Fascinated by flight as a child, he took his first flight at age 13 with Bill Barnes, son of the legendary "Pancho Barnes". Many years later he fulfilled his dream by earning his private and commercial pilot licenses. Charles Duty served in the Army Signal Corps from 1954 to 1956 as a Non-Commissioned Officer in charge of a signal maintenance team advising the German Army. In 1957, he then took assignment with Lockheed Aircraft Corporation in Palmdale, California performing all functional testing of the fire control system and correction of flight squawks of the F-104 electronic system. In 1960 to 1961 he was stationed on Ascension Island in the South Atlantic as an Electronic Range Technician to the FPS-16 Missile Tracking System with Radio Corporation of America (RCA). Returning to Lockheed, his next position took him to Taichung, Taiwan as a Field Service Representative with the U.S. and Chinese Air Forces providing technical assistance and training in support of the F-104G. He was then stationed in Hawaii, Iceland, Bermuda, and Maryland supporting the Navy as a Technical Representative for the P3SA/B ASW avionics system. During this tour, he received letters of Commendation from several Commanding Officers for his outstanding service. Relocating again, this time back to Palmdale, California as a Designated FAA manufacturing inspection representative for the L-1011. Due to his extensive aviation background, he was recruited to work at the Nevada Test Site as a Flight Test Senior Avionics Specialist for the F-117A.mThroughout his career, on weekends and after working hours, he was a Flight and Ground Instructor, Designated Written Test Examiner, Airframe & Powerplant College Instructor, Search and Rescue Pilot and he served with the Civil Air Patrol donating his time to other individuals captivated by flight. In his spare time, to keep his flying skills sharp he would take friends and family flying. Over the years, he owned several single engine planes; Grumman Cheetah, Bellanca and Beech Bonanza ?€“ flying the Cheetah in a Reno Air Race. After 30 years with Lockheed, he retired and became a full time FAA representative, one of the few appointed with both a Designated Airworthiness Representative (DAR) and Designated Engineering Representative (DER) authorization. Not only did he certify all civil aircraft (commercial, cargo and private) but airships as well. One of his most exciting certifications was certifying the Stargazer L-1011 to launch Pegasus rockets. His work took both him and his wife all over the world experiencing cultures and experiences that most people dream of. Most of all they both gained lifetime friends from across the world.