Vince’s parents, Robert and Linda Ashworth raised a family of flyers.
Robert Ashworth joined the Marines as a military policeman. He used his GI Bill benefits to pay for a pilot’s license at Illini Airport.
“He got a strong interest in aviation in the military. He had his own plane, and used it for transportation, recreational flying. He always had a plane,” said Vince Ashworth. The Ashworth siblings started working on their pilot licenses as teenagers.
Vince flew for a small commuter airline carrying passengers and cargo from Florida to the Caribbean before taking a job as a United Express pilot based in Denver.
“I flew to every small airport you could imagine in the Rockies,” he said.
Starting in 2000, Ashworth flew DC-9s and Boeing 717s for AirTran Airways based in Atlanta, Georgia.
With more than 17,000 hours logged, Ashworth pilots private planes for individuals and families. A typical week may take him from Chicago to Santa Barbara, Miami, and the Bahamas.