Ralph Merhi

June 18th

From Rooftops to Repairs:
Lindsey Gamell’s Journey Back to Aviation

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TL;DR – (UPDATED 06/18/2025 with the full episode)​
🎙️ Lindsey Gamell’s Skybound Ops Episode

She stepped away from aviation. It broke her heart. But she came back — with grit, with purpose, and with a kind of clarity only time and truth can give.

✅ Love for aviation began on a rooftop in Florida
✅ First job in aviation straight out of high school
✅ Real grit forged through real adversity
✅ Still tears up during takeoffs — because this still means something

This episode has more than ten moments that cut deeper than titles or timelines.
👇 The full episode is live now — and I can’t wait for you to hear it.

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🚀 It All Started on a Rooftop

As a kid in Sanford, Florida, Lindsey would climb up onto her roof to watch space shuttles launch just over the tree line.

That’s where it began — not in a hangar, not in a classroom — but looking up.

She didn’t come from a background that handed her a flight plan. She built her path moment by moment — wrench by wrench, shift by shift, certification by certification.

She entered the aviation world young and hands-on, working with helicopters at Whisper Jet, learning from experience, and stepping into roles that many never imagined for her.

And then, after giving so much of herself to this field — she left.

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💔 When the Work You Love Breaks You

Lindsey is open about something many hide: She left the industry that shaped her.

Not because she didn’t care. But because the culture, the grind, and the constant uphill climb wore her down.

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She came back — not to pick up where she left off, but to move forward differently.

With deeper empathy, clearer purpose, and a resolve to lead in a way that made space for others, too.

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🎧 This Episode Isn't a Résumé. It's a Return.

This isn’t your typical industry talk about metrics and milestones.

It’s about the things we feel but don’t always say out loud:

• Watching from the sidelines, wanting in
• Leading through exhaustion
• Still believing there’s more to build
• And still getting emotional when a repaired aircraft takes flight

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🎥 10 Moments That Made Me Pause

No spoilers — but here are a few lines you’ll want to lean into:

• From humble beginnings to helicopters
• “Aviation found me”
• I still cry during takeoffs
• A passion that wouldn’t quit
• Compliance with empathy
• What drives you?
• Momentum from the margins
• Leadership without the spotlight
• Culture — and how we fix it
• “Find what you’re called to first”

If you’ve ever sat in the quiet of your own aviation journey wondering if it was still worth it… this episode is for you.

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This Episode Is For You If:

✅ You’ve ever felt like your story didn’t fit the usual script
✅ You’ve carried the weight of leadership without the recognition
✅ You’re still here — but tired, and wondering what comes next

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🎙️ Full episode is live now:
➡️ Watch on YouTube​

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Why We Made This

This conversation is exactly why Skybound Ops exists — to lift up stories like Lindsey’s.

Not polished. Not performative.
Just real leadership, built on real struggle — and real purpose.

She brought the kind of depth that reminds us what this work is really about.

If her story hits home for you, share it.

If you’ve been wondering if there’s still a place for you in this field, let this be your sign:

There is.

— Ralph ​
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Would you like some more information about our show?

ralph.merhi@erp.aero or 305-209-3789.