Brian Leary '72

Growing up in Falmouth as a little kid and eventually moving to Portland, Brian's world was turned upside down after the death of his parents. After frequenting a few boarding schools in his youth, Brian eventually sought refuge at Maine Central Institute in Pittsfield, where he was able to find a family in Alumni Hall that would truly stick with him for the rest of his life.

"It was awesome, because you get to know people so well when you actually live with them, the way you make those friends is really like family," explained Brian. "I wasn't a good student, because I was an orphan and I was under a lot of stress and had trouble concentrating... but what was very relieving were the friendships that I made."

Sports were also a great escape for Brian, as he participated on the varsity football, lacrosse, and ski teams throughout his time at MCI. He recalls fondly the weekend hitchhiking trips with Jeff Knights '71 up to Sugarloaf Mountain to teach skiing, the late night conversations with roommate Eric West '72, and just all the memories that made his time at MCI so special.

After graduating from MCI, Brian went on to the Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston, where he studied civil engineering and construction engineering. It was at this time that Brian really began to form his intense work ethic, juggling many different responsibilities on top of his schooling. He continued to teach skiing at Sugarloaf, commuting every weekend from Boston to the Carrabassett Valley and back again. Brian also began his flying lessons in Bedford, Massachusetts, as his brother was a flight instructor. Brian's fascination with flying started at a very young age, as his father used to take him to the airport to watch the planes takeoff when he was a kid. His brother used to bring him along when he was taking his own flying lessons, so it was only a mater of time before Brian followed suit. “When I flew with them in the back, I just always wanted to know what was going on,” said Brian.

After graduating from Wentworth, there were very few jobs available in aviation since there were an excess amount of pilots from the Vietnam War. Brian decided to simply get his rating and get to work, where he started pounding nails and building houses. This led to more management positions in contracting and safety, all while continuing to work coop construction for companies like Wright-Ryan and others. As if this work wasn't enough, Brian decided that he wanted to begin building and putting on ratings, since he figured he "probably couldn't go right to the airlines, so what's wrong with teaching." He received his commercial and instrumental ratings, followed by his CFI, CFII, MEI, and eventually his ATP which is considered "the Ph.D of aviation." Brian would eventually continue his education in aviation, graduating with a degree in aviation flight technology from Thomas Edison State College in 2000.

A series of views that Brian Leary '72 has experienced during his career as a pilot, accompanied by his famed Citation X aircraft in action.

By the early 1990's, airlines were looking to start hiring once again. Brian eventually was hired at CommuteAir based in Plattsburgh, New York. While times were changing, it was standard procedure for employees of commuter airlines to pay for their own training. Brian prides himself as being the first person in the company who no longer had to pay for his training. Brian also started flying charter flights for Charter Maine, other charters in Rockland, and flying for Maine Aviation, where he taught flying and piloted 402, 414, and 340 aircrafts.

Brian recalled one day where he got up early to head to Rochester, New Hampshire to a job site to give a safety orientation and inspection, then drove over to Stanford to do a charter flight down to Martha's Vineyard, spent all day there, then flew back and made his way over to Freeport where he worked at L.L Bean until 1:00am in the morning. "I did all this stuff together with one another because there was nothing that was full time… welcome to Maine," explained Brian. "At one point I had no fewer than 4 jobs at once… every day wasn't like that one, but I definitely had a lot of irons in the fire.”

The many construction jobs are what allowed Brian to pay for his ratings, all while working for CommuteAir in New York and continuing to keep his job at L.L Bean. It took an insane amount of dedication to keep all those plates spinning, but Brian was determined to make it work, especially in pursuit of his love for flying. Eventually his time at CommuteAir came to a close, and his brother recommended he look into Executive Jet, which was the first private business jet charter and aircraft management company in the world. "I said to my brother 'Executive Jet? They don’t pay anything,’ And he said ‘You’re right, but Warren Buffet just bought them, so that’s probably going to change.'"

Known today as NetJets, Executive Jet launched its fractional ownership business in 1986 before becoming a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway in 1998. Under the leadership of Buffet, NetJets skyrocketed in popularity and became the leading method of fast and efficient transportation for the global elite. "I mean you could pick up any newspaper or magazine and even now, I’ve probably flown a lot of those people," said Brian. "Celebrities, athletes in the top of their game in all major sports, politicians, diplomats, you name it… it really gives you an idea of how much money is at the top.”

For Brian however, it was less about the clientele and more about the aircraft. The Cessna Citation X was "an amazing airplane" that became the fastest commercial airplane in the world once the SST was grounded. With two Rolls-Royce engines that could take you from coast to coast non-stop, this particular plane would become Brian's home for the next 21 years as he flew all over the country and world for some great people. 

"People would always ask me when I get off a tour, ‘Oh who did you fly?’" explained Brian. "And really, what was more impressive and important to me was who I flew with, who I was paired up with along the way, they were just amazing people.”

While flying has been such a big part of Brian's life, it hasn't been the only part. His love for skiing, also dating back to his youth and even his role on the MCI ski team, led him to a coaching position at Carrabassett Academy, where many of his student athletes went on to great college programs, national teams, and even 9 of his athletes went to the Olympics. Brian is also an avid cycler, remembering fondly his time in Oregon cycling up to British Columbia and hopefully one day daring to take on the Great Divide up the Rocky Mountains. Since retiring in 2023, it's been difficult for Brian to adjust to such a drastically different lifestyle.

"Its hard, because you’re so used to just being in perpetual motion and just go go go, you get so accustomed to that lifestyle and and then that just stops… you have to learn to just have peace in the moment,” said Brian.

It's been a long and winding road for Brian, which has taken him to many different positions, roles, and experiences with all walks of life across the world. If there is one thing to take away from Brian's story, it is his incredible dedication and work ethic that allowed him to work multiple jobs and grind his way into the stratosphere and beyond. It's that work ethic that we hope our current MCI students will learn from and carry with them just as Brian has.

"My one piece of advice would be to just keep moving… do not form the attitude that there is any job that is beneath you," explained Brian. "It’s not just the money, there could be skills you acquire from each job along the way, and eventually you’re able to capitalize on all of those... Don’t get discouraged, keep pressing on, anything you can do to improve yourself is worthwhile. Get off the fence and just do it… just keep moving forward.”

To read more of our monthly Alumni Profiles, head to our Featured Alumni page at https://www.mci-school.org/alumni/featured-alumni