Our Team
GSD Aerial believes production agriculture is imperative for the future of the world, and this is why we are investing everyday to help you be successful.
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General Business Manager/Pilot
GSD AerialGrowing up on a family farm/ranch near Colome, SD, Tim Cahoy developed a solid understanding and appreciation of the importance of how agriculture impacts daily life. After graduating high school, Tim attended college to complete a degree in irrigation technology. His first professional experience after graduating was with Central Valley Irrigation until he and his wife, Karen, moved to O’Neill in 2009 to plant their roots and manage a business called Kracl Irrigation.
During Tim’s professional years at Kracl Irrigation and an employment opportunity with Riverview, LLP as their farm management person, he developed strong communication and critical thinking skills that have led him to his current position at GSD Aerial. Throughout his professional experiences in the agricultural industry, Tim knows first hand how valuable time, precision, technology, and relationships are to the market industry.
Not only does he value the core characteristics of good business relationships, hard work ethic, and reliability, but his wife and three children, Harley, Brooklynn, and Bo have been instilled with the same appreciation, too. GSD Aerial is not only a business that provides services, but one that is built on family. Tim’s family’s American roots run deep and through that shares the same philosophy in living a life that strives to get things done and done right.
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Chief Ag Aviation Pilot
GSD AerialBorn and raised on a farm in Seminole, Texas, Michael Crossland grew up with an appreciation for the agricultural industry. His roots were developed from parents that worked hard to create the work ethic necessary to produce successful cotton fields. Michael’s childhood days were filled with the ability to learn the demands of what it takes to grow yield producing cotton fields. In addition to being part of the success of his family’s agriculture business, he was given an opportunity to learn how to fly during his high school years.
After establishing a passion to be a pilot, Michael made the decision to further my credentials and finish my commercial license that would allow me to pursue a career as a carrier in Ag Aviation. This led him to become an operator in the Seminole Texas area in 2012 for a few years before becoming the lead aviator operator for a company called Helena in Stanton, Texas. The experience of my professional career with Helena brought him and his family to the “Good Life” - Nebraska! He has been flying in the heartland since 2018 and has a strong appreciation for the agricultural industry and the growers commitment to providing a better way.
Michael looks forward to providing services for GSD Aerial for many more years to come. He is committed to using over 8,000 hours of his flying experience to better assist growers in creating opportunities for not only better yields, but a better quality of life for their families. His wife, Johnna, of over 25 years and two sons, Hunter and Grant, are the foundation to Michael’s “why” each and every day. It has become a family commitment to providing better quality agricultural production, as his son Grant comes and helps during the busy season.
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Pilot/CFI
GSD AerialStephen grew up on a farm in West Texas mostly farming cotton, sorghum, and eventually alfalfa. He would always stop to watch crop dusters working nearby, which were practically the only airplanes he saw growing up. He married his wife, Belinda in 1998 just after graduating from high school. Stephen graduated from Texas Tech University with a BS in Mechanical Engineering in 2003, then worked as an engineer for heavy duty trucks, small stationary engines, and power plants. Stephen and Belinda have a daughter-Morgan, and a son-Sylas.
His flying journey began while working at a power plant in West Texas in 2013. He was introduced to gliders, which opened the door to economical flying. The childhood dreams and passions of being a pilot began to materialize. Stephen achieved private, commercial, and instructor ratings in gliders several years before considering flying airplanes. In 2019 he began airplane training, and in 2021 got his commercial license, laying the foundation for changing careers to become a professional pilot. In 2022 he had planned to fly for a Part 135 charter company when the opportunity to fly as a crop duster for GSD Aerial came up. One visit to Nebraska and the choice was made! Working with good people, an agricultural environment, and getting paid based on productivity were all strong attractions to the new career.
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Season Loader Specialist/Pilot
GSD Aerial1. What sparked your interest in flying?
What sparked my interest is growing up around it - constantly being surrounded by the environment showed me what flying is really about.
2. What pilot(s) do you look up to the most?
I look up to my dad the most. He has been a role model for me and continues to inspire me everyday.
3. What are your future plans with flying, like where you want to go to school, what you want the end goal to be, where you want to work, etc.?
