Rebekah Hainline and former student, Emma Hall on the day of Hall's first solo
Rebekah Hainline believes in not only paying it forward but also paying it backward.
The Battle Creek native has parlayed a two-year stint as a certified flight instructor (CFI) for the WMU College of Aviation into her selection as a first officer for Allegiant Air through its career-pathway Accelerate program.
Not bad for a person whose family had no links to the aviation industry other than regular attendance at Field of Flight air shows that have entertained her Southwest Michigan home community for decades. Plus, her travels through higher education in pursuit of a degree in aviation flight science awarded in the summer of 2021 encountered as much turbulence as it did smooth sailing.
The Hainline family during a trip to Rome, Italy visiting the Vatican museum
Parents Kristi and Greg Hainline took Rebekah and her three siblings "so that we could eat fair food and run around for an afternoon," she recalls. "While my sisters were enjoying the roller coaster, I could not take my eyes off the aerobatic aircraft buzzing overhead. It was my first exposure to the magic of flying." As a middle schooler, she took her first trip "overhead" -- the pilot being Dominic Nicolai, from whom she would later learn so much more about flying in his role as one of the college's lead flight instructors. "That was all it took for me to be hooked for life," she says.
A member of the 2017 graduating class of Harper Creek High School, she enriched that education with courses at the Battle Creek Area Math and Science Center. The latter led to an internship at the College of Aviation that saw her working with Ray Thompson, now the dean of the college that is based at the Battle Creek Executive Airport at Kellogg Field. Prior to that experience, WMU was still competing with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University for Hainline's higher-education choice.
Hainline and her "unmanned" crew flying home from the EAA AirVenture extravaganza in Oshkosh, WI
The internship sealed the deal. "For the first time, I learned about every part of WMU and truly grasped the various parts of aviation that work together," she says. "I had so many great connections and experiences during that semester with the faculty. I decided I should stay in my hometown for college. It was easy to pick WMU once I got to know how much the staff cares." That commitment to caring rubbed off on her in the following years.
Like many students, Hainline realized that she had to work her way through college, especially in pursuit of an aviation career that necessitates expenses not faced by those majoring in business or fine arts. Among the three jobs she undertook, she found an understanding and nurturing cadre of supervisors at Western's Osher Lifelong Learning Institution that offers quality non-credit courses for those ages 50 and older who live in the Kalamazoo area -- specifically from Joyce DeKau and Toni Woolfork-Barnes, who is now the program's director.
Hainline and boyfriend, Chris, in Montreal, Canada after hiking to the top of Mount Royal
"Although the job had nothing to do with aviation," she says, "I learned so much about myself and the university. Joyce and Toni were extremely understanding and supportive regarding my flight training, especially when I needed a day off to study, take a test, or do a checkride. They are still wonderful friends."
Stuck in her memory bank is the day when, as a "bright-eyed sophomore," she was on a taxiway waiting for "an old military aircraft" -- with all of its noises, to take off from the Battle Creek airport. Hours later at her job on the Kalamazoo campus, she heard that same loud noise overhead. It was the same World War II plane that she had waited behind. She "poked her head" into DeKau's office and relayed her anecdote. "I still remember her laughing and shaking her head at me, not understanding what all the fuss was about but happy to see me so passionate about the loud plane."
Hainline and fellow WMU Alumni and friend, Jacobi Wright at the NGPA 2023 Winter Warm Up in Palm Springs, CA. Both Hainline and Wright are on the National NGPA marketing committee
Equally as understanding about her student status was her own certified flight instructor, Cody Henckle, who supervised her skills upgrade for piloting the college's Cirrus fleet as well as the training to become a CFI herself. "Every step of the way," she says, "Cody went above and beyond to understand how to best help me and accommodate my crazy work schedule. He knew that I wanted to be as efficient as possible to save on costs and when I needed extra time to figure out finances between semesters. Very few students have the same CFI for the majority of their training, so I hit the jackpot. He taught me how to be a good CFI and I wanted to be the same type of person for my future students."
Hainline bolstered her aviation chops in the ground-school courses taught by Nicolai and fellow lead flight instructor Jim Whittles. "Although they were extremely difficult at the time," she says, "looking back I became such a better pilot because of them. Years later, I still use some of the materials and handouts that I got in those courses to teach my students as a flight instructor." Because she chose to attend a comprehensive university, she was also able to sample such non-aviation learning experiences as rock climbing and ancient Asian art. "I was able to explore my other passions," she says, which include crocheting, hiking (with boyfriend Chris), and large cookouts with colleagues.
She also directs kudos to a pair of WMU "Toms" -- chief instructor Tom McLaughlin and Tom Grossman, the college's executive director of flight operations. "I had a bump in the road over a year ago and I was unsure how to navigate it," Hainline says. "There was uncertainty and paperwork that I had never dealt with before. They helped me every step of the way, answered every question, and they continue to have my back when I need support. Without them, I don't know where I would be."
