From Acron Aviation Academy student to Southwest First Officer

When Southwest First Officer Ryan Regel looks back at where his career started, he does not begin with a job title. He starts with a memory of flying with his grandfather. “My Grandpa. He had a 172 and I got to fly with him just once but that was when I got the bug,” Ryan recalled.

A “172” is pilot shorthand for the Cessna 172, a four-seat training airplane. That single flight planted the idea that he could make a life in the sky. He earned his Private Pilot License at a small flight school, but at that stage, he did not yet see a clear path from a passion for flying to a long-term career.

Today, Ryan is based in Chicago Midway as a Southwest First Officer, balancing a major airline career with life at home with his wife and three young children, now ages 7, 6, and 3. His journey from curious college student to captain and check airman began in earnest at Acron Aviation Academy.

From “checking a box” to choosing aviation

Before he committed to flight training, Ryan was on a completely different trajectory. “I was on a trajectory to study Business in college on a scholarship to ‘check a box,’” he said. “It was there I met a pilot and asked him how he did it.”

That chance conversation changed everything. “He happened to hand me an Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) magazine he had and showed me the ‘Zero to Hero’ ad that what is now Acron Aviation Academy was promoting, and I called,” Ryan explained.

That phone call shifted his path from a generic business degree to a focused professional flight career. In January 2007, Ryan enrolled at the flight academy in Central Florida. Over the next several years, he completed his training and graduated in October 2010 with far more than a license in his pocket.

Building skills, confidence, and flight time at Acron Aviation Academy

Like many Acron Aviation Academy students, Ryan followed a structured path to become a pilot that layered skills, ratings, and responsibility. “I started with a transition course here to get me caught on the standards needed from my previous training, then to instrument, commercial multi with single-engine add-on,” he said.

Once he met the Academy’s standards, his instructors saw the potential for him to give back. “I was hired at the Academy as a CFI (Commercial Flight Instructor) and promoted to an International Group Leader,” Ryan explained. A CFI role means serving as a Certified Flight Instructor, teaching new students in the airplane and simulator while also earning flight hours toward the 1500 required for the airlines.

That phase of his career was about far more than accumulating hours. Working as an instructor and International Group Leader sharpened his communication, leadership, and decision-making skills, all of which mattered later in the airline cockpit.

The Academy’s airline partnerships paved the way for the next step. “Eventually, I was recruited by GoJet through the Academy partnership, and just 3 years later I became a Captain with them, plus a Check Airman and a Ground School & SIM Instructor,” he said.

A check airman is an airline instructor who evaluates other pilots in the simulator and the airplane. Serving in that role gave Ryan experience with training standards, evaluations, and procedures from the other side of the table, experience that now helps him every time he sits in the right seat at Southwest.

Hiring pathways post-COVID

By the tail end of the COVID-19 downturn, Ryan’s experience and training foundation positioned him well when major airlines resumed hiring. “And at about the tail end of Covid, Southwest hired me as a First Officer which is where I’ve been working for the past 5 years and going,” he said.

Each promotion along the way, from instructor to regional captain to Southwest First Officer, brought greater responsibility and also greater stability: predictable union-scale pay, stronger benefits, and the ability to plan a family’s future around a long-term aviation career.

“The foundation here is the best to prepare you.”

When Ryan describes what made Acron Aviation Academy stand out, he talks less about equipment and more about preparation and consistency. “The grounding I had at the academy, which has remained the same and why I still come back to see some of the instructors and employees, made the transition to a successful career easier,” he said.

He is also honest about the demands of the training. “Don’t get me wrong, the training is tough and for good reason; failure in this field effects your career big time, so you need to take it seriously, and the foundation here is the best to prepare you,” Ryan explained. 

That foundation included:

• A clear pathway from initial training through CFI roles and airline partnerships
• Standards that matched what airlines expect from new hires
• Instructors and staff who remain committed to students long after graduation

Ryan still returns to campus to reconnect with the instructors and team members who helped launch his career, which speaks to the culture he experienced during training.

Life at Southwest and beyond

Today, Ryan flies for Southwest Airlines out of Chicago Midway, one of the carrier’s major bases. From there, he can bid on a wide variety of routes and trip lengths, matching his schedule to what his family needs in each season. The same seniority system that governs pilot pay also gives him more control over days off and vacation as his years of service grow.

Now a father of three young children, he understands what it means to build a sustainable aviation career that supports a family. Health insurance, retirement plans, and travel benefits are no longer abstract bullet points in a brochure; they are tools he uses to provide for his kids and to share aviation with them through family trips and time together.

The steps he took at Acron Aviation Academy laid the technical and professional groundwork for that life:

• Transition training to align with Acron Aviation Academy’s standards
• Instrument, commercial multi, and single-engine add-on training
• CFI role and leadership responsibilities as an International Group Leader
• Regional airline Captain, Check Airman, and instructor experience
• Southwest First Officer position with long-term growth potential

For students who want to follow a similar path, his story demonstrates that a structured academy experience can carry you from those first training flights all the way to a major airline cockpit and a stable family life built around aviation.

Ryan’s advice to future Acron Aviation Academy students

When asked what he would tell aspiring aviators who are just starting their research, Ryan keeps it simple. “Tough it out - it gets easier! You gotta build the base. Then, you will get to benefit from how cool this career is… it’s pretty close to ‘living the dream!’” he said.

That base begins with choosing the right training environment. For Ryan, Acron Aviation Academy provided:

• Consistent, rigorous training standards
• A clear pathway from student to instructor to airline pilot
• Airline partnerships that opened doors to his first regional role
• A supportive community he still returns to years later

For prospective students and parents, Ryan’s story is proof that you do not need to have everything figured out on day one. You need a clear goal, a strong work ethic, and a training partner that knows how to turn dedication into a professional aviation career.

Acron Aviation Academy helped Ryan move from one memorable flight with his grandfather to a seat at Southwest Airlines, flying out of a major hub while raising three young children. If your goal is to build the same kind of foundation and long-term career, his journey is a roadmap for what is possible.