Meet the MSU Denver alumna who became United’s most senior pilot

The Himalayas. The Northern Lights. Betty White.

In an aviation career spanning over four decades of flying for United Airlines, Capt. Chresten Wilson has seen some of the world’s most spectacular sights from her vantage point in the cockpit. These days, she’s taking them in as the first woman in the airline’s 100-year history to serve as its highest-ranking pilot among more than 19,000 of her counterparts.

“Any time you’re the first at anything, there’s a lot of pressure to be really good at it,” said the 1984 Metropolitan State University of Denver graduate and 2026 Distinguished Alumni of the Year recipient. Wilson flies the Boeing 787 out of San Francisco for long-haul flights to New Zealand and Australia. “My focus has been to try and do that on every flight.”

Wilson’s dream of becoming a pilot took off at 9 years old, after joining her father for a flight to shoot aerial photographs. A few years later, driving past the United training center upon moving to Denver strengthened her resolve. Bolstered by her parents’ unwavering belief that she could accomplish anything, Wilson was neither discouraged by female pilots being a rarity at the time (“nobody ever told me women couldn’t be airline pilots”), nor by being rejected by the U.S. Air Force for one of its few flying slots years later.

“I was told that there were even fewer spaces for women (than men),” Wilson said. “They didn’t flat out say no, they just said it was going to be really, really difficult.”

The Professional Pilot program at what was then Metropolitan State College proved to be the best opportunity for Wilson to fulfill her dream, and it came with the added benefits of affordability and the ability to live at home. She said that while there were significantly fewer women than men in classes, they were treated with the same respect. “There was not even any joking that women shouldn’t be there or wouldn’t be able to find a job,” Wilson said.

Hired by United in 1985, Wilson has worked with many former classmates and fellow alumni, including Gary Moore, who graduated in 1983, and 1982 graduate Marc Russell, who passed the most senior pilot position on to Wilson after he retired this year.

“The interview process back then was pretty competitive because pilots were plentiful,” Wilson said, noting that it’s common for MSU Denver peers to hold very senior positions with their respective airlines. “It’s a testament to Metro’s program preparing us for the job.”

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Aviation has changed a lot since Wilson graduated, especially the technology, which she said makes a pilot’s job easier. The small desktop simulators she trained on in 1980 were replaced by the Aeronautics and Aerospace Systems Laboratories, with access to real-time/real-life simulations. Ground-based navigation aids and individual cockpit instruments have been swapped out for GPS and computer screens. Wilson is excited about future possibilities, like supersonic or low-orbit flight.

In the more than 12 million flight miles Wilson has logged during her career, jaw-dropping experiences have included looking down upon the North Pole and being flanked by two Swiss Air Force F-5 fighters during a routine military charter that took her over the Alps.

“It’s a beautiful day. There are these gorgeous mountains. And I’m just so in awe of it all,” Wilson said. Then, she received a message from the Swiss controller advising that her plane would be intercepted to confirm its identity. “It was really cool.”

But for all she’s seen and accomplished, Wilson’s proudest moments have been when her  parents, sister and partner have flown with her to see the results of their support and encouragement.

Wilson is more in love with flying than ever as she approaches retirement next year. She’s excited to visit friends she’s met over the years and continue exploring the world — only this time, she’ll be traveling from a passenger seat in the cabin. But it won’t make the view any less spectacular.

“There are so many wonderful things to see out the window, and I love that — I still smile about it.”