Adam Fox was 7 years old when his father paid for him to fly an airplane. The family was on vacation in south Florida.

The elder Fox, an Alabama boiler-maker who traveled the world for business, often taking his family along, sat the youngster on his lap and let him think he was flying.

“The plane was actually on auto pilot, but I thought I was flying it,” said Fox. After the flight, Fox remembers his father telling him he should become a commercial airline pilot. “He said all they do is put the plane on auto pilot and then go back and flirt with the stewardesses.”

Fox, who recently became the manager for the El Reno Regional Airport and Industrial Park, would learn later there is a bit more to it than how his father described the job. But the adventure helped plant the seeds for what has become a career and passion for aviation.

Growing up in rural Alabama, Fox would daily see and hear U.S. Army aircraft soaring above his home.

“Fort Rucker was an Army flight training base,” Fox said. It was common for helicopters to buzz over the family home. “It was just a normal part of life.”

In high school, Fox began dating a girl whose father was a career military man and who was also a pilot.

By the time he was a junior, Fox had decided he wanted to join the Alabama Army National Guard. A recruiter had visited his small Wicksburg High School, touting the benefits of military service. Fox was intrigued by the presentation. When he and his girlfriend ran into the recruiter with his family at a movie theater a few days later, Fox figured it was a matter of fate.

Only 17, Fox was able to convince his parents to sign the waiver that would allow him to join the Alabama National Guard, although his mother was a tough sell.

“She must have asked that recruiter 30 questions,” he said.

On the other hand, his father knew it was a way to help his son find opportunities in the world.

Fox would enlist. His National Guard service would eventually include a yearlong tour of active duty in Afghanistan.

After returning from Afghanistan, Fox asked his future father-in-law, the military father of his high school sweetheart, if he could marry his daughter.

“He told me yes, but on one condition, I had to go to college.”

Fox enrolled in forestry at Auburn University. He said that lasted all of two days. He kept seeing aircraft flying over the campus and the pull was too great.

Auburn is known for aviation, Fox said. He said Delta Airlines invests heavily in the university program.

After earning a business degree in Aviation Management, Fox landed a job with the Alabama Aeronautics Commission. He was assigned to airport inspections.

After about a year, Fox learned the Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission was looking for an aviation program manager and education coordinator. He saw the chance to work in aviation in Oklahoma as a tremendous opportunity.

“The Wright brothers get the credit for the first flight, but the aviation industry was actually born in Oklahoma,” Fox said.

Fox landed the job, going to work for Vic Byrd, director of the Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission.

In his first and only year as an education coordinator, he helped fund 39 programs with education grants. Most involved aviation education programs at high schools scattered around the state, including Yukon, Mustang, Guthrie and Sayre. Fox said the curriculum runs from 9th through 12th grade.

“With more than 1,100 aviation related sites in Oklahoma they are all screaming the same thing, we need employees,” Fox said. Aviation, Fox said, is Oklahoma’s second largest and fastest growing industry.

A year from now, Fox plans to host a two-day aviation camp for middle school students at the El Reno Regional Airport. The city council recently approved working with the Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission and the OU Sooner Flight Academy to put on the camp.

It's described as a STEM-based education experience that introduces students to the world of flight.

Fox wants to build strong relationships with area schools. He said the Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission views its sponsorship of education-based programs as "workforce development."

Fox is 26. He said he and his wife will be moving to the area in the near future.

"We want to be a part of a community, to help build something special as we start our own family," he said.

Fox said he’s convinced after seeing what the community has to offer and the potential future for the El Reno Regional Airport and Industrial Park, he’s in the right place.