Hainline with United Aviate at the annual WMU Aviation Golf Outing
Actually there are three "Toms" with a place in Hainline's heart -- Tom Thinnes, director of recruitment, marketing and outreach. "WMU would not have felt like home all these years without him. The reason people love Western is because there are people here who care. Tom always made me feel seen and supported. He's the best." Thanks to all three, she says, "I always felt like part of the College of Aviation family when I was at the airport."
With no background in aviation, "I had to figure out a lot of things on my own," she admits. "Learning how to ask for help when I felt like everyone around me already knew the answer was something I had to overcome in college. I came into this industry essentially blind. Even after flying for six years, there are still new phrases and acronyms to learn. Finding supportive mentors (such as the three Toms) allowed me to learn in a judgment-free way. All that work and stick-to-it-ness has paid off."
Hainline and Shawnie, a family friend, after a Pilots and Paws flight mission. The group got to help fly this dog, Lilly, from Columbus, OH to her new family in Marshall, MI
Support and growth came from other college-related resources as well. Throughout her days at Western, she was actively affiliated with the National Gay Pilots Association (NGPA) chapter. "That's where my aviation family started to grow," she says. "Because I didn't work at the time at the College of Aviation, I sometimes felt isolated and overwhelmed at the airport campus. The people I met through that chapter are still close friends to this day and helped me feel welcome as a student. NGPA connected me with my superiors and taught me leadership skills as well."
It also was a factor in her opportunities to attend the NGPA's annual winter gathering in Palm Springs, Calif., help with the third "Tom's" recruiting efforts at the world-famous, yearly aviation gathering in Oshkosh, Wis., and sample United Airlines' training center in Denver, Colo., all of which enhanced Hainline's networking connections.
She is advancing to her career with Allegiant as a member of the organization's marketing career on a national level, which has led to connections with similar aviation-related groups such as Women in Aviation International and the Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals.
"Aviation has opened so many doors for me," she says, as well as yielded an accumulation of insights, perspectives and accomplishments -- the solo flight to Sault Ste. Marie (her first), checkrides to earn commercial, CFI, and multiple-engine ratings, and taking family members on their first flights. "It is always so joyous to see their shocked and excited faces when we get to cruise," she says.
Just as rewarding has been her experiences as a flight instructor at Western. "I loved helping students get from their first flight in the Piper Seminole to their checkride," Hainline says. "Seeing them become more comfortable and improve their skills is so great. I try to keep up with them even after being done as their CFI. I celebrate with them when, after struggling with a maneuver, they have that ah-ha moment figuring out how to do it correctly. When possible I check in with them to learn if they are progressing well and need any assistance. I really do care about them."
Hainline flying her cousin, Sabrina, and Chris in a WMU Cirrus SR20. This was Sabrina's first time in a small aircraft
Because Hainline says she was "constantly overloaded with schoolwork, studying and working jobs during my training," that experience delivered a heavy dose of empathy " for those who came under her supervision later as a flight instructor. "I know exactly how all of that is and how difficult it can be to maintain. The only reason I am where I am today is because I have had the solid support of others" at a time when "I had no idea on how to navigate on my own. As a flight instructor, I wanted to provide safe and efficient training while being part of a support system for my students."
To Hainline, a CFI certificate was "a license to learn. I've learned how to be patient and kind with struggling students, as I was when I was in their shoes, and how to explain one concept in 10 different ways," she says. "I've learned how to put myself back together after exhausting days. I've learned to be a master of time management."
Allegiant Air, a low-cost airline headquartered in Las Vegas, boasts a fleet of 126 airliners that flies to 129 destinations. One of its operational bases is in Grand Rapids. Part of her resume that had to attract the enterprise's attention was her connection with Pilots and Paws, an organization that transports dogs to their new homes if the owners can't handle that duty. One of her flights took her from Columbus, Ohio, to Marshall in her home state. "It was so heartwarming to hand the sweet dog over to her new family," she says.
Hainline and friends at the EAA AirVenture show in Oshkosh, WI standing in front of the famous arch. This was Hainline's first time at Oshkosh and she attended by volunteering at the WMU tent!
One of the military's most effective promotions in the late 20th century was "Join the Navy and see the world." That works for the aviation industry just as well and fits one of Hainline's passions -- traveling. As a pilot herself and as a CFI, she's landed in Iowa, Kentucky, West Virginia, the Upper Peninsula, and several of Michigan's famous locations such as Traverse City. While she has traveled internationally twice in her young life, she "cannot wait to explore the world more." By dedicating her efforts and initiatives to her new employer, she hopes to advance to the rank of captain to extend her travel destinations and, just as important, mentor the future generation of aviators. "Giving back to the community by helping those upcoming pilots someday is something I look forward to," she says.
She promises to nurture this objective. "Aviation belongs to anyone who has the drive and education to pursue it," she says. "I want to promote diversity in aviation. As a woman in aviation, I have had many people assume that I have been training to be a flight attendant. When I answer 'No, I teach people to become professional pilots,' I am expanding their idea of who an aviator can be."
And, along the way, she plans to still serve as a member of the "third Toms" recruiting team. "Whenever I meet someone new in aviation," she says, "I am so proud to boast about WMU and update them on the College of Aviation. It is easy for me to talk about how much WMU has given me."