​Jess Grigg​

Captain​
Independent Pilots Association​

Jess Grigg is currently a Captain on the Airbus A300-600F in his 28th year of service to UPS Airlines.  Grigg is based out of Louisville, KY and has also served as Captain on the MD-11F and DC-8 71/73 series freighters for UPS. Grigg most recently stepped down from his position as the Independent Pilots Association Aircraft Rescue Fire Fighting (IPA ARFF) Chairman of 14 years. As IPA ARFF Chairman, Grigg coordinated and conducted detailed classroom and live jet hands-on training for active ARFF Crews in more than 50 airports in the U.S. and Canada.

Some of his awards include the 2007 UPS Flight Crew of the Year award for actions in an in-flight fire in Philadelphia, PA, in 2006, the ARFF Working Group’s 2011 Outstanding Service Award for development of the UPS/IPA ARFF Cargo Jet Familiarization Course, and he is featured in the current Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ARFF cargo jet training video. Grigg has delivered several presentations through his career at various aviation conferences throughout the U.S. and Canada and is a staunch advocate for aviation and fire fighter safety.

Grigg is a native of Louisiana and is a graduate of Louisiana Tech University with a bachelor’s degree of science in Professional Aviation. Grigg is the 1984 TAC Jr. USA National Discus Champion, a conference champion and currently holds the LA Tech all-time discus record set in 1985.  Prior to UPS, Gigg’s flying background includes flight instruction in single- and multi-engine aircraft, charter and corporate flight operations, and regional airlines feeding the Northwest Airlines system in Jetstream 31 and SAAB-340 turboprops.