For Trae Lefan’s 15th birthday, his parents got him a discovery flight in a Cessna 172, and that was all he needed to realize that this was what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. Today, the father of two is an airline pilot with ExpressJet, and while the road to becoming a pilot was a difficult one, he says, “It was well worth it.”
Trae’s quest to become a pilot began with the Army National Guard. He enlisted as a Military Intelligence Systems Integrator Maintainer, which he explains is a “very long title for IT guy for all military intelligence systems.” While serving in Afghanistan, Trae was introduced to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, which he didn’t even know existed until a fateful meeting with his career counselor.
At ERAU, Trae entered the JetBlue Gateway Program and soon had an internship with Delta. His journey to ExpressJet may have been long and difficult, but his quest is far from over. His ultimate goal? To be a chief pilot within 20 years.
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