As a teenager and young adult, Tyler Koonce had two passions 鈥� sports and aviation. He began his professional career in the former and plans on finishing it working in the latter. After 15 years in public relations, Koonce has completed his Associate in Science for Professional Pilot Science at 天堂社区 in May. Koonce, 35, finished his flight lab to ultimately become a commercial pilot this month. During his time in public relations, Koonce worked for two NFL teams, one Major League Baseball team, a Power 5 collegiate program and a national engineering firm. Following internships with the Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Royals, Koonce worked for the Kansas City Chiefs, the University of Missouri and Henderson Engineers. 鈥淚鈥檝e always wanted to be a pilot,鈥� Koonce said. 鈥淚nitially, I was intimidated by the cost of training. I had a similar passion for sports, so I went that direction.鈥�
A 2009 graduate of Southeast Missouri State University, Koonce earned his bachelor鈥檚 degree in general studies with an emphasis in public relations and sport management. It was ultimately a Christmas gift from Koonce鈥檚 now wife, Chandni Dargan, that prompted him to seriously consider a career in aviation. 鈥淢y wife has been incredibly supportive,鈥� he said. That gift was a discovery flight, his first private flight lesson. 鈥淚 had been doing a little bit of research on the nationwide pilot shortage,鈥� Koonce said. 鈥淚t took one flight, and I was hooked.鈥�
For Koonce, the next step was finding a well-respected program. 鈥淥ne of the neat things about the Polk State program is it鈥檚 (Federal Aviation Administration Part 141)-accredited,鈥� Koonce said. 鈥淯ltimately, I was looking into a place where I could fly year-round 鈥� with the weather. I met with our program director and realized Polk State was the place for me.鈥� Koonce began the Polk State Aerospace Program in January 2021. During his time in the program, Koonce has earned his Private Pilot Certificate, Instrument Rating and Commercial Pilot Certificate. He also served as the Flight Team鈥檚 first officer for ground events, team secretary and social media director. 鈥淚t鈥檚 an excellent group of people,鈥� Koonce said. 鈥淭he camaraderie throughout our team was great. It was a great experience all around, capped off by qualifying for (National Intercollegiate Flying Association) nationals for the first time in our program鈥檚 history.鈥�
As a member of the Polk State Flight Team, Koonce said Carl Valeri, the team鈥檚 coach and a commercial pilot with more than 20 years of experience, served as a mentor. Even before meeting him in person, Koonce had listened to the 鈥淎viation Careers Podcast,鈥� hosted by Valeri, which sparked his interest in Polk State. 鈥淔rom a mentoring standpoint, Carl has been absolutely incredible,鈥� Koonce said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 doing what a lot of us dream of. He鈥檚 so selfless, cares so much and puts so much into it. Without Carl, Polk State doesn鈥檛 have a flight team.鈥� In addition to the Flight Team, Koonce served as a member of the Polk State Aerospace Safety Team and the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. Despite leaving the public relations field, Koonce鈥檚 skills in that area remain prevalent, according to Valeri. 鈥淗e鈥檚 amazing at networking,鈥� Valeri said. 鈥淲henever Tyler walks in a room, he鈥檚 someone who everyone engages with. He knows how to listen; he knows how to respond. He speaks well and he really knows his stuff. He鈥檚 going to be very successful.鈥�
To ultimately become an airline pilot, Koonce will have to complete 1,250 flight hours to qualify for Restricted Airline Transport Pilot (R-ATP) minimums 鈥� a number that is reduced from the standard 1,500 hours with Polk State鈥檚 Part 141 certification. That鈥檚 an endeavor he鈥檚 ready to take on with more than 300 flight hours already in his logbook. 鈥淚 feel like I was properly prepared at Polk State,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he results are there professionally for our alumni. We have a lot of people from the Polk State Aerospace Program doing great things in the aviation industry.鈥� According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual pay for commercial pilots is about $100,000. The number of needed commercial pilots is expected to grow by 13% from 2020 to 2030 鈥� faster than the average for all occupations. 鈥淚 would encourage anyone who has ever thought about being a pilot to give Polk State a serious look,鈥� Koonce said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 affordable and an all-around great program. Our staff and instructors will help you achieve your flying goals. From there, the opportunities in aviation are endless.鈥