Success Story

Byron Hixon, CEO and chief pilot

Byron Hixon Boise, Idaho Age 29 CEO and chief pilot for Columbia Aero Club; owner of Hixon Air, an aviation management and consulting firm; ATP, commercial, seaplane, rotorcraft helicopter, LTA free balloon Type ratings: B737, BA4100, CE500, CE525, G111 Total time 3,400 hours 2,500 multiengine, 1,800 turbine

Byron Hixon's family owned airplanes while he was growing up, but he never really gave much thought to making a career out of flying. "I had a teacher that asked what I wanted to do for college, and to be honest, I really didn't know," says Hixon. "He said, 'How about being a pilot?' I thought that sounded good."

Hixon started working in line service at the Sun Valley Airport in Idaho and building time in his family's Cessna T182RG. He worked as a flight instructor through college. In his senior year Hixon landed an interview with Atlantic Coast Airlines. "In preparation for the interview, I spent a lot of time reviewing all of the material that I learned getting my commercial and ATP [airline transport pilot] certificates. I also talked to current pilots at ACA and other airlines to get any insight I could on how best to answer the questions."

Hixon's studying paid off. Two weeks before graduation, he was hired as a Dornier 328Jet first officer. "Flying in the regionals was very hard at first," Hixon recalls. "The pay was terrible, and the quality of life at the bottom of the seniority list was lacking. While ACA was better than some other airlines, it was still a wake-up call. No one ever warned me about the tough times until I was already there."

The hiring at ACA was brisk, and Hixon upgraded to captain in the BAe Jetstream 41. ACA parted ways with its major-airline partner in 2004, and the resultant downsizing led to a massive furlough of pilots, including Hixon. "After I was furloughed, I spent some time outside of the aviation industry, then went back as a Cessna Citation captain for a charter company. The worst part about charter flying was the schedule. Always on call and never really knowing when you'd get home," says Hixon.

Today, Hixon is the CEO and chief pilot for Columbia Aero Club, which manages Columbia 400 aircraft for Boise-area pilots. "Now I make my own schedule, and I'm my own boss," he says. Hixon's advice to aspiring career pilots: "Remember that there is a lot more out there than just airline flying. You really have to make good connections and build relationships. There are tons of opportunities."

Pete Bedell is a Boeing 737 first officer for a major airline and contributor to AOPA Flight Training and AOPA Pilot magazines.