When Seth Defour-Remy was 16 years old, he was working at Cherryland Airport in Sturgeon Bay, learning to fly and dreaming of flight school.
He’d always known he wanted to be a pilot, but wasn’t sure where to study. His flight instructor suggested all the well-known flight schools, but also highly recommended Fox Valley Technical College. “He encouraged me to take a tour at FVTC, along with the private four-year schools,” says Seth.
He toured them all. “When I looked at Fox Valley Tech, I couldn’t believe how low it was in cost, and how fast the program was,” he says. “It was only two years, and I would get all the same ratings as I would at Embry-Riddle, which was a four-year school but there I would pay so much more in tuition.” Another selling point for Seth was that FVTC is located in Oshkosh, the city that hosts AirVenture, one of the greatest aviation events in the world.
Upon enrolling in the Aeronautics-Pilot Training associate degree program, he was hooked. “It’s a very small, family-oriented environment,” he says. “That’s one of the major reasons I chose it. The instructors know their stuff and helped me get to where I am right now.”
Now 25 years old, Seth is a Captain with Air Wisconsin Airlines, flying regionally for United Express. “There’s no standard day, which is really nice,” he says. “And I get to see a lot of the Midwest and East Coast.”
He also continued his education upon graduating from FVTC. In 2018, Seth took advantage of a transfer agreement between FVTC and UW-Oshkosh and graduated in December 2022 with a bachelor’s degree in Aviation Management.
And after that? “Get to the majors, then eventually fly internationally,” he explains. “I’ve always envisioned myself flying overseas seeing different places, meeting new people, and just experiencing the world.
“Aviation has been my passion since I was a kid. I’ve always wanted to fly. Now that I’m doing it, it just brings me a lot of joy. It doesn’t feel like a job.”
$89,907
average annual salary for Aeronautics grads 3 years after graduation
Oshkosh Equals Aviation
Oshkosh, Wisconsin is synonymous with aviation. And in Wisconsin, Fox Valley Tech is synonymous with aviation. We are one of the only technical colleges in the state to offer aviation-related degrees. In addition to our Pilot Training program, we also provide training in Aircraft Electronics and Airframe & Powerplant Mechanics at our S.J. Spanbauer Center.
