Cape Air Pilot Opportunities

Breaking News!

Jet Blue, Cape Air,
Embry Riddle and
University of North Dakota
announce the

"University Gateway Program"

Pilot Spotlights

A look at some of our pilots and into the culture of Cape Air.

Meet Cape Air Captain Antoine "Tony" Akoury

Pilot Spotlight:
Tony Akoury

"As a Cape Air Captain you never get bored. With all the takeoffs and landings there is almost no cruise time. You and the aircraft are one. I love it!"
Captain Tony, as he is affectionately called by passengers in Cape Cod, the Islands and the Caribbean, grew up in Beirut, Lebanon with aviation as his childhood dream.

“My father had other plans for me and sent me to medical school in France. I was finally able to convince him that I needed to fly and I have never been happier, enjoying the best of all perfect worlds - summer in the north and winter in the Caribbean. It is like being on a paid vacation.”

As a former flight instructor, Captain Tony says he loves the kind of ‘hands on’ flying that comes with the Cessna 402.

“This is my favorite aircraft since day one. It is so easy to fly. And in spite of weather challenges in a place like foggy Nantucket, it is always a fun challenge and keeps you sharp on your instrument flying.”

As for his father’s dream of having a doctor in the family, Captain Tony says, “I made the right decision for me, and my father is now very proud of me, as a pilot.”

A Message from Capt. Jamie McKay

Meet Cape Air Captain Catherine "Scottie" Hiller

Pilot Spotlight:
Scottie Hiller

When Captain Scottie Hiller turns around to give her pre-flight briefing it is quickly evident she is not local to the British Virgin Islands.

However, her North Carolina twang is the only thing about her that is not local. After living on Tortola for the past ten years (eight of those in a Cape Air uniform), Hiller is recognized everywhere she goes. "It really is amazing how many people come up to me," she says.

"They know me from the plane, surfing, or for my off beat little car." Although she really enjoyed her last flying job as a bush pilot in Africa, Hiller says that with Cape Air and her life in Tortola she has found her niche.

"I really enjoyed the third world experience but did not want to be quite so far from home. Tortola fits the bill. It's not like the 'real world' in that a traffic jam here is usually caused by a herd of goats, yet it is still functional with Internet, cell phones and stocked grocery stores. Cape Air came along and saved me with this job. I loved the airline from day one. I enjoy the freedom and family feeling in the company."

If you are flying into or out of Tortola chances are pretty good Captain Hiller is at the controls. Feel free to ask her for local beach tips as she can offer better advice than any guide book.

Meet Cape Air Captain Anthony "Tony" Thompson

Pilot Spotlight:
Tony Thompson

If Hollywood was casting for the quintessential pilot look, they’d strike gold with Cape Air Captain Tony Thompson. For the past eight years passengers flying the magnificent scenic route between San Juan and the Virgin Islands have done so with ‘easy on the eyes’ Captain Thompson.

Born in Trinidad, Captain Thompson says he has flown the route so many times that locals and visitors all know him by his first name. “The minute they see me they usually say, ‘How you doing, Tony?’ I love the kind of friendliness we have with passengers.

One of my goals is to learn Spanish so I can give the briefing in two languages for the many Spanish speaking passengers on this route.” The Captain says he is aware that the size of Cape Air’s Cessna 402 is a surprise for some passengers connecting from larger airlines.

“One of the most satisfying feelings for me is when I have a passenger who is a little nervous about small planes. I have a chance to reassure them and give them a fun flight. I either direct them to the great views out the window or have them sit right up in the cockpit with me.

When we land and they say, ‘That was the highlight of my vacation,’ well, I really love that! Many times you feel like you’re on stage with nine pairs of eyes watching everything you do but it is an experience I really enjoy. I never get tired of flying. If I did not love flying so much I would be one miserable person. I can work a long day and not feel it. I absolutely love what I do."

Meet Cape Air Captain Tom Garlington

Pilot Spotlight: Tom Garlington

Do not let his young face deceive you. 24 year old Captain Tom Garlington is a true aviation hero and recipient of a Special Recognition Award by the Aviation Safety Group of Massachusetts.

Before earning his Captain's wings with Cape Air, Captain Garlington was a flight instructor in Mansfield, Massachusetts. While flight training over the skies of Lawrence, MA the propeller on his training aircraft literally broke in half. Without missing a beat Captain Garlington turned the plane into a glider and landed the plane safely. What is called a 'catastrophic separation failure' might have had very different consequences had it not been for Captain Garlington's expertise.

"To tell you the truth I was not even sure what had happened until after I landed and took a look at the propeller," says Garlington. "I had never seen anything like that before."

Cape Air salutes our new member of the pilot group and congratulates him on his justly deserved award.

