WMU College of Aviation Student Troy Kinnunen
When Troy Kinnunen refers to the Western Michigan University College of Aviation as being like a big family, he knows what he is talking about.
The senior from Michigan's Upper Peninsula has an immediate family numbering 17, which includes a twin sister, plus more than 60 nieces and nephews. Now that would make for an enormous dinner table for the Thanksgiving celebration.
Request WMU College of Aviation Information
Also part of the make-up of Kinnunen, an aviation flight science major, is that he can claim membership in another big family -- the U. S. Marine Corps -- because once a Marine, always a Marine.
Marine Flight Equipment Technician Kinnunen
Almost right after his 2013 graduation from Jeffers High School, located in Painesdale near Houghton and the campus of Michigan Technological University in the Keweenaw Peninsula, he enlisted in the Marines, serving until 2019 when he enrolled at WMU. And what a life-altering adventure military service would be.
First stop was basic and combat training in California, which in itself was quite a bit different from his origins in the Upper Peninsula. First station was in Pensacola, Fla., where Kinnunen learned "my MOS (military occupational specialty) job." That qualified him for assignment to the Marine installation at Cherry Point, N.C., as a flight equipment technician with the VMR-1 Marine Transport Squadron.
The VMR-1 unit, which is also referred to as "The Roadrunners," provides assault support via air logistics with a main purpose of completing search-and-rescue missions -- meaning the crews routinely find themselves in the middle of the action. The unit can trace its history to the early 1940s.
"I worked," Kinnunen says, "with more than 40 pilots and aircrews serving CH-46s (the twin-rotor transport helicopter also known as "the Sea Knight"). Getting to know the pilots and the crews, and hearing about their experiences, was an awesome advantage for being stationed there." Now based near Fort Worth, Texas, the VMR-1 in 1996 was the first Marine aviation unit to fly into the former Soviet Union, transporting the Marine Band to a concert in Moscow.
Kinnunen making a "jump" with the SkyDive Broncos
"I was lucky enough to take a ride during a training flight," he recalls. "At one point I was acting as a casualty and was hoisted by a pulley system while an H-46 was hovering overhead. I remember thinking to myself, 'Will I ever again be paid to do something as cool as this?'"
Well, yes, and Kinnunen didn't have long to wait. Within a year, he was selected for special-duty assignment as an embassy security guard. Over the next three years, he found himself in -- get this -- Trinidad & Tobago in the Caribbean, Iraq and Russia.
"As a Marine security guard," he says, "I worked with diplomats and military personnel. I learned about different cultures and met some pretty incredible people in all those locations. I'll never forget those experiences and still have many connections." Among his favorite destinations are Italy and the archeological treasure of Petra in southern Jordan, which can trace its citification to the 2nd Century BC and remnants of a human population to early 7000 BC. And, by the way, he also visited Thailand, another of his favorites.
Kinnunen serving as a Marine security guard at a U.S. Embassy
Not bad for the first of his family to join the U. S. military and a fellow whose first time on a commercial jet was when he was winged to the Pacific Coast for basic training.
So how did this all begin for the COA senior who is also minoring in military science and leadership? Let's give credit to the EAA (the Oshkosh air show) Young Eagles Program whose mission is provide youths 8 through 17 with their first trips into the sky -- and for free.
"I remember thinking about how that experience was the coolest thing," says Kinnunen, who was 12 at the time. Etched in his mind was being able to see where he lived "down there." His interest was sparked.
"As a senior in high school," he says, "I read a letter I wrote in seventh grade about my future goals and endeavors. I mentioned how I wanted to be a pilot and it didn't matter in what capacity -- military, commercial or corporate. None in my immediate family or close friends is a pilot, but I didn't want to have that 'what-if' moment and not pursue a career in aviation." Along the way, watching the Blue Angels jets display their aerobatic skills, or checking out such films as "Top Gun" and "Pearl Harbor" fueled Kinnunen’s aspirations.
That dream was enhanced by Kinnunen excelling in high school as a member of its National Honor Society chapter. Solid grades in math and science courses testified to that. Western's aviation program wasn't the only one to come into his purview, but it prevailed.
Kinnunen and members of his family
"I chose Western because of the location, cost and its national reputation as being one of the best," he says. "Not many public universities have a comprehensive aviation program. Being able to get a college experience and a degree while attending flight school was an incentive I could not ignore. Plus, Western has the most advanced equipment available such as its fleet of Cirrus SR-20s that I have enjoyed learning to fly. Being in my home state of Michigan didn't hurt either." Nor did the college's partnerships with United and Delta airlines that lead to post-graduate employment in the aviation industry.
Enrolled in a comprehensive university has also exposed him to people of different backgrounds, something he enjoyed during his stint in the Marines. Intramural basketball and hockey, plus Bronco varsity hockey games, are among his favorite non-aviation activities, along with sky diving above Grand Haven, camping, and enjoying a round of golf now and then. And, of course, there is always keeping up with the exploits of his large family.
Kinnunen engaging in a favorite recreational past-time - fishing
Another benefit of the Western experience is the opportunity to stretch one's academic wings by taking courses in other disciplines. Such as Principles of Microeconomics in Kinnunen's case. "It gets your mind thinking about the economy as a whole and how microeconomics affects everyday life. Understanding how much the United States has benefited from a capitalist market is impressive."
Closer to his chosen path is Flight Psychology taught by master faculty specialist Gil Sinclair. "The effects of high altitudes and G (gravity) forces on the body is not something you think about every day," he says. "But it is crucial in aviation. Health is important in our daily lives, but even more vital in aviation."
Now that Covid-19 has simmered down a bit, Kinnunen intends to regenerate his interest in joining Western's chapter of Alpha Eta Rho, the coed fraternity that links the industry and educational institutions in producing the coming generations of professionals in the aviation industry, aeronautical engineering and the aerospace sciences. That would be the next logical step toward achieving his goal, the first step of which was that free flight as a 12 year old.
"My dream job in aviation is to be a captain at a major airline flying internationally," he says. "I am not ruling out any other possible aviation careers or limiting myself with having prior military experience and knowing a few corporate pilots. No matter where I end up, I don't think I will regret this career choice."
Which may take him back to places such as Petra and Thailand. And beyond.