Raised around airplanes, Erik started flying gliders in 1986 and won his first regional contest at age 16.
He flew on the U.S. Junior Soaring Team in 1989, 1991, and 1993, then took a hiatus from contest flying during medical school and residency.
Since returning to the sport in his thirties, he has won several regional contests, and achieved multiple podium finishes at the Nationals.
He finished second in 15-meter at the Pan-American championships in 2015, and flew his first World Championships at Benalla, Australia in 2017.
Currently, he flies a Ventus 3 with the Mid-Atlantic Soaring Association in Fairfield, PA and edits the club newsletter.
He works as a musculoskeletal radiologist in Virginia, where he lives with wife Sarah (crew chief) and daughter Tenley (crewton).