an operator in a farming area just south of Kansas City.

Sam operates as 1Lowflyer, Inc. using an AT602, AT402 and Cessna AGtruck to treat wheat, corn, soybeans, alfalfa, and pasture, as well as, spreading fertilizer and cover crops in Missouri, Kansas and Iowa.  Sam has become the “optimistic” operator and is breaking in a new pilot to help treat the increasing number of customer acres.

Sam and Pattie, his wife of 30-some years, have three grown children.