Clarence Copping, center, with his two daughters, Samantha, a flight attendant with United Airlines, and Courtney, a captain with Delta Air Lines. (Photo provided)
Father-daughter pilots credit SIU with turning passion for aviation into lifelong careers
By Pete Rosenbery
CARBONDALE, Ill. — Their family has a deep-rooted, three-generation involvement with aviation, yet the passion that both recently retired United Airlines Capt. Clarence Copping and his daughter Delta Air Lines Capt. Courtney (Copping) Soderberg each have was never forced but allowed to develop.
Soderberg, a 2013 graduate from SIU Aviation’s aviation management program, said that while “flying has always been a part of my life,” the initial passion for aviation came in high school while flying in an aerobatic plane upside down. Riding on a “trackless rollercoaster that you could control” got Soderberg hooked, and she began working on her private pilot certificate.
“I’m extremely grateful that my dad and my mom didn’t push me into aviation and let me discover the love of the career for myself — not that they weren’t thrilled,” she said. The summer before Soderberg’s sophomore year in high school she attended a Summer Wings Aviation Camp at SIU — an accelerated course of the basics of becoming a pilot.
“I had such a wonderful time learning the fundamentals at that camp that I knew I wanted to try and make flying into a career in some way,” she said, noting it was then that SIU “started feeling like a second home to me.”
Family’s aviation heritage
Both of Soderberg’s grandfathers were military pilots; her mother, Donna, was a flight attendant and her sister, Samantha, is a flight attendant for United Airlines.
Clarence Copping, a 1977 graduate of the SIU Aviation program, believes it was his father’s World War II photos and stories that first made an impression on him. An open house at O’Hare International Airport when Copping was 7 years old started his “fascination with flight and the technology that supports aviation.” He later became involved with an Aviation Explorer Post where aviation professionals introduced young adults to flight and other professions. When another student chose to attend SIU’s aviation technology and flight program, Copping visited the campus and discussed his desire to attend SIU with his parents.
“I had no clue at that time of the many opportunities and experiences that SIU would provide me to learn my chosen profession,” he said.
“What is most rewarding for me is both of our daughters express fulfillment in their work,” Copping said. “Growing up, I advised them to find a profession that they enjoyed as not all days would be pleasant. At least liking their work would give them encouragement for dealing with the adverse days.”
Soderberg said her father is an inspiration — but not only to her.
“I love aviation and consider myself quite passionate, but my dad lives and breathes this profession,” she said. “He has been such an inspiration to me and countless others in the field of aviation. The most valuable lessons I learned from my father are dedication and mentorship.”
Friends, colleagues and mentors
Copping and Soderberg each point to the influence SIU Aviation had on their careers. Copping began with United Airlines in 1978 and finished his career after 42½ years. He also worked as an instructor at SIU —both prior to being hired by United and again for two years starting in 1981 after industrywide layoffs.
“After having a great college experience as an undergraduate, returning to a place and people I very much enjoyed working with was a nice way of making the best of a job loss,” he said. “I was able to meet and work with another group of students who became lifelong friends and industry coworkers.”
Copping now works part time with United representing flight operations in the airline’s Station Operations Center at O’Hare. A 2012 SIU Distinguished Alumni winner, Copping was among those who were instrumental in starting the United Airlines-SIU Aviation Career Day that dates to 1994. SIU aviation alumni employed at United have brought more than 2,700 Chicago-area high school students to campus to learn more about SIU’s aviation programs and the airline industry. This year’s United Airlines-SIU Aviation Career Day is set for Saturday, Oct. 14.
SIU was at the top of Soderberg’s list when it came to applying for college. She chose to major in aviation management because she wanted an in-depth understanding of how the industry operated.
“The one-on-one flight lessons with an instructor made me feel like I was part of a small community even though the school itself was huge,” she said. “I wasn’t just a number to the school; my professors truly cared about my success in my education and my career.”
Soderberg’s time at SIU included the Flying Salukis, where she earned Top Female Pilot honors in the nation in 2012 and 2013 at National Intercollegiate Flying Association competitions. She credits the guidance she received from her instructors and teammates and hard work into lessons that continue 10 years later.
“In a way, being a part of the team was being a part of a mentorship program,” she said. “We all had our individual strengths, and we came together to help each other improve.”
Many lessons learned
Learning a new skill like flying is a challenge and “requires serious dedication,” and even for someone who grew up in an aviation family, the feeling can be overwhelming at times. She said it’s important to seek help from instructors and peers.
“The biggest lesson I learned from the SIU Aviation program is that I had an easier time learning and improving my skills when I started mentoring others,” she said.
After graduating from SIU, Soderberg began an internship with Cape Air, flying from Veterans Airport of Southern Illinois (then Marion Airport) to St. Louis Lambert International Airport six days a week. From there, she flew jets for ExpressJet Airlines operating for United Express. After building valuable turbine jet time to qualify for working for the legacy carriers, she was hired as a first officer for Delta Air Lines in 2016 and was promoted this year to captain on the brand new A220 out of Seattle.
“I plan on flying for them until I am required by federal law to retire at age 65,” Soderberg said. “Getting hired by Delta was like a dream come true, and graduating from SIU was a big reason why I was hired.”
Delta Air Lines and SIU Aviation also have a relationship that offers an accelerated career path for aviation students interested in becoming professional pilots with Delta’s Propel Collegiate Pilot Career Path Program that began in fall 2021.
In looking back 10 years since his daughter completed her degree, Copping is grateful for his daughter’s SIU experience.
“What is most apparent to me is that while her experiences were different in many ways from my own, what was common is that we each acquired the education and skill sets needed to succeed moving forward in our chosen profession,” Copping said, noting the importance of Soderberg’s Flying Saluki experiences.
“The instruction and knowledge acquired for competition flying given to her and fellow teammates, really gave them sharper flying skills. A good example would be more precise flight path control and energy management that would normally be learned later in post-graduate flight experience. I had multiple pilots who had flown with Courtney at her regional airline tell me she was a very good pilot. I attribute her success because of the flight training she received attending SIU.”