(Top) United Airlines Capt. GJ Priester (left) a 1990 SIU graduate and his son First Officer Alex Priester will fly Chicago-area secondary school students to visit SIU Carbondale’s aviation program on Oct. 18, where (middle photo) Chien-Tsung Lu, School of Aviation director, will be among university faculty and staff to greet them. (Bottom photo) The Priester family celebrates Alex’s first flight as a United Airlines first officer. With GJ and Alex are GJ’s wife, Jen, father, Charles, and son Ian. (Middle SIU Carbondale photo by Russell Bailey; other photos provided by the Priester family)
October 16, 2025
United Airlines-SIU Aviation Career Day helps students become part of the Saluki family
CARBONDALE, Ill. — Growing up in a widely recognized aviation family with Southern Illinois University Carbondale connections, United Airlines Captain GJ Priester cannot recall a time when he did not want to be pilot.
On Saturday, Oct. 18, Priester, along with his son First Officer Alex Priester, will help open the world of aviation careers to nearly 130 Chicago-area secondary school students between the ages of 13 and 17. They will learn about SIU’s nationally recognized program as part of the 25th United Airlines-SIU Aviation Career Day.
The plane is scheduled to land at 9 a.m. at Southern Illinois Airport. The career-oriented presentation to students will include Q&A opportunities, tours of the aviation program’s home — the Glenn Poshard Transportation Education Center — and tours of the SIU campus. Along with SIU School of Aviation faculty and staff, volunteers from the airline’s various departments, including maintenance technicians, pilots and flight attendants, will also be aboard.
The goal is for students to eventually join the aviation community, said Priester, a 1990 aviation management graduate who is celebrating his 30th year with United Airlines. He hopes the experience “provides insight into the opportunities that exist for these young aviators-to-be and generates excitement and enthusiasm for what their futures might hold in the world of aviation.”
Early aviation memories
Priester recalls his earliest memory of active flying was of his family’s business, Priester Aviation, picking up a new Cessna 172 from Wichita, Kansas, when he was 5 or 6 years old and then flying it back home to Pal-Waukee Airport, now Chicago Executive Airport, in Wheeling, Illinois.
“As someone who grew up with it all around me, it’s easy to forget how foreign, or out of reach the idea of being a pilot or mechanic, or other aviation enthusiast may seem,” said Priester, who earned his pilot’s license and certified flight instructor license when he was 18. “This is largely because many don't know how to take that first step or how accessible it is. A simple trip to a local airport with a flight school, or in this case a trip to SIU for career day, may be all it takes to get one started on his or her way.”
He started his corporate charter career flying part-time at Priester Aviation in 1989 and then began full-time immediately after graduating from SIU. He was hired by United Airlines in 1995.
A “strong partnership” with United Airlines
SIU’s aviation program comprises aviation flight, aviation management and aviation technologies, with nearly 800 students in the three programs. SIU Aviation’s collaboration with United Airlines dates back to 1994. The program was interrupted briefly by the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Chien-Tsung Lu, School of Aviation director, is excited SIU continues to host the event “which upholds our strong partnership with United Airlines.” Along with showcasing what SIU Aviation offers, the career day “gives prospective students an effective opportunity to meet directly with airline professionals, learn more about career pathways and see what the industry is really looking for from the future aviation leaders,” Lu said.
The partnership extends beyond the career day. In September 2022, SIU and United Airlines signed an agreement that provides the most secure career path for aviation students interested in becoming professional pilots through United’s Aviate career development program, which will also be part of the presentation to students. As members of an Aviate-participating university, SIU aviation students and instructors who are successful in the Aviate selection process will join the program, receive a conditional job offer from United and enjoy the benefits from a defined career path.
“We are proud to have SIU in our Aviate network,” said Perry Lewis, director of Aviate and Pilot Strategy at United Airlines. “SIU’s industry-leading training prepares their students to excel in the United Aviate program, giving them the most secure path to a United flight deck. We are excited to continue to work with SIU — helping aspiring pilots turn their dreams into a reality.”
