Celebrating our pilots on World Pilots’ Day

April 26 marks World Pilots’ Day – an opportunity to recognize the many contributions of pilots around the world. We view it as the perfect time to celebrate and thank the aviators who safely connect passengers to their favorite people and places every single day. 

Whether they decided to fly for the sense of adventure, the challenge, or they just enjoy the views, we wanted to take a moment to acknowledge each of our pilots for their hard work, dedication, and sacrifices they make. Every pilot’s journey is different, and so this World Pilot’s Day, we thought we’d highlight a few of those stories. 

Tony Loeks 

Tony grew up around airplanes, specifically Sun Country planes – his dad worked for us, too. Now, he sits in the captain’s seat and finds his own adventure flying to a variety of airports – somewhere our Boeing 737-800 is the biggest airplane in the airfield, and those where we’re among the smallest. 

Rachel and Chad Seelhammer 

For the Seelhammers, balancing their schedules as pilots and their busy family life is key. Sometimes that means the day’s hello is exchanging a quick cup of coffee between the morning and afternoon turns, but it also means they’re both able to pursue their love of flying.   

Marta and Andrew Maiden 

Marta and Andrew met in a cockpit and are another couple who have found harmony between their family and careers. The diversity of flying cargo, charter and scheduled service combined with the opportunity to be involved in areas like flight operations, safety, and training has meant they can each carve out their own meaningful career path. 

Whether our pilots have been flying with us for a short time or their whole career, we value and appreciate their experience, dedication, and service. We wouldn’t be the airline we are today without them.  

If you’re thinking a career in the cockpit is for you, learn more about becoming a pilot at Sun Country Airlines. 

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