Welcome to The AvDOG
My name is Kyle and I am a self-proclaimed AvGeek from the OG days. The first flight in my earliest memory was in June 2002 at the tender age of 10. We got to fly a Singapore Airlines Boeing 747-400, dubbed the ‘MegaTop’. While I couldn’t fly around often, my dad travelled a lot, and I built a massive collection of paperback timetables and inflight magazines—most of which are still stacked in the corner of my wardrobe back home.
I started drawing planes, designing my own liveries, and sketching fantasy airline lounges (which I never actually got to enter). I uploaded hundreds of designs to Cardatabase in my teenage years, and my AvGeek journey took off from there.
Being an AvGeek nowadays seems a lot more difficult because, well, life happened. I studied Finance, got my MBA, and got married. Now, I am a dad of two lovely kids, and during the day, I am a Maths teacher to another 90 kids. Flying now seems almost like an impossible task. It’s not made any easier when the term “AvGeek” today seems entirely correlated to YouTubers sipping champagne in First Class suites.
With AvDOG, I want to bring the love back into AvGeekery. I am an AvGeek Dad On the Ground—hence, AvDOG.
What You’ll Find Here
This website contains my thoughts and opinions on what’s happening in the industry (I have to put that MBA to good use somehow), but it also serves as my creative outlet. These posts are written in my spare time, as I am still a full-time working dad after all. I write my posts in the evenings after the kids are in bed, on the subway back from work, or whenever I feel inspired to write. This keeps my love for the hobby alive while bringing other normal folks (and fellow tired parents) into the fold. After all, you can absolutely sip champagne on your couch and be an AvGeek without flying around everywhere.
My website is divided into the following sections:
The Geek Seat: Where we can all just geek out about general plane stuff and aviation news.
The Boarding Gate: Where I write about the occasional flight I actually get to take, dad-life travel, and my opinions on the passenger experience.
The Ground Lounge: Where I analyze recent business developments, airline economics, and strategy in the industry.
What You Won’t Find Here
Firstly, we do live in the age of AI. I am not afraid to admit that I use AI in my line of work. However, I do believe that AI is a tool we use to make our lives easier, not a tool to replace us. Therefore, you can rest assured that I will always write my pieces without GenAI. I will use AI to proofread and spellcheck (something I am absolutely terrible at) because I can’t reread a draft seven times while the kids are crying, but it also ensures you get the best reading experience.
The AvDOG Promise
While I use Substack to send out new posts directly to your inbox, I will be the first to admit that I am limited by time. Posts will not be on a relentless, daily schedule so I will won’t force you to subscribe. However, I do promise that when I write, it will be something you can enjoy, learn from, and relate to. If you enjoy the vibe, I’d appreciate it if you shared it with your friends so we can keep sharing the love for planes.
