Behind-the-Scenes with Alaska Airlines First Officer Mia Hutcherson

At Alaska Airlines we love inspiring others to consider a career in aviation. We're offering a behind-the-scenes look at how we get our guests safely to their destinations every day, and what better way than to sit down with one of our first officers.??

Mia Hutcherson is celebrating a year-and-a-half at Alaska Airlines as a Boeing 737 pilot. With a lot of hard work, mentorship and sacrifice – she became a mainline first officer just five years after her first flight lesson.?

When did you know you wanted to become a pilot???

“Flying was something that I always wanted to do and as a little Black girl, I never saw anyone that looked like me. I didn't see women. I didn't see people of color and I was pretty well-traveled as a kid. I didn't know it was attainable until I became a flight attendant. I started talking to other pilots, and I was like, ‘I have to keep doing this.’?

I enjoy being a free spirit and not having to show up to a traditional office. My office travels with me. For me, honestly, it feels really surreal right now.”??

Tell us how you made your dream of becoming a pilot come true???

“For me it was mentorship. I'm actually an Alaska Airlines and Horizon Pilot Pathways Program mentor myself. The program provides the most direct path to becoming an Alaska Airlines pilot by working first as a Horizon, or regional-carrier, first officer. Once you meet minimums and performance standards to become an Alaska Airlines pilot, you’re offered a seat with Alaska and begin training.??

I had mentors who pushed me when I thought I went as far as I could.?

I was a flight attendant, working for a small company as a pilot and also working as a customer service agent to get the flying hours and also to pay for my bills. It took an entire support system, aviation and non-aviation. I honestly couldn’t have done it by myself.“?

Tell me something guests may have no idea goes on behind-the-scenes.?

“Some people think ‘All you do is press autopilot.’ My flight planning, depending on where I'm going, may start the day before. We're studying maps, calculating our weight and length of the airports and then when we're in the air it's all about weather.?

I think people may be unaware that we actually hand-fly a lot, especially Alaska pilots. It's our culture that we're taught to embrace hand-flying. More often than not we're flying that plane all the way to cruising altitude and then when it's time to descend, that's all us.” ?

What do you love about working as an Alaska Airlines pilot???

“It’s so cliché, but I love that Alaska embodies a family. I’ve worked at other airlines who say they’re a family, but I felt it wholeheartedly when I came to Alaska. I love the fact that I can walk into my chief pilot's office or text them at all times. We're such a close-knit family and everyone really cares.???

It's so rewarding to meet different people on the plane. My favorite thing is when I see little kids. I just love to be like that inspiration that I wish I had when I was a kid. I think that's like the best part of my job.?