Donald W. Brown was born and raised in the Denver, Colorado area. Brown helped start W & B Army Primary Flying School in Oklahoma and worked for the Cutter-Carr Flying School in New Mexico as test pilot and superintendent of maintenance. He changed the pace of wing repairs by introducing his method of wing spar splicing. In 1943, Brown worked as a maintenance inspector for the Civil Aeronautics Administration in Lincoln, Nebraska. In 1946, the Browns moved to Lodgepole, Nebraska and started Lodgepole Flying Service, the first in the state to use twin engine aircraft in charter operation. Brown started a fixed base operation in Sidney and Kimball, flew pipeline patrol, and conducted agricultural spraying and dusting operations. Brown flew around-the-clock rescue missions during plains blizzards. He started the Mid-Continent School of Aeronautics.

In 1961, Brown became airport manager at Alliance, Nebraska and opened Don Air Service and an aircraft and helicopter distributorship. In 1971, he started Trans-Nebraska Airlines. Brown logged more than 50,000 accident-free hours in almost every type of aircraft.

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