Armour earned his private pilot’s license while attending the Kansas University. He enlisted in the Kansas Air National Guard following graduation and attended military flight training at Williams Air Force Base in Arizona. He was offered an active duty slot flying the F-105 and the B-57 Canberra. His experience flying with the National Guard earned Armour enough hours to fly for United Airlines, but he eventually returned to the Guard and flew combat missions in Desert Storm during the Gulf War. In 1994, he became Director of Aviation for the State of Kansas, where, he discovered Kansas was the lowest priority for federal Airport Improvement Program funds. Mike won millions of dollars in grants for airport improvement projects with pleas to Congress and the Federal Aviation Administration. Kansas airports now ranks among the best in the nation, due to his diligence in securing grants.