{"id":7370,"date":"2017-11-21T12:09:02","date_gmt":"2017-11-21T18:09:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.envoyair.com\/?p=7370"},"modified":"2017-11-21T12:09:02","modified_gmt":"2017-11-21T18:09:02","slug":"aa_retired-american-airlines-pilot-flows-back-to-instruct-new-envoy-pilots-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.envoyair.com\/2017\/11\/21\/aa_retired-american-airlines-pilot-flows-back-to-instruct-new-envoy-pilots-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Retired American Airlines pilot is back instructing Envoy pilots"},"content":{"rendered":"

Fifty-four years ago, Zane Lemon watched movies like John Wayne\u2019s Flying Tigers<\/em>, a World War II-era film about daring fighter pilots, and dreamed about a life of aviation. Sure enough, Zane joined the U.S. Air Force in 1970 as a fighter pilot on the F-4 Phantom and, after his retirement from the military in 1978, was drawn to continue flying as a pilot for American Airlines.<\/p>\n

Following a long, successful career at American, Zane is back in the aviation industry but this time as a Professional Simulator Instructor (PSI) training new-hire pilots with their own dreams of flying commercial jets.\"IMG-EHQ-PSI-Zane-Lemon\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cI spent nearly 30 years at American and now I\u2019m back,\u201d says Zane. \u201cWhen I learned Envoy needed instructors to help their growing pilot classes, I saw it as a great opportunity to give back to the aviation community and continue my passion for flying.\u201d<\/p>\n

When Zane interviewed for the PSI position, he was asked, \u2018what do you bring to the table?\u2019 It\u2019s simple he says, he brings generations of experience. More than technical knowledge about instruments and controls, Zane brings business experience as a pilot interacting with coworkers, airports and unions.<\/p>\n

Knowledge is power<\/h3>\n

During Zane\u2019s training sessions, he wants to make sure that his students \u201ckeep their head in the ballgame,\u201d he says. Meaning that an experienced pilot takes note of the day\u2019s weather and plans their trip accordingly; or they prepare for a freezing day on the east coast or a busy taxiway at Chicago O\u2019Hare.<\/p>\n

Throughout his career, either as a fighter or airline pilot, Zane says that the most important ingredient for a successful pilot is knowledge. Whether it\u2019s familiarity with the instruments, weather or flight plans, Zane tells his students that without complete certainty and confidence a pilot cannot flourish.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese young men and women are sharp and want to learn \u2013 as an instructor, you can\u2019t ask for anything better than that,\u201d Zane says. \u201cBut even if there are some tough times, I\u2019m always on their team because we want them to succeed and be the best pilot they can be.\u201d<\/p>\n

Born to fly<\/h3>\n

\"IMG-EHQ-PSI-Zane-Lemon-2\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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Back in high school, Zane used to promise his friends that he would be a fighter pilot in the Air Force. He says that he can\u2019t remember a day when he wasn\u2019t dreaming of dog fights and barrel rolls\"IMG-EHQ-PSI-Zane-Lemon-3\"<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In 1966, Zane joined the ROTC at Southern Illinois University and graduated with a degree in government. But, Zane says, he knew he wouldn\u2019t become a politician, he wanted the ROTC commission to begin training at Webb Air Force Base in Big Spring, Texas.<\/p>\n

As the fourth-best pilot in his class, Zane had his choice of aircraft \u2013 the sleek F-4 Phantom. During his eight years in the Air Force, Zane had tours in Japan (where he met his wife), Thailand and Vietnam including the evacuation of Saigon in 1975.<\/p>\n

Soon thereafter, Zane and eight of his Air Force buddies made the tough decision to retire from the military and become airline pilots. At the time there were fewer airlines than today, but that Zane still had his choice of airlines \u2013 he chose American.<\/p>\n

Open the door, come on in<\/h3>\n

In the same way Zane imparts his wisdom to new-hire Envoy pilots today, he gained valuable guidance from the WWII fighter pilots with whom he shared the flight deck. There he honed his decision-making skills and continued his reverence for safety.<\/p>\n

Even though commanding an aircraft as Captain was his favorite position, Zane moved up to Chief Pilot and Director of Flight Operations at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. He also spent time as an instructor on five different aircraft types \u2013 today, Zane still flies the 1937 DC-3 Flagship Detroit to events like American\u2019s SkyBall.<\/p>\n

\"IMG-EHQ-PSI-Zane-Lemon-4\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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Needless to say, with all of Zane\u2019s experience as a fighter pilot, captain, instructor and chief pilot, he\u2019s the right person for the PSI job.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want my students to look at me like an encyclopedia of pilot knowledge,\u201d says Zane. \u201cI can give them the right thought process to make the right decisions, tell them how I personally handled a situation and offer them advice how to be a good coworker, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Back in 1978, on Zane\u2019s first day at American, he says he had an overwhelming excitement that lasted throughout his entire career. Today, in Envoy\u2019s classrooms, as he\u2019s going over pre-flight checklists and radio calls, he\u2019s still carrying on that passion for aviation.<\/p>\n

\u201cI may have retired from American, but I\u2019m here at this great company now,\u201d says Zane. \u201cWhen one door closes, you open another.\u201d<\/p>\n

If you’re interested in a position as a Professional Simulator Instructor or know someone who could fill that role, click here to learn more<\/a><\/strong>.\u00a0<\/strong>Now offering a $20,000 sign-on bonus<\/strong>!<\/p>\n

*$20,000 sign-on bonus payable upon completion of training. Two year commitment required.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Fifty-four years ago, Zane Lemon watched movies like John Wayne\u2019s Flying Tigers, a World War II-era film about daring fighter pilots, and dreamed about a life of aviation. Sure enough, Zane joined the U.S. Air Force in 1970 as a fighter pilot on the F-4 Phantom and, after his retirement from the military in 1978, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":42236,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[227,105,64,65,66,77,78,144,185,110,58,51,68,118,208,80,305,306,108,91,103],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.envoyair.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7370"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.envoyair.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.envoyair.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.envoyair.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.envoyair.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7370"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.envoyair.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7370\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.envoyair.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/42236"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.envoyair.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7370"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.envoyair.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7370"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.envoyair.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7370"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}