Article by Phoenix writer Griffin Strauss ’25:
On April 17, the Aviation Club had the privilege of listening to speaker Captain Mike Riley, a former pilot in the U.S. Marines and a current pilot for United Airlines.
Around 20 eager aviation club members learned about the business of flying in commercial airlines landscape as well as flying for the military. Captain Riley spoke about his own experiences in both the military and flying for United Airlines.
Captain Riley began speaking about his early passion for aviation and how he got his pilot license at 16 years old. Growing up in California right near the airports, he was able to exercise his love of flying even in high school.
In college, Captain Riley studied aerospace engineering, and after graduating, became a marine pilot. He was part of operations such as Desert Storm and spent time in Iraq and Kuwait. In 2014, he retired and began flying for United Airlines.
After telling his story of his aviation journey, Captain Riley opened the floor to questions. He explained that as a pilot being able to compartmentalize and distinguish which tasks to do and when before flying is key. He also spoke about how vast the opportunities are in the field of aviation, ranging from pilots to dispatchers and many more careers for all types of people.
Aviation Club member Ian Blainey ‘25 said he, “Learned very valuable information on military flight and was very lucky to hear from such an experienced pilot.”
The Kellenberg Aviation Club was privileged to have Captain Riley speak to them. Anyone interested in aviation and joining the Aviation Club should see Mr. Marone.
