Americus native and United Airlines First Officer Troy D. Jones will be the guest speaker at the South Georgia Technical College Black History Program in the John M. Pope Industrial Technology Center building on the Americus campus at 11 a.m., Wednesday, February 28, announced South Georgia Technical College President Dr. John Watford. SGTC faculty, staff, students, special guests and community members are invited to attend.
Troy D. Jones was born and raised in Americus, Georgia, and graduated from high school in 2000. He studied pre-law and has a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Morehouse College in Atlanta, GA. He decided to take a year off after graduation prior to entering law school but he found his passion for aviation and never looked back.
After graduating from Morehouse, Jones was hired as a Flight Attendant at AirTran Airways (now absorbed into Southwest Airlines). He had only flown commercially up to three times before getting that position. It was during his time as a Flight Attendant that he had the opportunity to meet and interact with Black pilots. Several pilots saw his interest in aviation and encouraged him to consider flight school. So, he did.
While working full-time as a Flight Attendant from 2008 until 2014, he enrolled at Middle Georgia State University for flight school. He earned his pilot license and rating and completed his training there with a Certified Flight Instructor license. He was later hired by the college to teach other aspiring pilots.
He taught for a year and a half before taking a position with Express Jet Airlines flying the CRJ 200/700 and 900. A year later, he moved on to Endeavor Airlines flying CRJs. He was with Endeavor Airlines for four years and was updated to Captain in the CRJ 200 in 2021.
In December of 2021, Jones was hired by United Airlines and awarded the Boeing 737 aircraft. After two years on the 737, he moved over to fly the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which is the aircraft he is currently licensed to fly.
He lives in Atlanta and commutes to work in Newark, NJ, to start and finish his trips. In his free time, he volunteers with the Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals (OBAP), where he is the southeast assistant regional director.
He is the son of Tommie Jones of Americus and the late Brenda D. Jones. His sister, Rachell J. Kitchens, is the owner of Final Faze Beauty Salon in Americus and is a graduate of the SGTC Cosmetology Department. He also has a brother, Tommie A. Jones, who is a Sheriff’s Deputy in DeKalb County.