Faces of PSA: Chief Pilot Alyson Kim
Name: Alyson Kim
Title: Chief Pilot
How long have you worked for PSA? 2 years, 10 months
How long have you been in the airline industry? Since 2015
Where did you work before PSA? U.S. Air Force Reserves, Island Air in Hawaii, Trans States Airlines
What brought you to PSA? I knew I would have more opportunities and better bases than at Trans States.
Give us a brief overview of what you do: As a Chief Pilot, I am involved in personnel and operations issues concerning pilots. I make sure that both the company and the pilot’s needs are addressed on a day-to-day basis.
What is one of the biggest challenges of your job? Making sure the pilot group knows that the Chief Pilots are here to help them with issues they may face and that we can guide them to the right answers/people that will help them the most.
Where’s your favorite place you have traveled to? Too many to list, but I am very fond of the Mediterranean.
What does it mean to you to be a woman in the aviation industry? Luckily, nothing, which lends kudos and respect to those that paved the way all those years prior and allowed the industry to see me as a Pilot, instead of a “female” pilot. We are still a minority in the field, but the number of women pursuing careers in aviation is growing. I hope more young women will decide to join our ranks.
Tell us about being the first female chief pilot at PSA: It is always an honor to be chosen for a leadership position and given the responsibility to take care of a group of people. I haven’t really thought about being the first female Chief Pilot, but I understand that I am a role model to other females who may have goals to become leaders themselves in this industry. What I do think about is that I’ve been put in this position because my leaders felt that I would do a great job based on my merit, so I put all my effort into making sure I do a good job for the pilots I manage and for PSA as a whole.
Did you have any female mentors or influences who paved the way for you in your life/career and how? My family is my biggest influence. My parents never limited me or my goals in life. Both were military and my father was a pilot, so naturally, I joined the military and became a pilot.
What are some of your hobbies? Golfing, hiking, traveling
What do you love about working for PSA? I enjoy the people I work with. We have a great group of pilots that I am lucky to get to interact with every day. And we have top-notch individuals in each and every office that works hard to make the operation run smoothly.
Would you recommend PSA and why? I would recommend PSA because we still feel like a family. We can get to know team members from other sections and you aren’t just a number. I believe positive things will continue to happen for PSA in the future.
How did your military career help prepare you for commercial aviation? On the flying side, my military flying taught me the discipline and dedication needed to learn new aircraft and pass in different training environments. On the leadership side, I had great leaders in my military career that I was able to learn from and tap into their techniques on how to take care of people and the mission.
Tell us something about your role that most people don’t know: A Chief Pilot deals with everything from aircraft/pilot-related issues to HR and medical issues. It really is a very well-rounded position and you learn a lot about all the behind-the-scenes work that occurs to keep the operation running and the team members taken care of.
What has been the most rewarding part of your job? The most rewarding part of this position is being able to affect change that will make PSA and the pilot group better. I hope that by being in this position, and along with my fellow Chief Pilots, I have had a positive impact on the perception of the CPO and improved morale.
Tell us something no one knows about you: If I had never gone down the career path to pilot, I would’ve wanted to be an opera singer.