About the authors
Jeff Senour
Jeff Senour is a true Renaissance man, often referred to as “Pilot by day, Rocker by night.” He was born in Portland, Oregon, and raised mostly in Southern California. His dad was an electrical engineer who flew private airplanes for fun, while his mom was a violinist who, as a young girl, appeared in various movies as a young actress in Hollywood. They both taught Jeff from an early age to believe in himself and that with hard work, he could achieve anything he wanted in life—and that’s exactly what Jeff did.
Ever since his first ride in a Piper Cub with his dad at 5 years old, he began his professional aviation career. After earning his wings in a Learjet, Jeff went on to fly famous celebrities, CEOs, and high-profile customers, becoming a Screen Actors Guild movie pilot. He flew a highly modified aerial camera platform called Vectorvision, designed by five-time Academy Award winner Bob Nettmann. Jeff eventually became a well-known aerial film pilot, earning credits in blockbuster movies such as “True Lies,” “Executive Decision,” “Silence of the Lambs,” “Hot Shots,” and “Space Cowboys,” to name a few. He also served as a photo chase pilot for numerous airframe manufacturers and aerospace companies, filming the Blue Angels, Thunderbirds, Canadian Snowbirds, NASA Dryden at Edwards Air Force Base, Boeing, Lockheed, McDonnell Douglas, Bombardier, and Gulfstream, among others.
Jeff also became an experienced helicopter pilot, spending numerous years flying Channel 9 News in Los Angeles, as well as doing film flying in Hollywood. In 1993, he joined Southwest Airlines as a pilot and recently retired after 25 years as a Senior Captain. He enjoyed the culture of one of the most iconic airlines in the world, and after millions of miles and thousands of passengers, he always found joy in inspiring his customers with fun and music. You could often catch Jeff performing with his custom Taylor guitar—a gift from CEO Gary Kelly for winning the President’s Award—and singing to his passengers before their flights.
Jeff’s gift of music also led him to found his rock band, CTS (Called to Serve). As a singer/songwriter with three studio albums, recently signed to the record label Universal Music/Mi5 Recordings, Jeff has dedicated his music to promoting the American Dream, honoring veterans and first responders, and inspiring people of all ages to live their dreams. The music of CTS has taken the band to venues across America, including festivals, the Pentagon, USS Midway, USS Missouri, and many more. Jeff’s music has won numerous awards, received radio play, and even featured in several movies through ASCAP. He also produced a concert series integrating high school orchestras with CTS to inspire young students to pursue their dreams.
CTS consists of Joe McGinnity on drums, Jerry Nuzum on bass/keys/vocals, and Dylan Elliott on lead guitar.
Jeff’s life exemplifies the merging of two passions: his skills as a professional pilot and as a Screen Actors Guild aerial coordinator and singer/songwriter for CTS. He inspires creativity through aerial photography and music, creating some of the most stunning aerial footage in the world while flying next to almost every military jet in the inventory to capture birds-eye views of aircraft in flight. Jeff says the perspective of aviation and the music of CTS is the melodic story of his life, and that we can all achieve great things if we work hard enough and believe in ourselves. To date, Jeff has logged over 30,000 hours—almost 3.5 years in the air.
Jeff is also the host of a YouTube TV show called “Backstage Pass With Jeff Senour,” produced by Barbara Beach of Radioactive Broadcasting, featuring amazing people doing incredible things, living their dreams, and doing good for society.