He officially joined Propel in December 2018, having no idea then that he would make history as its first Collegiate Pilot Career Path program graduate. There was a window for recent college graduates to apply. Weeks after his graduation, he found out about the newly launched Propel Collegiate Pilot Career Path program that helped college students on their path to become a Delta pilot. The 'Spirit of Delta' lives on!" Cory said.Īfter the military, Gray sped through the aerospace program at Middle Tennessee State University, finishing a four-year degree in three. "I am so happy for him, and it's humbling to know my actions that day made such a difference in this young man's life. They kept in touch, with Colton updating the first officer frequently on his progress and asking for advice. We still talk to this day."Ĭory wanted to give Colton a look "behind the curtain" and offered the then-soldier his personal cell number. "For him to take time out of his break to show me what to expect and what it was like for him, I'll never forget it. He took Colton to the pilot lounge, showed him their flight planning room and went over the charts for his trip to Europe later that night. In true Delta fashion, First Officer Cory Frugé went above and beyond. Reluctant at first to bother him, Colton decided to introduce himself and asked a fateful question: "What is it like to be a pilot for Delta?" While waiting in the international terminal, he noticed a Delta pilot sitting at a table on his lunch break. Every chance he got, he picked the brains of the pilots he worked with.īut it was an interaction with a Delta pilot in Atlanta that helped focus Colton's determination.ĭuring his deployment to Afghanistan, his unit had a five-hour layover in Atlanta before a flight to Ireland. Stationed in a mobile air traffic control tower, he did everything from helping land cargo aircraft to directing fighter jets on the battlefield. He called it the closest thing to being a pilot without being a pilot. Every month in 2022, Delta plans to hire approximately 200 pilots.Ĭolton is among that pool of new aviators.Ĭolton served six years in the Army (two tours in Afghanistan) as an air traffic controller. What came next was a military career, a serendipitous meeting with a Delta pilot and a desire that led Colton to be the first graduate of Delta's Propel Collegiate Pilot Career Path program, which offers students at select universities one of two customized career paths to the airline - flying either for one of Delta's connection carriers or the Air National Guard or Reserve. He didn't think a working-class kid from a family with no aviation background could do it and feared it might be too expensive. I fell in love with it," Colton recalled. I just knew I wanted to be in aviation from that point. During one of his many childhood flights between Indianapolis and Florida to spend time with his parents, Colton Gray got bit by the aviation bug.
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