Shalyn Marchetti, 23, was born and raised in the culture of general aviation. Her parents, both pilots, own and operate a private grass strip called Applegate (15MO), about 120 nautical miles northeast of Kansas City. She soloed in the family’s J-3 Cub there shortly after graduating from high school and is the only pilot in the family to pursue an airline career. She recently earned a slot at Piedmont Airlines.
“When I was 18, I met a United captain who was heavily involved in the antique airplane world with my family,” Shalyn says. It was this connection that sparked her interest in taking her flying to the next level. She earned her private pilot certificate while studying at a local community college, and then enrolled at ATP’s St. Louis location in June 2015 to complete her commercial training.
“St. Louis was a very small location, which benefited me because it was one instructor and about three students,” Shalyn says. She earned her instrument, commercial and multiengine certificates there through ATP’s Airline Career Pilot Program, and then transferred to the Jacksonville, Florida, location in November 2015 to earn her instructor certificates. “That’s when their fast-paced program was really fast,” she says. “I was very fortunate to meet some excellent instructors.”
She instructed at ATP’s Charlotte location for about six months before getting hired to fly a King Air based near her parent’s home in Missouri. “The chief pilot for that company was the grandson of the CFI who signed me off for my private pilot check ride,” she says. “I had an absolute blast! I got to understand a different side of aviation. Over my time there, I got to go to a lot of really neat places and meet some absolutely wonderful people. The president of the company was just such a wonderful guy, very caring and wanted to know that we were doing all right.”
Shalyn met her husband while she was at ATP, and the couple moved to Scottsdale, Arizona, in May 2017 for his job (he’s also a pilot). Meanwhile, Shalyn’s father-in-law, who is a first officer at American Airlines, encouraged her to apply for a position at Piedmont, a feeder to American. “They offered great pay and a competitive hiring bonus,” she says. “I interviewed with them and got the job.”
Shalyn says she has completed initial training at Piedmont and is working on some online courses to become familiar with the Embraer 145 regional jet before relocating to what will be her new home base in Philadelphia. Her husband is still instructing in Scottsdale to build up his flight time, but he intends to also apply to Piedmont and relocate at some point. Meanwhile, she says, “We’ll make it work.”
Though her new role at Piedmont will take her up to the flight levels over the next few years, Shalyn’s heart will always remain rooted in general aviation. Her family still owns the J-3 as well as a Piper Vagabond and a Stinson 108 Voyager, and they are regulars each summer at EAA AirVenture. Shalyn says her dream is to one day be an airshow performer — maybe in Oshkosh.
