Flight Training - June 2021 - 19

FIVE QUESTIONS

BY DAVE HIRSCHMAN

JILL 'IVY' MCIVER

CIRRUS AIRCRAFT'S 'UNSTOPPABLE FORCE' GETS THINGS DONE
WHETHER IT'S A BIKE RACE, AN AVIATION

COURTESY CIRRUS

rating, or improving an aircraft product
line, Jill " Ivy " McIver is an unstoppable
force for getting things done. Obstacles
and setbacks seem not to deter McIver,
an energetic and resourceful pilot with
a talent for accomplishing complex and
difficult projects.  
At work in Knoxville, Tennessee,
McIver (a Rhode Island native) manages
the Cirrus SR20 and SR22 product lines,
and she's flown those airplanes all over
the world. McIver is one of a few pilots at
Cirrus with specialized training for planning and performing photography flights,
a role that's taken her around the United
States, Europe, and elsewhere. 
She's been with Cirrus since 2006.
McIver helped invent Embark-an industry-leading safety program that provides
transition flight training for buyers of
used Cirrus aircraft just like new aircraft buyers get. That training, which is
provided free to the used aircraft buyer,
is meant to save lives in
part by making the Cirrus
whole-airplane parachute
system top of mind for pilots
facing in-flight emergencies. 
McIver is a dedicated
cyclist who teaches spin
classes and, with husband
Brad, participates in multiday endurance events,
mostly in the Mountain
West. She recently earned
her first type rating in the
Cirrus SF50 Vision jet. 

later I turned my passion for flying into a
career in aviation and never looked back!
What were your biggest challenges?
I didn't have a car, so every time I went
to the airport I had to borrow a car. I
owed a lot of people favors after a few
months. Also, the weather in Chicago in
the winter isn't conducive to private pilot
training, so there were a lot of stops and
starts. I had very supportive and encouraging flight instructors, great friends,
and family who were excited for me, and
once I got my license, I had no shortage
of passengers who wanted to join me for
adventures.
What is your favorite aviation-related
activity? Nerd alert! I love going out and
trying to perfect whatever I'm doing. One
example: I fly a Citabria (when I'm not
flying a Cirrus) and I love going out to
the airport and doing wheel landings, one
after the other, a bunch with one notch of

flaps, then with two, then with three, then
trying to land on a particular spot, then
on a different spot. Of course, I also love
to go have adventures; flying an airplane
is cool but flying an airplane to go do
something is way cooler!
What is your favorite aircraft? There
are so many awesome aircraft. I have a
soft spot in my heart for the Cessna 195. I
would love to fly one someday.
Do you have any advice for students?
Be humble, be open to feedback. It's easy
to get defensive and frustrated when people are giving you advice and suggestions
about the perfect way to do something.
You can learn something from every pilot
you meet. Keep what makes sense and
works for you but don't feel the need to
incorporate everything that people suggest into your flying. Appreciate the fact
that most people are excited that you are
becoming a pilot and just want to help.

How did you get started in
aviation? It's a bit cliché, but
I saw Top Gun when I was
little and decided I wanted
to be a fighter pilot. That
didn't end up working out;
there was a height requirement at the time of 5 feet 4
inches and I am 5 foot 2 on
a good day, but the desire to
become a pilot never faded.
I started learning to fly
after college at a small flight
school in Chicago. Ten years

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