Take Offs and Touchdowns with Alex Toger – Flying High as a College of Aviation Alumni and Current Endeavor Air Pilot

Alex Toger is the epitome of "Once a WMU College of Aviation ambassador, always one," even though the higher-education chapter of his life is years in the rear-view mirror. 
 
Being one of the program's "welcomers" and "introducers," the December 2017 recipient of a degree in aviation flight science says the ambassadorial experience taught him "how to deal with and answer questions that might not always have the desired response while giving tours and sit-downs." 
 
Four-plus years later and a member of Endeavor Air's cadre of pilots, Toger is still playing that recruiting role in his professional life -- as many of his fellow alumni and peers end up doing once they leave the Western campus.  "Aviation is such a small community," he says, "and keeping it growing and sustained is crucial.  I always try to be a resource for anybody asking about the program, and this is long after my recruitment days as an ambassador.  I try to keep in touch with my old students and offer advice if they need it as well, whether that deals with airline-specific stuff or if it is related to being a certified flight instructor." 
 
When it comes to aviation, Toger is something of a legacy pilot, thanks to his father who qualified for two licenses.  "He was always taking me around the airport when I was little," he says.  "I wanted to be a pilot since I was about 4.  Between him and my grandfather, I was always encouraged to pursue that dream.  They would take me to air shows and museums to keep my interest high." 
 
Many of those career-stimulating destinations were relatively near Toger's hometown of Troy, an 88,000-person community 16 miles northwest of Detroit in southeast Michigan -- which made his choice of a college a little easier as his 2014 graduation from high school neared. 

"WMU was close enough to home," he says, "to be able to pop between school and home if I needed to, but far enough away where I felt like I was getting out on my own.  The flight program spoke for itself.  When I took my tour of the college as a high-school senior, I immediately felt welcome.  Everyone was so friendly and excited to have me there.  It was a no-brainer.  Another factor -- Western is a Division 1 school with football and hockey, plus a wide variety of majors.  I could meet a lot of different people and enjoy a 'regular' college experience." 
 
That "regular" experience included being one of the "Lawson Lunatics" at WMU Bronco hockey games, serving as an aviation ambassador, working as a CFI (certified flight instructor), and taking part in the college's outreach efforts at the EAA (Experimental Aircraft Association) AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wis., the largest event of its kind in the world.  He especially remembers the flight to the 2017 extravaganza. 
 
"There was bad weather in Battle Creek when we tried to depart," Toger says.  "We had to wait that out and stop in Madison, Wis., for fuel.  We ended up being stuck there for the night because of low ceilings and IFR (instrument flight rule) conditions at Oshkosh.  When we were finally able to get out the next day, there was a very large volume of traffic for the arrival.  I personally ended up flying more than three hours trying to get to the show." 

The Oshkosh experience became part of his resume because of his stint as a program ambassador, the supervision of which falls under the aegis of Tom Thinnes, manager of recruitment, marketing, and outreach at the College of Aviation.  "Tom and Eric (Epplett, chief aide at the time) are hands-down the best.  They allowed us to be independent in our job and mature while working, while still having fun at different recruitment events." 
 
Earning kudos as a mentor was chief instructor Rob Bunday.  "He taught me how to become a professional within the industry," Toger says.  And if he needed help as a certified flight instructor, Bunday was there for counsel.  That quality of advice serves him well wearing the Endeavor uniform. 
 
"As a CFI," he says, "learning to multi-task while paying attention to the student, watching how the overall flight was going, and managing time during a lesson was a surprising help in transitioning to the airlines.  While not directly translatable as a flight officer, time management and situational awareness during multi-tasking on shorter flights or during delays on the ground -- such as passengers boarding or maintenance delays -- are very helpful to the crew." 
 
Of the almost 120 courses offered in the College of Aviation's three curriculums, Toger's favorite was the one with Marty Coaker at the helm.  "He delivered the course material to us in an entertaining way -- and very applicable.  He taught us a practical way to look at airline flying.  I can relate the stories he told to the many situations I have found myself in over the last nearly three years.  His professional advice was right on target." 

Coaker brought "air cred" with him. A CFI while at Western, the 2002 graduate jumped right to Republic Airlines.  Better yet, Coaker, as a three-year member of the squadron, captained the Sky Broncos precision flight team that won the national intercollegiate competition in 2002, the fifth time Western has brought home the first-place trophy. 
 
Toger added to his own "cred" by joining Western's chapter of Alpha Eta Rho, the global fraternity that links higher education to the industry in order to promote careers in aviation, aerospace engineering and aeronautics. That didn't hurt his chances of joining Endeavor Air, the 5,000-employee connector enterprise for Delta Air Lines with hubs in Atlanta, Cincinnati, New York City and Detroit. 

As he learned from Coaker, the job has its "cons" to balance with the many "pros."  "Adjusting to being gone about half the month is always tough," Toger says.  "Balancing time at work and progressing toward your upgrade at an airline versus getting enough time at home -- and not feel burned out -- is key."   And that comes from a fellow who mentions "quality of life" when it comes to determining long-term goals. 
 
"The best thing about the job is the complexity," he says.  "Even if the flight plan and the route is the same as it always is, there is bound to be some sort of challenge each day that makes overcoming that challenge even more rewarding.  We never have the same day twice, and that's something I always look forward to." 
 
Few professions are like that.