Rising from Republic Airways and Soaring with Spirit Airlines: Aaron Jones Climbs Higher
If change is good for the soul, these are the best of times for Aaron Jones.
The spring 2010 graduate of the College of Aviation recently swapped captain's uniforms, ending a nearly 10-year stint with Republic Airways and changing into the colors of Spirit Airlines.
Coming out of Ann Arbor Pioneer High School in 2006, Jones came to the Western campus with a bit of collegiate aviation in his system. He was dual-enrolled at Eastern Michigan University where he took an "intro" class, a couple of computer-programming courses, and completed his flight training. He had 12 credit hours in the bank when he first stepped on to the home of the Broncos. All of that provided early-enrollment opportunities and the class schedule he wanted each semester.
"Growing up, I always had an interest in anything that moved," he says. "Trains, planes, cars, boats." Trips to the airport to begin a vacation were just as exciting as the destination. While the rest of the family watched a brother play T-ball, Jones preferred to check out the planes overhead. Mom signed her 14-year-old son up for a "discovery flight. Once I got my hands on those controls, I was hooked," he recalls, "I knew what I wanted to be." Next came an aviation summer camp at Eastern and Jones was on his way.
With aviation forged in his mind as a career, WMU was a pretty easy decision to make when it comes to choosing higher education. "It has one of the best programs in the country," he says with Bronco pride. He admits that a $16,000 stipend didn't hurt either.
Shortly into his WMU career that eventually earned a degree in aviation flight science and a minor in geography, he took a position as a "scheduler/dispatcher" for the College of Aviation where he came under the wing of Annie Quardokus, manager of aviation dispatch and scheduling. "I learned a lot about what Annie does to keep the school running smoothly and efficiently," Jones says. "I can't thank her enough for giving me that chance and for all of her help and advice."
He also assisted Professor Lori Brown in research projects and updating her web page, specifically in her study of the "rest rules" for foreign airlines and how they deal with fatigue.
With degree in hand, Jones followed a suggestion from a faculty member to check out Republic, which is based in Indianapolis, Ind., and flies out of 12 hubs under the banners of American Eagle, Delta Connection and United Express. While he did not yet earn his wings from Republic, his experience with Quardokus earned him a shot as scheduler when he started in September of 2010. "I was quickly thrown into the rapid pace that an airline operates in," he says. "It was quite the learning experience seeing the operations of an airline from the inside."
Eight months later, Jones was "back home" after a "what-the-heck" inquiry into whether Tom Grossman, the executive director of flight operations, needed any instructors that summer and the surprise answer was "yes." From May of 2011 until he returned to Republic in 2015 -- this time in the cockpit as a first officer -- he instructed WMU students in all levels of flying because "I fell in love with teaching." In his new duties back at Republic, Jones quickly saw the value of what he had learned in his earlier stay. "That gave me a respect for the crew schedulers that I now talk with on the other end of the phone," he says about that "walking-in-someone-else's-shoes" experience.
He hasn't lost his respect for the College of Aviation and the quality of its instructors. Professor Willem Homan's course in aviation administration was a crackerjack, particularly his use of "the airline sim he would run every semester," Jones says. "I had a lot of fun figuring out how the sim worked and how to run a successful airline. Even after I completed his course, I helped him run the sim for other classes."
Brown also earned high grades as an instructor. "She kept her classes fun and presented the information in an easy-to-understand format," he says. He also gained valued insights in how she conducts a research project, helping her develop some of them.
Jones also took advantage of what the Western chapter of Alpha Eta Rho, the collegiate aviation fraternity that links students with the airline industry, has to offer. He served as its administrative chair for three years, maintaining its web site and handling all of the electronic communications. The affiliation "really helped me meet a lot of new people and bring me out of my shell at school," he says. "I have always been a very shy person. The friends I made got me out and involved in the college and in the university. I would have never done that on my own."
And because of his life in the skies, Jones in his professional travels can explore all kinds of geography -- and take advantage of his college minor. "Even though it is cold and snowy at home," he says, "I can always find myself in Key West or some other warm place. I get to explore big cities and small towns both domestically and internationally." Favored destinations have been Hawaii and Costa Rica
When he returned to Western as a flight instructor, that also signaled the end of him flying solo -- at least socially. That's when he met the future Mrs. Jones who was working in human relations at a Menards near Lansing. "She graduated from Central (Michigan University)," he says, "but I don't hold that against her. It is fun having attended rival schools and it makes it easy when Western keeps beating Central." They were married at the Soaring Eagle Casino in Mount Pleasant in 2018 and the family now includes -- since 2022 -- son Duncan.
During his Republic years, Jones took part in the enterprise's efforts to recruit pilots and also served as a mentor for new employees. "I love being able to help Western students figure out what they want in an airline, and help them move forward in their careers," he says, "even though it might not be with Republic." Or, for that matter, even Spirit now.
In that capacity, he sees himself filling an awareness gap that he perceived during his student days as an aviation major. "I wasn't sure what different airlines had to offer and even what I was supposed to be looking for," Jones says. "As a recruiter, I try my best to help students figure out what they should be looking for and offer some examples to help in their search. Nothing is worse than putting all your time and effort into getting started in this career and ending up at a place you might not like."
Jones offers some stick-to-it advice as well. "I was unsuccessful in my first attempt at an upgrade from first officer," he admits, "but I didn't let that stop me. I took some time to prepare and made it through the second time -- no problem."
There is "no problem" also in the next phase of his aviation career. Speaking about his jump to Spirit, the low-cost airline based near Miami, Fla., whose 10 operating hubs send a fleet of 200 planes to 80-plus destinations, he says, "I hope that I get to spend the remaining years of my career at such a fantastic airline."