Joe Keck grew up in the mountains of Colorado, where he spent his youth whitewater kayaking, mountain biking, skiing, and hiking. A lifetime member of American Whitewater, Joe has long been committed to protecting the rivers and landscapes that shaped him. After a seven-year chapter in Seattle, Washington, he eventually settled in Asheville, North Carolina, where the Blue Ridge Mountains and the sky above them became his home base.
A commercial, instrument-rated pilot with more than 1,200 flight hours, Joe has flown across the United States—from the dense airspace of New York City, Atlanta, Charlotte, Denver, and Seattle, to wilderness routes above the Cascades, Rockies, and Appalachia. His pursuit of skill and safety has taken him into some of aviation’s most demanding environments: mountain flying near Denali in Alaska and in the Rockies, windy-conditions training in Maui, and international flights to the Bahamas. He also enjoys aerobatics in his personal plane, combining precision and fun in the air.
Joe volunteers with SouthWings to share that aerial perspective—whether over cities, rivers, or wild mountain ridges—in service of conservation and community. When he’s not in the cockpit, he’s chasing adventure in the mountains, both on the trail and from the sky.
