A look at the life of famous aviator, Glenn Curtis and how influential he was in the development of Miami in the 1920s. Also find out why Curtis had the Miami River ‘bombed’ in the 1910s. Produced by Jay Rollins for the University of Miami School of Communications.

JAY ROLLINS
It’s not everyday airline captains change careers.  So when people encountered Jay on the campus of the University of Miami, they invariably assumed he was either faculty or staff.  Instead, they were often surprised to learn Jay was not only indeed a student, but also one of those complex, full-of-surprises, and ultimately inspiring kind of guys; well worth taking the time to get to know and appreciate.

Jay was born and raised on the south side of Chicago, and later he attended high school in Houston.  Most likely, if you had asked the boy what he wanted to be when he grew up, “Oneida” (o-nigh-da) – his first name and how he was known back then – would have likely answered, “a bus driver,” or say he wanted to host his own television show.  Oneida was a precocious kid, whose idea of “play” was either to ride Chicago’s elevated subway – the “El” train – from one end of town to the other or to act in plays at a downtown drama school for kids.  But Jay-the-adult ultimately became a pilot and more recently has turned to television as a second career.

Jay first noticed aviation during his freshman year in college.  His interest was piqued by a series of radio ads promoting a local flying school.  Backed by a family strongly supportive of educational pursuits, Jay enrolled in the ground school course.  He soon enjoyed it so much; he scrimped on spending money to take his first flying lesson.  It proved to be a life-altering event, for it spurred Jay to change his course of study and earn a BS in Aerospace Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin.

While he was studying engineering at the university, the US Navy came recruiting on campus for pilots.  Jay responded and by the time he graduated, he had secured a slot at the Navy’s flight school in Pensacola, Florida.  Once there, Jay persevered two years through the Navy’s intensely challenging course of instruction: first to earn an officer’s commission and then to train as a naval aviator.

Under the Navy’s strict tutelage, Jay mastered the finer points of acrobatic, instrument, and formation flying; he engaged in aerial dogfights; he practiced bombing, strafing, and the firing of aerial rockets; and at the end he performed the uniquely navy, heart-stopping experience of landing both T-2 and A-4 jets aboard an aircraft carrier at sea.  At last he won the right to wear the naval aviator’s wings of gold – but the Navy held much more in store for Jay.

After flight school, he was briefly assigned to a civilian business jet school in New York City to learn the T-39 Sabreliner – a small executive jet he would eventually fly overseas.  But before proceeding to the fleet, Jay first had to spend another six weeks in the mountains near San Diego attending “SERE” school: a brutal prisoner-of-war simulation combining land and sea survival, evasion, resistance, and escape training.

Once all the training was complete, Ensign Rollins reported for his first tour of duty in the Philippines.  At the ripe old age of 24, he was co-piloting admirals, generals, and other VIPs across Southeast Asia.  By the time his tour ended two years later, Jay had visited Japan and South Korea; Hong Kong and Taiwan; Guam, Malaysia, Singapore; Bali, Indonesia; Thailand, Laos and Viet Nam.

While on the ground, Jay edited the squadron newspaper in his capacity as the public affairs officer, and after hours he participated in Navy plays as a director and actor. 

Following his tour in the Philippines, Jay returned to the Navy’s training command in Pensacola to serve not only as a flight instructor over students, but also as the lead supervisory pilot charged with monitoring other instructor pilots in his capacity as the squadron T-39 “NATOPS” Officer. 

Concurrent with his final weeks in the Navy, Jay embarked upon a long flying career with American Airlines.  Soon he learned the airline presented its own brand of scrutiny and challenge, beginning with an intensive six week training course in which new pilots must qualify as a flight engineer on the Boeing 727.  Yet, Jay was absolutely thrilled at the privilege, and he still recalls the utter exhilaration of his first flight as a crewmember on a commercial airliner out of Chicago-O’Hare airport.

From B-727 engineer, Jay went on to train as a first officer, and later still as both an engineer and first officer on the DC-10.  By this point he had been based in Chicago, Dallas-Ft. Worth, and Los Angeles, and he had visited Mexico, Canada, and virtually every US city in the American Airlines system including Honolulu and Maui.

Next, Jay finished captain’s upgrade training on the twin-engine MD-80 at the American Airlines Flight Academy in Dallas-Ft. Worth.  He was subsequently based out of San Francisco and somewhat later out of Miami as an international captain on both the Boeing 757 and the larger Boeing 767.  Soon Jay had visited many more cities across Europe, South America, Central America, Bermuda, the Caribbean, and even Cuba.

Just prior to moving to the Miami area, Jay married his long-time friend, Eloise Bennett of Pensacola and subsequently fathered a son – Orion; named for the constellation.  In large part, the move was intended to afford more free time at home with his new family.

Unfortunately, the marriage ended in divorce, soon to be followed by 9-11 attacks against the USA carried out with American Airlines jets.  Operations at American Airlines were completely disrupted, and Jay’s life had become chaotic and stress-filled.  Though initially he continued to fly, he ultimately resolved the dual crises by opting for an early retirement from the airline to concentrate on re-establishing a stable home for Orion.

Yet, throughout his flying career, Jay never stopped developing other talents.  He holds a Florida real estate license; plays classical piano; and he continues to develop a public personality.  Over the years, he appeared in recruiting and training productions for the Navy; he participated in school career day events for American Airlines; and he performed in numerous stage productions and television commercials.  He even landed a small speaking role in the blockbuster movie, “Jaws 2.”

More recently, Jay is bringing his vast experience in aviation and science directly to the public as he hones his television skills, earning an MA in TV Broadcast Journalism from the University of Miami. 

Jay’s favorite activities include water sports, snow skiing, and roller coasters.  Today, he resides in Hollywood, Florida with Orion, who aspires to go to the US Naval Academy and become a pilot just like his dad.