Squawk Ident: A phrase used by air traffic control to ask a pilot to activate the identification feature on the aircraft transponder, establishing the aircraft's identity. In Squawk Ident posts, we'll be going behind the scenes with the Aviator Brew Hub team.
First up: Aviator Brew Hub Co-founder and General Manager David Elwell.
David’s love of World War II warbirds and all things aviation is a lifelong interest that inspired the theme of Aviator Brew Hub.
Shortly after David and Katie were married, he was stationed in Twentynine Palms, Calif. With the Marine Corps.
David thought it would be a nice touch to hang a nitro-powered RC F6F Hellcat with a 60” wingspan over our bed.
Waking up to oil slowly dripping onto our sheets quickly nixed that decor trend.
Through 15 years of marriage, warbirds have continually managed to creep into almost every room of our house. A model of an F4U Corsair sits atop a stack of hardcover Time-Life books called The Epic of Flight in the living room, marring Katie’s boho minimalist chic vibe.
A Nicolas Trudgian print hangs in the corner of our bedroom depicting a dogfight between a Spitfire and an Me-109 during the Battle of Britain.
A photo of KC-130s in formation over Iwo Jima is suspended over the staircase.
(Quite possibly, the true motivation for starting Aviator Brew Hub was to encourage Dave to move some of his collection out of our living space, but don’t tell him I said that ~Katie.)
His awe of these incredible machines has always paired with a deep respect for the aviators who flew them. The wonder and adventure of aviation, coupled with stories of sacrifice by aviators throughout history, inspire him to face challenges with courage and kindness.
Selling good brews and creating an authentic community in Stewartstown, PA is our business.
But David's deeper desire is to inspire people to more by connecting them with their history, purpose, potential, and others.