CALENDAR
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NOTEWORTHY
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IN SEASON
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FE ATURES
Cleared
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EVENTS
f or
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RECIPES
Ta k e o f f
C H I E F P I LOT S C OT T N O S S F L I E S T H E F R I E N D LY S K I E S F O R T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F M I S S I S S I P P I. WRITTEN BY SHANNA FL ASCHKA
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ince 2001, Scott Noss has been taking Ole Miss to new heights. As the chief pilot for the University of Mississippi, he has achieved the dream of turning a passion into a successful and fascinating career. As far back as he can remember, Noss wanted to be a pilot. He started flying at the age of 16, turned professional at 21 and has been working now for 35 years. Although his love for flying is deeply instilled in him now, his family played more than a small part in guiding him to his vocation. “My mother’s father was a car mechanic at Rebel Chevrolet in Oxford,” Noss said. “He bought a WWI surplus airplane, assembled it, and taught himself to fly it on his farm, which later became the Oxford Municipal Airport south of town. He became one of the first pilots in the area. And my father was a flight instructor in the Navy. So I think it was in my blood from both of my parents.” That’s not to say getting into the business was easy. Noss worked his way up just like a dishwasher works his way up to head chef.
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INVITATION OXFORD | SEPTEMBER 2019
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PHOTOGRAPHED BY JOE WORTHEM
“When I graduated high school, I couldn’t afford to go to flight school, so I went to aircraft mechanics school,” Noss said. “I had a huge break at my first aircraft mechanic job: I was allowed to fly as well, and build my flight time.” Even as a chief pilot, Noss still puts those early skills to work, since part of his responsibilities are doing scheduling and light maintenance on the airplane, as well as actually flying. In addition, he oversees two other UM pilots: Nick Belvedresi and Preston Powers. One of the big parts of the job, however, is transporting the football team’s coaches and other support staff for away games. It’s not all work, though: If the schedule permits, the pilots get to watch the game. Those flights are ones Noss especially relishes. “This is a very rewarding job in that we fly a great group of people working together for the greater good,” Noss said. “There have been many memorable flights, looking back. Flying to away games is always exciting, especially when we bring home a win — the mood is electric.”