Born and raised in South Florida, Steven grew up flying with his father, Harley Pickett. After high school he joined the United States Air Force and came to Alabama in 1983 as a member of the USAF security force. From Alabama, Steven spent three years at Incirlik Air Base in Turkey, before returning to Alabama to attend Troy University. The birth of his daughter put his college plans on hold and he began to pursue a career in aircraft maintenance. This led to him obtaining his A&P IA and working in the Army National Guard as a CH47-D flight engineer. Later transferring to the Air National Guard, he worked as a pneudraulics engineer before applying and being accepted for a position as the boom operator in the venerable KC-135. While serving on the KC-135 he began to pursue his pilots licenses which led to his ATP and working in a corporate aviation department. His never ending passion for all aspects of aviation and the many skills he learned along the way led him to found the Birmingham Flight Center in 2004.