Great sadness accompanies the announcement of the passing of Paul Christian Madsen, 54, of Aldie.
Paul was born on May 28, 1968, and passed away on Monday, Jan. 30, 2023.
Paul was preceded in death by his loving parents, Harry and Joan (Farnell) Madsen.
Paul will be missed and is survived by his two beautiful daughters, Sophia and Charlotte Madsen; his wife, Stacey (Lobue) Madsen; brother, John Madsen of Marshall; sister, Karen (Madsen) Whitman and her husband Paul of Saluda; his niece, Kelli Whitman; and nephew, Kai Madsen. Paul will also be dearly missed by his beloved dog, Beau.
Aviation was Paul’s passion; he started flying gliders at 14, earned his pilot’s license at 16, and more recently earned his helicopter license.
Paul graduated from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in 1989 with a bachelor’s degree in Aeronautical Science.
Following college, Paul held positions as a flight instructor, flight engineer, first officer, captain and check airman. During his career, he flew the ATR42/72, M-2, B-727, A-320, and the B-777 with UPS, Continental Express and United Airlines. Most recently Paul was a 777 first officer in Washington, D.C., flying throughout the United States, South America, Europe and Asia.
Paul was also an inventor and entrepreneur and held two patents. He manufactured and sold products through his company Venture TEC LLC. Paul combined his radio control aircraft hobby with photography and created Sky Photos, which provided aerial photography to clients. Shortly thereafter, he designed and manufactured a portable surveillance system (mobile video surveillance), which was sold to numerous police and fire departments across the U.S., government agencies, the military, and international entities.
Growing up in Vienna, Paul made countless life-long friendships and added many along the way. His friends and colleagues describe Paul as “always a gentleman,” “a great friend,” “the consummate professional,” and “a damn good airman to fly with.” A celebration of life to honor Paul’s memory will be conducted at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Angel Flight Mid-Atlantic www.angelflightmidatlantic.org or to the International Pilot Peer Assist Coalition (IPPAC) www.pilotpeerassist.com.
