Peter M.
Buffington

From the cockpit
to the studio.

Peter M. Buffington is the founder of Speed Brake Armed and Executive Producer of Red Eye Music Group LLC. An airline pilot, songwriter, artist, and piano technician, he brings the perspective of a working aviator to music about flight, destinations, and the people who share a love of the skies.¹

His connection to aviation began in childhood. In an August 2026 University of North Dakota alumni profile, Peter recalled a family trip to Hawaii that sparked his interest in flying. He began flight lessons at 15, soloed on his sixteenth birthday, and earned his private pilot certificate on his seventeenth. He is a 1996 UND alumnus.²

Music grew alongside that ambition. His father worked as a piano tuner, including for Duke Ellington and Chubby Checker. Peter learned tuning and rebuilding as a teenager. His 2026 Flying Musicians Association introduction describes decades of experience in both aviation and piano technology, along with an Airline Transport Pilot certificate.²³

“I do this because I love aviation, and I love music.”Peter Buffington · UND Alumni Association & Foundation, August 27, 2026

Real journeys.
Original music.

Speed Brake Armed turns aviation experiences into a varied musical catalog. Country storytelling, rock, cinematic sounds, and swing all have a place in the project. The June 2026 announcement for 737 Seven Miles High describes an album built around pilot perspectives, the American landscape, and aviation-themed country songs.¹

That range is also heard in 737 Hangar Dance, whose February release announcement connects 1940s big-band hangar dances with contemporary swing, waltzes, and slow dances. The catalog also includes the tropical reggae of 737 Island Hopper and 787 World Horizons, a 21-track release dated September 11, 2026.⁴⁵

Personal experience informs the songwriting. The UND profile describes a thunderstorm diversion as inspiration for a song, and identifies Peter’s wife, Julie, as the vocalist who performs under the name Aurora Flare. Peter is also the author of the aviation memoir Squawk 7700, which recounts the challenges of building an airline career.²

Music meets
the aviation community.

The Flying Musicians Association’s Sun ’n Fun 2026 program scheduled Peter to introduce his albums and explain his creative process in a DJ format. In July, he joined Stuck Mic AvCast for a conversation about his path into aviation, the creation of Speed Brake Armed, and bringing his two passions together.⁶⁷