AJ News

Joan Mead-Matsui Abington Journal Correspondent

NEWTON TWP. - Thirty-four years ago, a career took off for Newton Township resident Joe Waters – literally speaking.

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Pilots, father Joseph and his sons Jason and Ryan Waters of Clarks Summit, Newton Township.

Abington Journal/ Joan Mead-Matsui

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“My brother started to fly before I did,” said Joe Waters, 55. “He taught me to fly back in the mid ’70s. I started taking flying lessons with my brother, who started flying in high school, and a few years later, he became a flight instructor and he needed a student, and I was his student.”

Waters has a Bachelor of Science degree from Embry-Riddle University. Prior to joining United Airlines in 1989 as a first officer, he started as a flight instructor, piloted charter flights, then worked for a few Fortune 500 companies. Nowadays, he flies an Airbus 320 and transports as many as 150 passengers on a given flight to destinations throughout North America, including the United States, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean for United Airlines.

“We work our way up and it’s all based on seniority,” said Waters, who has flown across the Pacific Ocean to Japan, Singapore and China. “As our seniority increases, we choose to bid these different positions and fly different airplanes.”

He made the decision to fly domestically because the trips are shorter, he is based in New York and not away from home for long periods of time. His typical schedule is a rotation of three days on and four days off.

“Once I started flying, I fell in love with it,” said Waters. “That’s what happens. I just really enjoyed flying so I pursued a career in it. Prior to joining United Airlines, I flew for some smaller corporations, flying their corporate jets around.”

Waters’ love for aviation rubbed off on his two sons, Ryan, 25, and Jason, 18. “They both showed a tremendous interest in it (flying) and I supported them,” he said. “A lot of sons and daughters go into that occupation and probably the majority of pilots have come from aviation families.”

Ryan Waters has been a pilot for Republic Airways based in Chicago since May 2007. He attended Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind., where he majored in aviation flight technology for four years. Ryan Waters said, “I was fortunate to be hired by an airline right away, but that’s not always the case, and it depends on how much experience you acquire before then and how much the industry is hiring at the time.”

He added, “That was my ultimate goal – to be hired by an airline. I started flying when I was 16 and was hired when I was 22. It’s a unique lifestyle, and it’s not a nine-to-five job. You’re not home every night, but you see a lot of places in the world that most people wouldn’t be able to see.”

Ryan Waters flies domestic flights throughout North America, including Canada, Mexico and the United States. “I think growing up with it, I’ve always had an interest in aviation. My father and uncle did it.” He hopes to be hired by a larger airline, such as United or any of the larger legacy carriers in the future.

Each airline has its own airline training program – a two- to three-month process on top of the training a pilot has already acquired. Pilots need to have a tremendous amount of experience before an airline will hire them. “I would say most of the students going into the program don’t have any flight experience,” said Joe Waters.

In March 2009, Jason Waters earned his private pilot’s certificate through tech aviation at the Wilkes-Barre /Scranton Airport. This fall, he will enter his freshman year at The Florida Institute of Technology, where he plans to pursue a degree in aviation science with a flight option. “Being surrounded by it (aviation), I thought I would give it a shot,” said the youngest of the Waters children.

Upon graduation, Jason Waters will have a Bachelor of Science Degree with flight ratings that include private, instrument, commercial and multi-engine. So he will have all the aviation ratings he needs to qualify for a job. Jason Waters plans to take a slightly different route than brother Ryan . “I plan to go into the Air Force and become an officer and get a flight slot,” he said.

Jason and Ryan Waters had two years of flying experience each prior to starting the program. .