Childhood Passions Take Flight

Matthew McKinney loved building remote control planes as a kid. As a PIA graduate, he gets to work on the real thing: he rose through the ranks at Piedmont and Spirit Airlines before becoming a line maintenance tech for American Airlines at Reagan National Airport in Washington D.C.

As much as he loves solving problems, McKinney is even prouder of what happens afterward: “My favorite part of what I do is watching a plane leave. Coming in to solve a problem, then looking back at that full airplane and seeing dozens of passengers thank their lucky stars that they’re not going to be late for their next stop—that makes it all worth it.”

Recruiting and hiring have been a big part of McKinney’s job, and he’s always on the lookout for fellow PIA alumni: “When a hiring manager sees PIA on a resumé, it immediately gets their attention. PIA is a door-opener. Everywhere you go, you’ll find people who graduated from PIA and have earned their way to these excellent positions. It’s like one big PIA family out here.”