Alex and Alan are not your ordinary pilots. They are identical twin brothers who share a passion for aviation since they were three years old. They are also believed to be the first set of identical twin pilots at Alaska Airlines, one of the largest airlines in the United States.

The brothers were born and raised in Kenya, where they developed their love for flying by going plane spotting with their dad every Sunday after church, and accompanying their mom on every business trip. They moved to California when they were 13 years old and continued to pursue their dream of becoming pilots.

They both enrolled in flight school and worked as fuelers at different airports to gain experience and save money for their training. They also played with Microsoft Flight Simulator, a program that simulates flying a real aircraft. “After I started playing with the program, that was it. I knew I wanted to do that [fly] for a job,” said Alan.

Alan followed his brother’s footsteps and joined Alaska Airlines in 2022, shortly after finishing his simulator training. He will be based in San Francisco, while Alex flies out of Los Angeles. Alan said he was drawn to Alaska Airlines by the same reasons as his brother, as well as the opportunity to work with him someday.