Media Availability
Reporters, photographers and camera crews are welcome to attend the United Airlines-SIU Aviation Career Day, participate in courtesy flights and interview students, faculty and alumni. The plane will land at Southern Illinois Airport about 8:45-9 a.m. Saturday. Activities will continue until 3 p.m., with a break for lunch at 11:15 a.m. For more information, contact Chien-Tsung Lu, director of the School of Aviation, at 618-453-8898 or chientsung.lu@siu.edu or Robert Clukey, recruitment specialist at 618-453-8633 or robert.clukey@siu.edu.
For more information about the United Aviate program, visit the United Aviate website.
Father-son flight time together
GJ and Alex Priester, who started with the airline in March 2025, have flown together before, including Alex’s first flight with United Airlines after becoming fully qualified. GJ’s father, Charles, his wife, Jen, and the couple’s son, Ian, were also aboard that flight. They managed to fly together a few other times as well.
Alex Priester has come to SIU with his father and grandfather for various events, including a United-SIU Career Day when he was in high school.
The Aviate program “offered me a great opportunity to get to United as quickly and securely as possible,” Alex Priester said. “I’ve been able to fly with my father several times, and it’s been a dream working at United.”
This will be the first time GJ Priester is part of the crew for the career day. He came along with Alex on his son’s career day.
“It will be great being a part of this event, flying into Carbondale, and giving a bunch of young future aviators an opportunity to see what’s available at SIU,” GJ Priester said. “It looks like my dad will be joining us on this year’s flight, and it will be so fun to have Alex as my first officer.”
A family legacy
The Priester family’s connection with SIU extends beyond GJ and Alex. Among his many involvements with SIU and the aviation program, Charles Priester is chairman emeritus of Priester Aviation, whose legacy goes back more than 80 years, including ownership of then-Pal-Waukee Airport. Charles served as chair of the university’s first aviation institute and service advisory committee, which advocated for creating the aviation flight degree established in 1984 and helped launch a first-of-its kind United Airlines-SIU Flight Operations Internship program. He has also worked on several SIU-related projects and is a member of the College of Health and Human Sciences Advisory Board.
Charles Priester said he’s thrilled that his family, including his children and grandchildren, are involved not just in the family business but the aviation industry. Both GJ and Alex Priester flew for the company for several years before joining United Airlines. Many SIU graduates have also worked for the company through the years.
Another aviation family connection
Caleb Naumowicz, a senior in aviation flight from Algonquin, Illinois, said the experience during his October 2022 aviation career day as a high school student was amazing. His father, Mark, who is also a captain at United Airlines and an SIU alumnus, accompanied him on the trip.
“We went during the middle of my private pilot training, when I was still a little unsure if I wanted to become a pilot. But after the career fair, I knew that I wanted to become a pilot, and I wanted to do my training at SIU,” said Naumowicz, who will graduate in spring 2026 as a certified flight instructor. He hopes to build his flight time as an instructor at SIU before getting hired by a regional airline with a goal of eventually working for United Airlines. Naumowicz said the “biggest selling point” in attending SIU was its fleet. He did his private pilot training in 1976 Cessna 172, and SIU had just purchased brand new glass cockpit Cessna 172s when he was deciding where to attend school.
“I also liked the formatting of the courses,” he said. “The fact that SIU is one of the only flight schools that allow for time building before instrument training also sold me on attending.”
A bright future
Charles Priester said there is a continued need in the aviation industry for talented university graduates.
“For young people considering a career in aviation, men or women, ‘I say, ‘Welcome.’” Charles Priester said. “And there couldn’t be a better place to start than SIU. The aviation community is a special group — almost like family. There are many roles available in our family, not only as pilots. We need mechanics, electronic technicians, business managers, IT people, salespeople, instructors and insurance specialists, to name a few.”
The Boeing Pilot and Technician Outlook for 2025-2044 projects over the next 20 years the need for 2.37 million new commercial aviation industry personnel, including 660,000 pilots, 710,000 maintenance technicians and 1 million cabin crew members worldwide.
(Editor’s note: Lu’s first name is pronounced “Jane-Zone.”)