Stephen "Cole" Doss (C'15) has always had aviation in his blood. His father, Steve, mother, Moya, and sister, Caroline, are all flight attendants. However, as Doss began thinking about his college journey, working in the aviation industry was not on his radar. He enrolled at the University of Iowa, with plans to pursue a career in health care. However, he soon realized that health care was not his true passion. When Doss took to the skies and went on a discovery flight with a neighbor, he fell in love with flying. Within a week of that flight, Doss was moving to Dubuque and starting his journey at the University of Dubuque.

The UD aviation program provided Doss with a solid foundation for his career, thanks to faculty with previous airline experience and valuable networking opportunities with peers on the same career path. His initial ground school instructor, Polly (Rademacher) Kadolph (C'91, MBA'05), associate professor of aviation, left a lasting impact with her evident passion for aviation. Doss credits UD and Kadolph for giving him a solid foundation in the field.

"The University of Dubuque aviation program provides students with unique opportunities," Doss said. "I was able to check out a plane and file a flight plan to anywhere in the U.S., with permission of course! I was able to fly to the beach in Florida, see Mount Rushmore in South Dakota, and visit some friends in Colorado. One of my favorite UD memories was flying with three friends, each in their own aircrafts, from Dubuque to Kansas City for barbeque. I was also part of the Flight Team, where we represented UD while competing in regional and national competitions. Being able to fly with friends made flight training a fun and memorable experience."

After graduating, Doss became a UD flight instructor and built his hours towards his Restricted ATP, while also serving as a coach for UD's Flight Team. With 1,000 hours under his belt, he was hired by SkyWest Airlines, eventually upgrading to captain. In 2022, Doss joined United Airlines. Along with this, he is also a mentor for young aviators with the NGPA (National Gay Pilots Association).

A highlight of Doss' career was when he made a video with his mom capturing their first flight together. The video went viral and was featured on the multiple news networks including ABC News and NBC's TODAY Show. The video even made an appearance on the Kelly Clarkson Show. The mother-son duo hopes to fly together again soon.

When asked about his viral video, Doss said, "I had no intention to go viral at all! I recorded my Passenger Announcement so I could remember our first flight together. I shared it on Facebook and Instagram for close family and friends, everyone started sharing it, and it snowballed. Fun fact is that during filming, I mentioned that I went to flight school in Iowa, and one of the audience members started cheering! It was really cool having an Iowan in the audience."

Blue Skies and Tailwinds, Spartans - see you at Homecoming 2024, October 3-5!