A native of Marion, Texas, Usto Schulz entered the Army Air Force in 1943 and won his wings as a multi-engine pilot. He served as the Engineering Officer at Hondo AAF, before being sent to Ladd Field, Alaska as a cold weather test pilot. Leaving the Army in 1947, Schulz spent the next ten years flying for Arctic Pacific Air and Wien Alaska Airlines before joining the Civil Aeronautics Administration; the forerunner of the FAA. During his time with the CAA and FAA, he was an air carrier inspector, a pilot certification instructor and spearheaded numerous flight safety initiatives. Schulz became a consultant in 1975, helping airlines obtain FAA certification. In 1992 Schulz became one of the “founding fathers” of JetBlue Airways consulting on aircraft selection, guiding the airline through certification and establishing its service focused culture. After serving as JetBlue’s Vice President of Safety, Usto Schulz retired in 2005.