Chris Rainey

Chris first assisted in the pyro function at a Hondo, Texas show in 1980. With interest in the pyro function piqued, he went on to work additional shows, was a founding member of the CAF EOD and founded the CAF’s Tora Tora Tora Bomb Squad during the 1980's. Instrumental in developing various techniques, procedures and material specifications still used in air show pyrotechnics today, he is recognized in the industry as one of the most experienced individuals in air show pyrotechnics and continues to seek ways to further enhance pyrotechnic presentations. Chris is currently an active member in good standing with the International Council of Airshows (ICAS) holding the designation of Shooter In Charge (SIC). He is also designated as an SIC with Air Combat Command (ACC) of the United States Air Force allowing him to perform pyrotechnics for authorized modern military aircraft demos.

Professionally, Chris is an aircraft dispatcher, flight analyst and ATC specialist for ExpressJet Airlines in Houston. He is a licensed pilot with commercial, instrument and multi-engine ratings and flies piston and turbo jet aircraft for Houston charter companies. Chris has degrees from The University of Texas at Austin McCombs School of Business, University of Houston Bauer College of Business and University of Houston-Downtown College of Business, has earned the Green Belt Certification in Six Sigma project management and is currently sitting for the Certified Management Accounting certification.

Dave Wood

Dave was a charter member of the CAF's EOD team in 1981. He was the first member of the CAF EOD team to earn the Shooter-In-Charge designation in 1985. Since 1981 he has participated in pyro during more than 400 days of airshows in numerous states.

Professionally, Dave has been a banker for more than 30 years. He earned a BBA and MBA from Stephen F. Austin State University and has been a licensed CPA since 1986. He is a licensed pilot holding a private pilot rating and will be pursuing an instrument rating in the near future.

Mark Richardson

Mark has participated in airshows in different capacities since the age of 14. He has 20 years of pyrotechnic performance experience at airshows across the country. Having worked with various types of explosives under a wide range of conditions his flexibility, focus on safety, and ability to provide perfectly timed crowd pleasing shots make him a key part of the PyroTechs team.

Professionally Mark is the vice president and founder of Beacon Professional Services (www.beaconps.net). Beacon specializes in the consultation and implementation of Identity Management services to Fortune 1000 organizations. Mark is an accomplished program and project manager with over 15 years of consulting experience on projects across a wide array of industries, including large scale enterprise, defense and government projects.  Mark led professional services and support teams at Welcom Software Technology, CompuCom, Waveset and Sun Microsystems. Mark has a degree in Psychology from the University of Texas at Austin and an M.B.A. in Management Information Systems and Management from the University of Houston. He earned his Project Management Professional (PMP) certification from the Project Management Institute (PMI).