Local aviation dreams are taking flight.
Seward High School Class of 2024 graduate Izzie Peetz and Malcolm High School Class of 2023 graduate Tyler Thieman have earned spots in the Southwest Airlines Destination 225° Program, placing them on a pathway toward careers as airline pilots.
Peetz and Thieman are two of eight students from the University of Nebraska-Omaha Aviation Institute selected for the competitive program, which prepares future pilots with the goal of one day flying for Southwest Airlines. The program opened for applications for the first time in two years last November.
Izzie Peetz
Izzie Peetz’s interest in aviation began after a visit from a Seward High School alumnus working in the airline industry.
“That was kind of a light bulb moment, like, ‘That’s always been in front of your face, why haven’t you done that?’” she said. “Then, I talked to my counselor and set up some job shadows.”
Peetz began studying at the University of Nebraska-Omaha in August 2024 after earning her private pilot license. Since then, she has earned her instrument rating, allowing her to fly in the clouds; her commercial certificate, which allows her to be paid to fly; and her multi-engine rating. She is currently working toward her certified flight instructor rating.
Becoming a certified flight instructor will allow her to teach others how to fly while building the 1,000 flight hours required to work for an airline.
Peetz said she was extremely excited when she learned she had been accepted into the Destination 225° Program and quickly shared the news with the UNO Aviation Institute director, her parents and friends.
She is heavily involved in campus activities. She serves as treasurer of the university’s Women in Aviation chapter and is running for vice president. She said attending conferences through the organization has allowed her to learn more about women in aviation while meeting new people.
Peetz is also a member of the school’s flight team, competing in both ground and flying events.
“I think flight team, honestly, is the most beneficial thing I’ve done, because it has taught me how to be a better pilot, how to flight plan better and made me a more well-rounded pilot,” she said. “Some mornings I hate getting up early for it, but, at the end of the day, I know I’m learning something useful, and I’m with my friends.”
After earning her necessary flight hours, she hopes to fly for a regional airline before eventually joining Southwest Airlines.
“Once I started flying, I was like, ‘There’s no way I’m not doing this work,” Peetz said. “I just love the freedom feeling of it. Especially when I’m flying by myself and it’s just me up there, the peace I get is so fun. And being able to take family and friends up to go out and fly is really fun to do.”
Tyler Thieman
Tyler Thieman earned his private pilot’s license the day before beginning classes at UNO and has since completed his instrument rating, commercial certificate, instructor certificate, instrument instructor certificate and multi-engine commercial rating.
His interest in aviation dates back to elementary school, when his fifth-grade career project focused on becoming an airline pilot. At the time, he said, it felt more like a dream than a realistic career path. That changed during his junior year of high school when his parents encouraged him to take a discovery flight.
“As soon as we lifted off, that pretty much sealed the deal,” he said. “We took off, and we were climbing up, and the instructor that I was with gave me the controls. I thought he was crazy, but then I did fly the plane, and you look around, and it was pretty obvious that I could spend countless hours of my life from above Earth. That was really cool. Then, I came to UNO, and I just kept getting reminded that I’m on the right path.”
Thieman serves as co-captain of the university’s flight team and said joining the flight team has been the best decision of his educational career so far. It has helped him grow his knowledge and experience in piloting and build professional relationships.
“Aviation is a big industry, but it’s a really small world,” he said. “You’ll constantly see the same people all over the place. So, by getting to meet so many people at this level, every single person that we compete against and people that are on our team, we’re eventually going to fly with in our future careers.”
Thieman said he was especially excited to be accepted into the Southwest pathway program because of his longtime familiarity with the airline.
“UNO had all of these different pathway programs with different airlines, and I was super excited about the Southwest one, because I grew up flying on Southwest, and I knew their culture and the community that they had on the airline,” he said. “That was something that I really wanted to be a part of.”
He said pursuing aviation has provided numerous opportunities and experiences while helping him build connections within the industry. After completing required flight hours and gaining experience with a regional carrier, Thieman said he expects to eventually fly for Southwest Airlines.
“Every single time that I take off, no matter what time of day, you just look out, and it’s awesome, and that’s just always something that’s grounding,” he said. “You see a sunrise, sunsets from the sky. I’ve seen the northern lights from the sky, and that puts a lot of things into perspective.
“You get to see the beauty of this work from a different perspective, and it’s exciting. Nothing else matters; all that you’re focused on is what’s going on right in front of you.”
