Alumni Profile
Machemer Promoted to Captain
John Machemer ‘03 was promoted to captain in May after serving as first officer for Pinnacle Airlines where he has worked for two years.
Training for the title included acquiring 3,000 flight hours and 1,500 hours multi-engine flight time, ground training, covering topics such as aircraft systems, regulations, company policy, and simulator training, reviewing normal, abnormal, and emergency cockpit procedures.
As one of JCC’s first professional piloting graduates, Machemer said he chose to enter the program after careful and thorough research. He
started flying in high school and wanted to continue his flight training while pursuing a degree close to home.
“Although at that time the aviation program at JCC was relatively new, the program was attractive to me for a variety of reasons,” he said. “The JCC aviation program was significantly less expensive than other programs I investigated. I was very excited to continue my flight training and education close to home which also contributed to savings. I experienced the quality education JCC offers students and I
also believe that my flight training at both Dunkirk and Jamestown Aviation was superior.”
After a year at JCC, Machemer was eligible to become a certified flight instructor and worked at Dunkirk Aviation while finishing his education. He later worked for Great Circle Aviation in Rochester as a Learjet First Officer. While there, he flew to places such as Aspen and Vail,
Colo., New York City, Antigua, St. Martin, Bermuda, and much of the west coast.
“I was exposed to aviation at an early age. While my father spent most of his professional career in law enforcement, he is also a certified flight instructor. He had the opportunity to fly corporate aircraft for a local corporation when I was younger. I still remember the early visits to the company hangar. At that time I was not even tall enough to see out of the windshield, but I knew that when I grew older I was going to be a pilot just like my dad. After a few flight lessons, I caught the ‘bug’ to fly and decided that I would pursue a career in aviation.” Machemer plans to earn his bachelor’s degree at the Rochester Institute of Technology next spring.
Pinnacle Airlines operates over 130 Canadair Regional Jet 200 aircraft for Northwest Airlines. Headquartered in Memphis, Tenn., Pinnacle also has domestic hubs in Detroit, Mich., where Machemer is based, and Minneapolis, Minn. Overall, Pinnacle employs over 4,000 people, including its 1,300 pilots. For more information, visit www.flypinnacle.com.
For additional information on JCC’s professional piloting program, contact Rupprecht at 716/338-1332 or go to our webpage of professional piloting degree program.
|
f
o r
