It’s an eight-hour drive from Albuquerque, New Mexico, to Wickenburg, Arizona. But in a 172 Cutlass RG four-seater, single-engine airplane—which is how Jake South usually makes the trip when he’s not hauling horses—it only takes two and a half.

South and his two brothers were raised on the family ranch in Horse Springs, New Mexico, where they all learned to fly at an early age. With a runway on the ranch, it was nearly as common for them as driving a car. His dad, Wayne, owns and operates South Aero, Inc., based out of Albuquerque. Their niche is flying freight—mainly as sub-contractors for UPS—and all three boys now work for their dad.

“He did charter for a couple of years, but it just wasn’t his thing,” South explained. “My dad has been flying since he was 17. He’s really passionate about it. When I left for college all I wanted to do was rope. I had no interest in the family business. I thought I was going to make the NFR by the time I was 20, and I realized that was ridiculous where I was at. I finished school in Las Cruces, and I started flying to get my licenses. I realized I really do enjoy it. It’s probably my second favorite thing to do other than rope.”

South has a bay head horse consigned to this year’s horse sale (Lot 25, Peppy Lil Pistol, aka "Yoda") and plans to fly back and forth as often as he can to continue jackpotting and showing him to potential buyers until sale day. On the off days, he’ll be home working flight runs or working on the ranch.

“Having the ability to fly places is definitely a resource for roping and rodeo,” South added. “This summer to get my hours up I threw my horse in with a buddy and I flew to the World Series ropings in Texas. I got to fly all over the state. I love flying in West Texas. There’s so much freedom with flying—you don’t have speed limits or the limitations of the roads. You just go wherever you want.” NTR