With Mother’s Day fast approaching, I wanted to take some time to share the story of two pilots who made history last week, becoming the first mother-son pilot duo to operate an Alaska Airlines flight.
The First Mother-Son Pilot Duo in Alaska Airlines History
Jeff Miles, a newly hired First Officer for Alaska Airlines fulfilled a lifelong dream by joining his mother, Captain Michelle Miles, in the flight deck on a flight from Seattle Tacoma International Airport (SEA) to Kahului Airport (OGG) on the island of Maui in Hawaii. With the flight, the two became the first mother-son duo in the company’s 90+ years.
According to the airline, the milestone involved schedule juggling and logistics assistance from Alaska’s chief pilot’s office as Michelle prepares to retire this fall. The logistical hurdles were worth it in order to continue a family tradition that started almost three decades prior.
Jeff is a third generation Alaska Airlines pilot, his grandfather, Captain Richard “Ski” Olsonoski, joined Alaska in 1981 after retiring from the Navy. Flying has been a family affair ever since as Michelle began flying at 16, received her private pilots license at 17, and attended Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University before serving in the U.S. Air Force.
She joined Alaska Airlines in 1988 as the carrier’s 17th female pilot, the first with a military background and has been crisscrossing the Alaska Airlines network ever since.
Take Your Daughter to Work Day
Twenty-nine years ago, almost to the day of Michelle and Jeff’s flight, Michelle joined her father in the flight deck during a “Take Your Daughter to Work Day” celebration. The two pilots were based in different cities but then, like now, they worked with Alaska Airlines Flight Operations that allowed them to operate a roundtrip flight between Seattle and Portland International Airport (PDX).
When speaking of the experience, Captain Miles said:
“Serving as a co-pilot for my dad was one of the highlights of my career. And now, to repeat the experience with my son – well, that’s about as good as it gets.”
In addition to Jeff, Michelle’s older son and daughter-in-law are pilots for other airlines.
My Thoughts
While this isn’t really aviation related “news”, I love hearing stories like this especially with Mother’s Day right around the corner. While I don’t come from a family of pilots, flying has been a huge part of my life with some of my earliest memories being joining my mom, dad, and brother on Delta Air Lines flights from our home in Shreveport (SHV) heading to destinations around the world.
I’ve been fortunate enough to pass that love of flying along to my son, we’re celebrating our first Mother’s Day in the ATX household this year, who has flown 36,000 miles before his first birthday.
Happy Mothers Day weekend to all of the mothers and mother figures who have encouraged their children to follow their dreams!
Summary
Captain Michelle Miles and First Officer Jeff Miles became the first mother-son duo at Alaska Airlines to operate a flight together. This comes less than two weeks before mothers day and roughly 29 years after Captain Miles joined her father in the flight deck on Take Your Daughter to Work Day.
(Images courtesy Alaska Airlines)