Center Grove Natives Anthony West and Davis Cunningham Were Born to Reach the Sky

Writer / Fredda Kovacs
Photography Provided

Although they had never met, Anthony West and Davis Cunningham traveled similar paths, having grown up in Center Grove and attended Our Lady of the Greenwood Catholic School (OLG) and Roncalli High School. Those trajectories would finally intersect in the cockpit of a Republic Airways flight from Indianapolis to New York, with West as captain and Cunningham as first officer.   

West was born to fly. His father, also a pilot, took him flying from the time he could sit upright. When he was a toddler, you could always find him with at least one of his many toy airplanes in his hand.

“I learned to read because of flying,” he says. “I was fascinated with books about airplanes. The school library even opened a special section on aviation just because of my intense interest in anything having to do with flight.”

That passion stayed with him all through elementary, middle and high school. As if it was written in the stars, Central Nine Career Center launched their aviation program in 2011. West transferred to Whiteland High School, enabling him to attend Central Nine, and was among the first classes of future aviators.

“I was the first person to get the Outstanding Student in Aviation Award,” West says.

Not wasting any time, West earned his basic pilot’s license three days after graduation in 2013, then headed to Vincennes University Aviation Technology Center. He earned his commercial license in 2016, joined Republic Airways in 2019, and was recently promoted to captain.

“As captain you are responsible for everything in and around the aircraft,” he says. “It requires constant monitoring of everything – conditions, for example. Do we delay? You’re telling air traffic control what the aircraft is and is not capable of. Mathematically, you know it adds up, but a hunch tells you it’s not the best idea right now. These are big decisions. With first officers, there’s more to it than just flying together. There’s a certain amount of responsibility in helping them develop their skills. It’s coaching, teaching and managing.”

Regarding passengers, West says he likes to provide as much information as possible.

“I want them to be comfortable,” he says. “I truly love to hear their stories about why they’re traveling. Maybe it’s a honeymoon or maybe it’s a long-overdue vacation. It feels great to play a part in their lives in this way. I also want them to know how much I appreciate their trust in me, in the crew and in the airline.”

Cunningham’s natural talent was soccer, but he was no stranger to aviation. Those roots run deep in his family, with five members earning pilot licenses. Among them is his maternal grandfather, who administered flying lessons at the Greenwood Airport for 18 years, and, most notably, his mother, Jennifer Mullett, who is a commercial pilot for American Airlines.

“I was exposed to the world of flying my entire life,” Cunningham says. “I guess you could say it’s in my blood.”

Cunningham’s path to flight took off during a high school soccer tournament in Milwaukee during high school. As the games concluded, his mother suggested they go to the Oshkosh Air Show, which features thousands of planes, since they were so close. In addition to the latest show planes, there are vintage aircraft, homebuilt aircraft, warbirds, ultralights, seaplanes and amphibians, aerobatic aircraft, and rotorcraft.

Cunningham was hooked. Before they even left the show, his future in aviation came into sharp focus.

After graduating from Roncalli High School and earning his private pilot license in 2017, Cunningham headed to Indiana State University’s Professional Aviation Flight Technology program.  He earned his commercial license in 2020 and joined Republic Airways in 2022.

Even though there is a nationwide shortage of pilots, Republic Airways still employs nearly 2,000 of them across 10 U.S. hubs. It is not uncommon for a pilot to enter a cockpit and meet a fellow crew member for the first time. Such was the case for West and Cunningham.

“While passengers are boarding and luggage is being loaded, we are on the flight deck going through procedures,” Cunningham says. “With that, we’re also getting to know more about each other. ‘Where are you from? How long have you been flying?’ Those kinds of things.”

“We immediately started putting the pieces together,” West says. “That someone else from OLG is also a pilot – what are the chances? And at the same airline, and also went to Roncalli, and lives in Center Grove. It was so cool to discover how closely our lives paralleled. It was like meeting an old friend I didn’t know I had.”

Soaring smoothly across the sky at 30,000 feet, they reminisced about their years at OLG and Roncalli, as well as life in Center Grove. Amidst clouds and conversation, it was evident that they were destined for careers in flight.

“I absolutely love this career,” Cunningham says.

West agrees. “I can’t imagine not flying,” he says. I couldn’t do anything else.”