Instead of buying a car in college, Collis Wagner got his private pilot’s license.
When he lost his job as an industrial engineer during the financial crisis, he pursued his hobby full time—spending years accumulating flight hours and landing a pilot job at a regional carrier. Last year, he was snapped up by American Airlines, where he flew Embraer E190 jets.
Now, Mr. Wagner, 44 years old, is driving trucks near Dayton, Ohio, after being furloughed in October. He keeps his airline caps tucked neatly in a bedroom drawer: “Proof I was a pilot for real,” he says.