Meet Cape Air Captain Peter Kacergis

Pilot Spotlight:
Peter Kacergis

No need to introduce this pilot to anyone flying in and out of Provincetown. Captain Peter Kacergis has been around the Provincetown Airport since he hefted bags as a ramp agent. He then went on to work for the aerial tour plane, 'Willy.' At Cape Air Peter is a regular on the Boston/Provincetown route and is well known for his unflappable personality and constant willingness to always go the extra mile (so to speak) for hte passengers. "Cerg" is a fifth generation P'towner (Jackett family) "I guess I will always feel like Provincetown is my home. Growing up this is where I spent all of my summers visiting my grandparents."

Cerg says flying year round, in and out of Provincetown for so many years has made him a familiar face to a lot of people. "I was taking some time off in Key West and folks actually stopped me on the street to say hi. They recognized me from Provincetown. For some reason folks seem to like to fly with me."

One of the Captain's regular passengers summed it up by saying "Pete gets as excited about showing us the whales out the window as we do about seeing them. He always seems so happy to see us that flying with him is always a pleasure." As for his pilot briefing to the passengers Cerg has heard rumors. "I have heard that someone is doing quite an impersonation of my briefing in one of the Provincetown night clubs. I hope to catch the act one of these days."

Meet Cape Air Captain Kim Mazzoleni

Pilot Spotlight:
Kim Mazzoleni

"Cool, we have a woman pilot!" "Oh my God, a girl is flying the airplane!" Captain Kim Mazzoleni usually hears both ends of the spectrum when she turns around to brief the passengers and they see she is a woman. The Framingham native has heard it all in her nine years as a Cape Air Pilot. "The older guys are taken aback in the beginning, but the women almost always love the fact that I am flying the plane," says Mazzoleni.

Her usual route is between New Bedford, Massachusetts and the islands of Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard, and she has really gotten to know most of the contractors who fly regularly to the islands for work. "It is almost like your commute on a train or bus," says Mazzoleni. "You see the same passengers every day and they feel like old friends. When I came back from my maternity leave, we took up where we left off and they were so happy to hear about my son Harrison." With her young son now age four, Kim says working for Cape Air is simply a wonderful gift. "Not only do I get to meet and interact with the passengers, but I also have an office with the best view in the world and get to go home to my son every night. That is not something that most pilots at major airlines are able to do."

As a high school student, Mazzoleni says, she picked a pilot career as a whim, beginning her studies as an aviation major at Bridgewater State College. "It was not long before I realized this was to be my profession."

Meet Cape Air Captain Yoshitaka Murata

Pilot Spotlight:
Yoshitaka Murata

“Hey, Yoshi, are you flying my section today?”

“It always makes me feel good. I love when passengers remember me.”

A former flight instructor and corporate pilot before he came to Cape Air in 2004, Yoshi is constantly singled out by passengers for his friendliness and enthusiasm. The only member of his family to live outside of Japan, Yoshi inherited his love of aviation from his father and grandfather, who are both pilots.

“All I ever wanted was to be a pilot,” said Yoshi. “Flying for Cape Air is the dream of a lifetime for me, and the airline has really become my second family. I love the view of the world from a plane, and one of the greatest sights for me is to watch the sun rise and set while I am flying above Nantucket. It really does not get much better than that.”

Meet Cape Air Captain Conrado Beckles

Pilot Spotlight:
Conrado Beckles

From Brooklyn to St. Croix

Born in Panama and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Captain Conrado Beckles spent a decade flying with a major airline before joining Cape Air in 1998 as the first pilot ever to work in Cape Air's Caribbean operation. "I feel like the Caribbean is really my baby," says Beckles.

"I love what we do here, and this is the most fun I could ever have as a pilot. The interaction with passengers is a huge part of the job. Many of them are connecting to us from a major airline with larger aircraft. When they see the size of our Cessna, they can be a little taken aback. Bus when I have the chance to talk to them and give them a bird's eye view of the Islands, we really have a great time. This is especially true in the wintertime, when our passengers are leaving the ice and snow in the Northeast and get in our Caribbean sunshine. As a pilot, I cannot imagine a better quality of life than flying for Cape Air in the Caribbean. And one of the best things about it is sharing that wonderful relaxation with our island-bound passengers."

Meet Cape Air Captain Tom Stuart

Pilot Spotlight:
Tom Stuart

“There are not too many pilot jobs where, in the course of flying, I have a chance to meet my longtime idol, Norman Mailer, or share stories with Jim Belushi,” says Cape Air pilot Tom Stuart.

As a 10-year-old boy growing up in Maine, Tom always knew exactly what he wanted to be when he grew up: a pilot.

For five years Tom has been one of the stars in our pilot group. Noted for his outstanding customer service, Tom is always willing to lend a hand loading bags or helping passengers. “I like working for an airline the size of Cape Air,” he explains. “You do a little bit of everything and, of course, there is a lot of hands-on flying. It’s true I get to meet a lot of famous people, but I enjoy flying all the passengers on their way to work or vacation.”

Tom is not apt to take advantage of Cape Air’s warm weather destinations in the Caribbean or Florida. “I love the Northeast especially in the winter – the weather dynamic is a great challenge.”

Tom lives in New Hampshire with his wife, Jennifer, and two-year-old daughter, Olivia.