Brett Bailey's Greatest Aviation Asset May Be Curiosity
Brett Bailey doesn't recommend a seven-year plan to graduate from Western Michigan University, but -- in retrospect -- it has turned out well for him.
After a decade of being directly in the aviation industry, the Kalamazoo native is now back home again as a member of the College of Aviation's recruitment and outreach team.
The 2009 graduate of Kalamazoo's Loy Norrix High School brought with him an extensive resume of experiences that can present a comprehensive overview of prospective careers in the aviation profession.
How about these:
- A decade of wearing "all kinds of hats" working for Unifi Aviation, an enterprise based at 240 airports as the largest ground-handling service on the North American continent and formerly known as DAL Global Services. He rose in the ranks to become a performance supervisor and regional trainer.
- 25 years of involvement in the air-show industry and its various facets, including the Battle Creek-based hot air balloon championship known as the Field of Flight.
- A one-year internship at what is now known as the Battle Creek Executive Airport at Kellogg Field.
- Three years as a volunteer at the Kalamazoo Aviation History Museum (Air Zoo).
And Bailey has learned something valuable in all of these resume-building adventures that he can relate to those interested in aviation as a life's endeavor.
Recalling his 2016 "Diploma Day" at Western and receiving his degrees as a double major in aviation science and administration, and in geography, Bailey says: "Yes, the math is right. I was here for seven years." And for good reasons.
"First, I found a good home at WMU. Second, it was very early in my college career when the new ATP (Airline Transport Pilot) rules went into effect. We (my fellow majors) all felt little sense of falling behind, but it was definitely for the better because aviation is a lot safer."
Reflected on his career pathway, Bailey knew that he still loved flying, so he retained that major and double-downed by adding aviation administration to his academic workload. As his senior year dawned and his Kellogg internship approached, he chartered another course based on an affinity for geography and a "passion" for meteorology. Thus, the third degree.
"My wife Hayley, who I began dating here at Western," he says, "always says that I would still be in school because I love learning so much. She jokes that I only graduated because she was going to beat me in getting to the finish line otherwise."
Bailey believes he was scripted for his future career because of family orientation. Both of his grandfathers served in World War II, one in the Navy in the Pacific theater of operations (and later in the Korean War) and the other in the Army in Europe. His parents shared that interest in aviation, all of which was enriched by a connection to Pete and Sue Parish, the founders of the Air Zoo.
Being from Kalamazoo, it was a no-brainer that he would come calling to the WMU College of Aviation. "I had started flying as a kid and continued through high school. I knew I wanted to study aviation and Western was the place for me if I could get in. I did toy with the idea of looking at bigger 'name' schools but I was advised to look at a school's program, not its name or size. Western is the best school out there to study aviation. I knew it then and I still believe it now."
During his first three years on campus, Bailey worked for the WMU Extended University Programs where it first dawned on him that Western "is a great place to work." One of the initiatives brought him in contact with David Powell, the aviation college's dean, when establishing a satellite campus in Florida was being explored.
His extra-curricular activities included a short stint on the Aviation Student Council, founding member of Western's chapter of the American Association of Airport Executives, and an affiliation with Gamma Theta Upsilon, the geography honors fraternity. These networking experiences are still paying dividends, he says.
So have his connections to the world of air shows that started (initially at the Battle Creek balloon tournament during his college days) through photography and ballooned because of his self-taught skills in the mushrooming age of social media. "Now I still spearhead that at a lot of show sites while also operating as a consultant for events in the Midwest and across the country," he says. "That can involve air operations, ground support, event planning or budget planning."
Bailey has pleasant memories about his academic experiences and about the instructors who shepherded those classes. "I loved every single class," he says. "Why else would I stay so long on campus?" Wise counsel and advice was always there from the person in charge of imparting the knowledge.
But if he had to pick one it would be the course in airline administration, the focal point of which is for each student to create and operate his/her own airline. "I ended up growing my airline into the biggest in the class," he says. "I had other students approach me for advice. Thirteen years later, students still come to me for help."
In a way, Bailey is back to "Square One." While a student, he was involved with student recruitment as an EAA AirVenture Ambassador in Oshkosh, WI under the tutelage of Tom Thinnes, the college's director of recruitment, outreach and marketing. "It's funny because he is my present boss and he made my entire seven-year run here so great. It truly was a great time, and it is again.
"Sporting events, fly-ins, you name it," he says. "I enjoyed the friendships and camaraderie that I had here. College was full of so many terrific memories that I wouldn't be able to get them all in without starting a podcast. It was an easy decision for me to make regarding coming back to Western."
One of Bailey's first major tasks -- and challenges -- was to organize and operate the college's four summer camps for 60 high schoolers, introducing them specifically to what Western has to offer and generally to the variety of careers open to them in the aviation industry.
"We get to know all of the campers and realize that all of them would be a value to WMU's program," Bailey says. "In a perfect world, all would come here. However, ours is a competitive program and it hurts a bit when one doesn't get in. There are always those who decide to attend elsewhere. And that's OK. It sometimes hurts, but that is the challenge we face."
In addition to being the head of a family and the father of a son, Bailey is something of a renaissance man. Complementing his penchant for air shows and a passion for travel thanks to his career, he still flies, is something of theatrical performer, an addict when it comes to roller coasters and amusement parks, an avid brewer of social beverages, a hiker and outdoorsman, a fanatic fan when it comes to Detroit-based sports teams, and anything that resembles a "special adventure."
And his latest bent? As a current owner of a Stolp Starduster Too SA300, he’s heavliy involved in its restoration. What is that? The Starduster is a two-seat, conventional landing gear equipped, homebuilt biplane. Not to be outdone, he has also just recently become a top-level, certified UAS operator. What is this? Uncrewed Aircraft Systems, more affectionately known as drone operations.
"I just enjoy working here," he says about being back to where his career started. "I enjoy working with current students and accepting the challenge in recruiting the next batch of enrollees. I want to help shape future careers in aviation, just like the staff members did for me when I was here.
"I believe I am helping increase the awareness of WMU and aviation," he says. "I love doing it, which is one of the reasons why I wanted to come back. It wasn't just a change of pace. It was because I genuinely care about the University and the aviation program, which I believe is the best in the world."