Griffin Norton and his proud parents during his WMU graduation in December, 2019
No matter what your passions or personal interests are, it can be valuable to step back -- or step away -- to gain some perspectives and a clearer view of future possibilities.
Just ask Griffin Norton, a WMU (Western Michigan University) magna-cum-laude graduate in 2019 in aviation flight science and now a first officer for Air Wisconsin, one of United Airlines' premier regional air-carrier subsidiaries and Aviate partners.
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An aficionado of all things flying since childhood and an easily convinced, willing recruit out of high school by the College of Aviation, Norton admits to encountering some turbulence as he charted a career course.
"My path to Air Wisconsin was anything but straight forward," he says, "and I endured many trials and tribulations along the way. I began my flight training during the summer after graduating in 2016 from Carmel Catholic High School in Mundelein, Ill., and got all the way through my commercial training in a little less than a year. I was burned out, to say the least. That, combined with being home sick, caused me to leave WMU -- and aviation entirely -- for the spring semester of 2017 and part of that summer."
That alone should have been a shock to his system and to his family, who call Richmond, Ill., home. The village of just under 2,000 is located 46 miles northwest of Chicago.
Norton and fellow Bronco alumni Will Gaffney flying VFR into Chicago O'Hare
"Everything felt right when I visited the Western Michigan University campus in Kalamazoo and the aviation college," he says. "I had a few other aviation programs to compare it to, but WMU blew the others out of the water. My first consideration was the proximity to my home -- about a three-hour drive -- that would make returning for weekends and holidays easy. But most important were the people with whom I interacted. Everyone was excited to see me and seemed to care about helping me learn what Western's aviation program was all about.
"This," he says, "coupled with the college's fleet and its national reputation -- plus the chance to advance through the program quickly -- made my decision fairly easy. I remember driving back from my tour of the college and already talking to my parents about the logistics of attending WMU before I had even committed."
But maybe things were happening and flashing by too quickly. So Norton tapped his life-essence brakes, but didn't veer completely from an educational path.
"I attended a local community college," he says, "and took courses that I thoroughly enjoyed. However, I always had the feeling that I was missing something, and that something happened to be aviation. As that fire kept building inside me, I decided to head back to WMU in the summer of 2017. I finished up all my ratings and was hired as a flight instructor for the college in the fall of 2018.
Norton touring the Air Wisconsin maintenance hangar during training
"This detour cost me about six months of progress," he says, "but it worked out for the best. I gained a new-found appreciation of how much I loved aviation, and I would never have been able to apply for the Aviate program if I hadn't taken that break."
For the uninitiated, Aviate is United's industry-leading pilot career development program offering aspiring and established pilots the most direct path to a United flight deck. Aviate launched a partnership with WMU College of Aviation in early 2020. It is one of a portfolio of opportunities at the WMU College of Aviation. Students who dream of flying the friendly skies of United -- or working on those marvelous machines with the United logo that defy gravity -- should direct their attention to the Aviate program. And also pay a bit of attention to Norton's credentials that made him a quality candidate with substantial leadership skills -- more than two years as a flight instructor who also qualified as an MEI (multi-engine instructor) and a served as a SOF (supervisor of flight) while at WMU.
Norton, who believes he was the first WMU Bronco to interview and be selected to participate in Aviate, grew up with his eyes on the skies, an interest that was nourished by some ancestral lineage.
Young Griffin visiting the Pima Air and Space Museum in Tucson, AZ
"My great grandfather on my mother's side was a gunnery instructor on the B-17 Flying Fortress," Norton says, recalling the story that a parachuting injury precluded him from completing training as a pilot of the World War II bomber. According to the tale, Great Grandpa still flew the B-17s on training missions "when the pilots were too hungover. I didn't find this out until after I had chosen to become a pilot. This proved even more that aviation was in my blood."
Visits to his grandfather's residence included joint endeavors building model airplanes. "You guessed it," he says. "They were often United airplanes. He is an 'avgeek' and has been a huge influence on my life. He was never able to become a pilot, but me becoming one made him really proud."
Like many a future Bronco aviator, Norton can trace his penchant for planes back to family vacations that were launched by trips to the airport. His favorite part of the adventures -- even the one that took the Norton clan to Hawaii -- was getting up close and personal with the magnificent aircraft. Yet it wasn't until high school that the seed of becoming a pilot was planted and started to break out of the ground.
After a bit of soul-searching, Norton applied to take part in a United Airlines Career Day, which included a flight from O'Hare in Chicago to the campus of Southern Illinois University. That was a major decision since, as a member of the Carmel Catholic High baseball team, he had to miss a game. During his senior year, he would often be distracted playing the outfield when a plane flew over. "Looking back," he says, "I never realized how much United Airlines was involved in my life before I made the decision to become a pilot, and with the Aviate pathway providing a direct path to United, everything has come full circle."
Norton taking his favorite fan, his mother, on her first flight with him
Even though there would be a bump in his Western road early on, Norton was no shrinking violet on campus. In his freshman year, he worked the front desk of the Aviation House, which was located at Henry Hall during that time, giving him the chance to become acquainted with his aviation peers residing in that dorm and to gain some customer-service "chops." That served him well when he joined the ranks of the college's flight-instructor corps. "I not only learned how to become a better pilot, but also a better person," he says.
