M.S. in Leadership Program Helps Experienced Pilot Find Success as a Supervisor

With more than 9,000 hours logged as a professional pilot, the flight deck is a pretty comfortable place for Chase Trissel (’17, ’25).

But when Chase was asked to step into a management role at the Part 91 company he was flying for in Virginia, things got a little turbulent. That’s when he turned to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University to help smooth out the ride.

“I learned really quickly that leading people did not come naturally,” said Chase, who had earned a B.S. in Aeronautics from Embry-Riddle in 2017. “In fact, I experienced a 70% turnover of my employees within one year. And at that time, I needed to make a decision. Am I going to step up and learn these leadership skills, or am I going to be a line pilot again?”

Why Choose Embry-Riddle’s M.S. in Leadership Program?

Chase opted to face the challenge and enrolled in the M.S. in Leadership program at Embry-Riddle Worldwide’s College of Business, which offers a unique blend of leadership theory, concepts, core knowledge, and tools and techniques that prepare students to lead confidently.

Chase says the impact has been almost immediate.

“I feel like I'm beginning a new chapter of my life and learning new leadership skills to be a better leader and a better person in general,” he said.

Taught by faculty members who have terminal degrees and are experts in the field, the online M.S. in Leadership course is designed to accommodate busy professionals and allow them to complete coursework as it fits into their schedules.

It’s also designed to showcase the critical importance of good leadership in any endeavor.

“Although leadership is not a technical skill, it has the potential of binding an organization together and ensuring its sustainability and productivity,” said Dr. Kees Rietsema, an associate professor at the Worldwide College of Business. “It is a key competency for those in organizational leadership positions and for any person, whether a parent, colleague or employee.”

A Short Deviation Away from Aviation

Chase, now 46, grew up around aviation thanks to his father.

“Flying was his passion,” he said. “He always had an airplane, and he always took us to air shows and pancake breakfasts, and pretty much all of our family vacations involved flying somewhere.”

Initially, though, Chase had other plans for his future. The Virginia native had spent nearly every summer working on his grandad’s wheat farm in Oklahoma, helping with the harvest. So, the day after he graduated high school, he moved to the Sooner State “with a pickup truck, a horse trailer, a horse and a little less than a thousand dollars to my name.”

Faced with a moribund economy, he went to horseshoeing school there and six months later opened his own business while he also was working for a large animal veterinarian. It was a struggle, to say the least. He managed to buy a trailer home but couldn’t afford to make the many repairs it needed.

“I remember my air conditioning didn't work,” Chase said. “The hot water heater exploded one night in my closet, and there were holes throughout the floor that would not keep the mice out. The winters were even tougher, and I remember even surviving with a $ 10-a-week food budget during this time.”

Charting a New Course in Aviation

Unfortunately, as with many small business ventures, the external factors were insurmountable and ultimately led Chase to look for alternative courses. After discussing the difficulties with his dad one night, he decided it was time to reignite his passion for aviation and pursue a pilot’s license. Chase returned to Virginia to become a professional pilot, and that diversion has paid off big for him.

“I now hold an airline pilot transport rating with all three of my instructor ratings,” he said. “I've flown for two Part 121 airlines and two separate Part 135 charter organizations.”

He began flying for West Ridge Jet Services in 2010 and was asked to become the company’s Director of Aviation in 2019. Although he welcomed the opportunity to move into management, he realized quickly he needed more preparation and guidance to become the kind of leader he wanted to be.

The Best Degree Program for Developing Leaders

So far, the M.S. in Leadership courses have given him everything he had hoped for and then some.

“As I'm developing my critical thinking skills, I've learned that many of the negative emotions that I was feeling in the past were a result of my egocentric thinking,” Chase said. “And as I'm learning to develop my intellectual traits through the elements of reasoning and intellectual standards, the end result is I'm building a team that's much more productive and much happier.”

Today, Chase is thriving in his supervisory role, living happily on his Virginia farm with his wife, Leslie, and 8-year-old daughter, Hayden, and looking forward to completing his graduate degree. He also has some other ideas for his immediate future.

“Going forward, I feel like there are many young people out there who are seeking the same things I was seeking and wanting to know how to go about this path in life,” he said. “I want to be there beside them to mentor them and help them find that way. I feel like this helps me prepare for my future legacy and give back some of those things that have been given to me.”

Chase’s conviction to paying it forward doesn’t surprise Dr. Rietsema, who said it is additional evidence that Embry-Riddle’s M.S. in Leadership program “makes a difference in the lives of our students.”

What skills can we help you develop? Apply at Embry-Riddle today.