How Not To Pursue Your Dreams.

For as long as I can remember, I have always been fascinated with flight. Birds, airplanes, kites, anything in the sky amazed me. I used to climb way up my grandparents’ huge magnolia tree and pretend I was a bird perched on a branch. I’d imagine what it would feel like to leap into the air and look down from above as birds do. Every time I’d hear a plane over head, I’d wish I was on board. Always as a passenger though; the idea of me flying the plane never even crossed my mind. You didn’t hear of girls growing up to be pilots, especially not from my small hometown of 15,000 people.

I flew for the first time commercially at age 20 on a college geology trip to the southwest desert of the US. Instantly I was hooked. From that moment on I craved that ‘rush’. It wasn’t until I was about 25 years old and I heard an interview on the radio of a man who wrote a book on the Wright Brothers, their countless attempts to fly, and the obstacles (literally and figuratively) they had to overcome to succeed. The speaker talked about how much our knowledge and ideas for human flight have improved since then, and this really got me thinking about my interest in aviation. Not to mention my grandfather was a fighter pilot in WWII which always intrigued me, even though I know very little about him except he shot down a bunch of enemy planes & received a medal. I went to high school with a guy who became a pilot, so I sent him a message over Facebook to discuss the “how to’s”. I was so inspired by his passion and enthusiasm for flying, and somewhat envious that he started when he was a teenager.

The more I researched what it takes to become a pilot, the more I realized it was actually an obtainable goal. You don’t have to join the military or grow up in a family full of aviators to become a pilot. Anyone with enough discipline and determination (and a birth certificate if you’re in the U.S.A.) can become a pilot!

In 2011, I went as far as contacting a flight instructor at the Moore County Airport in Carthage NC and set up an introductory flight. I had all the necessary Private Pilot Gleim books and materials bookmarked in my internet browser, ready for me to place an order once I took the intro flight and made my decision. But then….before my intro flight, I started sharing my newly found interest with family and friends. Right from the start I got a lot of negative reactions and condescending remarks. “Why would you want to do that?!” “What, are you crazy?!” “Women and airplanes don’t mix.” “You have a husband and a child now, you don’t need to go for something like that.” “What about your degree? You’re just going to waste all that money?” “It’s just too dangerous.” Anything you can think of, I heard it. I have low confidence to begin with, so it didn’t take much to change my mind….

I started thinking maybe they were right. It is too late for me. I mean, I had a newborn daughter at the time.. I couldn’t possibly take on something like this. I would probably not succeed anyway, or if I did succeed in getting my license, I would most likely do something wrong and my husband would end up a widower at 25. I couldn’t let that happen.

I cancelled the intro flight, and several years passed and I tried to let go of my dream. I couldn’t help but still think about it from time to time.. how amazing it would have been. In reality, I had a bachelor’s degree in geology and $30,000 of debt in student loans, plus we had just bought our first house… It would be too selfish to add another financial burden on my husband and our new little family, even if he was encouraging me to pursue my dream. I spent another 2 years trying to find an entry-level job in the environmental science or geology field after moving back to Charlotte where the job market was booming. Nothing. These companies wanted someone with at least 5-10 years experience. How am I supposed to get experience if no one wants entry-level employees? I had several interviews here and there, but the men always looked at me strangely after sitting down and asked if I understood that 50% of the job was field work. “You know, being outdoors?…In the heat/inclement weather?” Uhh..yeah, I got that part. Thanks. Apparently some men still think women aren’t cut out for certain jobs.

We had our 2nd child in November. I love being a stay-at-home mother and watching my children grow and learn new things everyday, I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world. But I can’t help feeling like my life was meant for more than trying new recipes, changing 20 diapers a day and learning every word to the Frozen soundtrack. In a few short years they will be off to school and will be starting lives of their own. I want them to be proud of their mother, and I want to teach them to follow their dreams no matter the opposition they face.

Just recently I came across another documentary of the Wright Brothers, which reminded me of how badly I wanted to learn to fly. This time, I just couldn’t get the idea out of my head. After a lot of discussion and encouragement from my husband, I decided once again to go for it, and this time, I wasn’t going to let anyone or anything change my mind.

I’ve learned that if you want something badly enough, you can’t let anything stand in your way, not even yourself.

Maybe there is a reason I hadn’t found a job yet in my field. Maybe there is a reason Russell and I decided to start our family right out of college (we could focus on our careers later..). I feel like everything happens for a reason. Two years ago I did not have the discipline that I have now to sit down and study. I can’t say for sure whether or not I would have made it all the way to getting my PPL (Private Pilot’s License), but I can say without a doubt that I wouldn’t have had nearly as much fun doing it! I have met some really great people; I am so glad I found Wilgrove Aviation!