My goal is to always improve learning more and more and let the rest take me from there.
4. What’s a valuable lesson you’ve learned throughout your experiences with flying?
Something it’s taught me is to make good, critical decisions in the blink of an eye. There are always adjustments that are needed to be made, and I've learned to accommodate to these circumstances.
5. What’s your favorite memory regarding flying?
My favorite memory in an airplane is my first aileron roll in my dad's V Tail Bonanza
Grant has been extremely blessed to be surrounded by this environment while growing up! Despite always be surrounded by it, he is still learning more and more each day. Thankful to have Grant's adaptability and hard work alongside us on the team!
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Season Loader Specialist/Student Pilot
GSD Aerial1. What sparked your interest in flying?
What sparked my interest was working with my dad and the GSD team and seeing what aviation was all about. I had been up in the plane a few times before that and “caught the flying bug” as some might say.
2. What pilot(s) do you look up to the most?
The pilot I look up to the most is my dad. My dad introduced me to flying and has taught me a lot about it. Stephen Layton has also taught me so much as a pilot and helped me through my training. They have both helped me tremendously on my journey to getting my Private Pilot License.
3. What are your future plans with flying, like where you want to go to school, what you want the end goal to be, where you want to work, etc.?
My future plans with flying are to complete my Private Pilot license.
4. What’s a valuable lesson you’ve learned throughout your experiences with flying?
One of many valuable lessons I have learned throughout my flying experiences is that not everything happens overnight. Some goals take time and patience to achieve.
5. What’s your favorite memory regarding flying?
My favorite memory regarding flying was my first solo flight.
Brooklynn has had some pretty special experiences with her dad and all of those that she is surrounded with, guiding her in the right direction for her future! Thankful to have Brooklynn's hard work ethic alongside us on the team!
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Season Loader Specialist
GSD Aerial1. What sparked your interest in flying?
My interest in flying was sparked by my dad when he took my family to the Offutt Air Show when I was little.
2. What pilot(s) do you look up to the most?
I look up to my dad Tim and the GSD pilots Micheal and Stephen who spend countless hours and make many sacrifices throughout the entire season making sure the customers are taken care of.
3. What are your future plans with flying, like where you want to go to school, what you want the end goal to be, where you want to work, etc.?
I am currently going to college in Sioux Falls at Southeast Technical Institute to earn my degree in Vascular Sonography. My goal is to come back somewhere close to home to work.
4. What’s a valuable lesson you’ve learned throughout your experiences with flying?
A valuable lesson I've learned from working for GSD is that you can never take a single day for granted no matter what the weather is like.
5. What’s your favorite memory regarding flying?
My favorite memory regarding flying are the almost daily flyovers of F-16 fighter jets on my walks to and from class at college.
Harley is enjoying being around the planes and family this summer. In her spare time you will find her hanging out with friends, coaching, and umpiring softball.
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Season Loader Specialist, Groundskeeper
GSD Aerial1. What sparked your interest in flying?
What sparked my interest for aviation was watching my dad fly and work on his pilot's license and going to my first airshow where I found myself falling in love with the thrill of the Blue Angels.
2. What pilot(s) do you look up to the most?
The pilots that I look up to the most are my dad and the rest of the well experienced pilots around me.
3. What are your future plans with flying, like where you want to go to school, what you want the end goal to be, where you want to work, etc.?
I plan to stay around aviation and learn more about it until I’m old enough to choose my path in life.
4. What’s a valuable lesson you’ve learned throughout your experiences with flying?
I have learned that you should always stay focused when around aviation because one small mistake can do a lot of damage.
5. What’s your favorite memory regarding flying?
One of my favorite memories of aviation is when my dad took me flying for my birthday after receiving his pilot's license.
I hope to stay around aviation for a long time and to one day earn my own pilots license so that maybe I can make a career out of it.
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Flying Wiener Dog
GSD AerialHoosier’s favorite part about being at GSD is mealtime. He can otherwise be found keeping toads and birds out of the hangar. In his spare time at home, he waits for someone to say “airplane” or “squirrel,” as those always lead him on an adventure!