Outside of aviation, Norton qualified for Western's Lee Honors College and the Alpha Lambda Delta Honors Society. "Both allowed me to get involved with the university in a different capacity," he says. "Lee Honors College events often involve giving back to the Kalamazoo community (such as working at a food pantry and planting trees). I had done community service during high school, and this was a logical extension. In addition to pushing me to be an even better student, these organizations refined my networking skills and allowed me to connect with a broad range of people."
That freshman year also saw Norton join some of his peers on an "Aviation Road Trip," not exactly the same kind of road trip that Bluto and his buddies took in the cult-classic film "Animal House." This was a spring-break junket to Republic Airlines, PSA Airlines in the Dayton, Ohio, area, and Kalitta Air, a cargo airline based at Willow Run Airport near Ypsilanti, Mich., where he got to experience a full-motion 747 simulator. No doubt a career in aviation seemed to be in his future.
Norton enjoying the training during his ATP-CTP course in Dallas, TX
Nudging and encouraging Norton along the way as both a student and pilot trainer was chief flight instructor Rob Bunday. "His approach to instruction and the aviation industry rubbed off on me and provided a new perspective," he says, "especially during the pandemic. He believes that aviation is a marathon, not a sprint, and being patient would be the key to coming out of the tough times ahead. Rob cared about the success of my students as he did my own success. I have carried that mindset to Air Wisconsin."
Bunday's advice -- marathon versus a sprint -- served Norton well as Covid rocked the industry. He attended the event at which United announced the affiliation with Western's program, he applied for Aviate, and was accepted on March 20, 2021. Then "the world fell apart" and the university shut down. What to do? Join the Air Force or the Navy and become a military pilot? Pursue another kind of degree? Alicia Gieleghem, an Aviate pilot mentor -- echoing Bunday's words of wisdom -- steered Norton through the turmoil to maintain his course.
Norton did that kind of maintaining, such as completing the ATP-CTP on his own in 2021. The Airline Transport Pilot Certificate Training Program is a pre-requisite for earning the Federal Aviation Administration's highest certificate. "This," he says, "in addition to maintaining the link to Aviate, allowed me to secure an interview with Air Wisconsin and being hired in May of 2021."
Norton and his brother during the flight where he logged his 1,000 hour of flight time
So far Norton has found Air Wisconsin, which operates primary hubs at O'Hare and Dulles Airport near Washington, D. C., to be the mirror image of the ambiance surrounding the College of Aviation. "Almost everyone is genuine and really cares about their job," he says. "This makes going to work an awesome experience, something I look forward to every day. Being an airline pilot gives me the opportunity to get people to where they want to go, safely and efficiently. It sounds simple, but I didn't realize how fulfilling that would be until I experienced the appreciation from passengers."
Norton and his dad in the flight deck at Chicago O'Hare after his second initial operating experience flight
Some of that appreciation was familial in nature. On board his first Air Wisconsin flight as a pilot were Mom, Dad, and his brother as he transported them from O'Hare to Columbia, Mo. Pressure enough, but added to that was his "first landing on an extremely short runway (5,500 feet) with no vertical guidance. I ended up nailing the landing. My parents were so proud they were crying back in the passenger section." Part of that pride evolves from him being the family's first pilot.
That was not Norton's only memorable family flight. Another one was during the Covid 19 break-in-the action and included his grandfather, mother, and brother on a "fun" excursion. Take-off was at the Galt Airport in Greenwood, Ill. -- where Norton learned to fly from a 3,000-foot, seal-coated runway -- in a four-seat, single-engine Cessna 172. First stop was Milwaukee to pick up his brother from school, then fly the Chicago skyline and even land at O'Hare. On that flight, Norton clocked his 1,000th hour.
Norton picked up a few of those hours assisting the College of Aviation in its recruiting during "a discovery flight with a prospective student," he says. "It was a gorgeous summer day and we were able to get on top of a cloud layer where I let him do most of the flying. There was a huge smile plastered on his face as soon as we took off and it stayed there for the rest of the flight. When we landed, he walked to his parents and said, 'I definitely want to be a pilot now.' That made my day."
Norton and his mother at O'Hare after his first initial operating experience flight
He enjoyed quite a few of those days as a flight instructor. "I tried not only to serve as a good instructor in the cockpit, but also as a role model for life," Norton says. "It was easy for me to relate to my students because I had just been in their shoes a few years prior. I keep in touch with many of my students to this day and try to continue to be a role model. I'm definitely not perfect, but I try my best to fulfill the role of what I would expect in a leader or mentor." As an Aviate alumnus, he is certainly that.
When he's not piloting the mechanical birds of the sky, he's watching them -- plane spotting -- joined by his best friend in high school with whom he also spends many a free hour in pursuit of finny denizens. One of the reasons that the Galt Airport still resonates in his heart is the fact that its acreage includes a large fishing pond.
Casting into his future, Norton can see himself in the captain's chair of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner that is part of the United fleet, and beyond that -- being at the controls of the Boom Supersonic, the 55-passenger creation with a 4,250-mile range that should be operational by 2030. That could qualify him for the Aviate -- and WMU College of Aviation -- halls of honor.