Airplane Pilot, Flight Instructor, Glider Pilot
Although I am sometimes asked if I am old enough to have a driver's
license, I am a full-time flight instructor with approximately 1,800 hours of
flight time.
I have been a flight instructor at Solo Aviation, Inc. in Ann Arbor, Michigan
since December 2006. Before that, I trained students in Marshall, Michigan
and the surrounding areas for about two years. I am a commercial single-
engine and multi-engine pilot, a commercial glider pilot, a Certified Flight
Instructor for airplane and instrument training, an Advanced Ground
Instructor, and an Instrument Ground Instructor.
I became interested in flying at a young age. When I was 11, I visited an
aviation museum with my dad and brother. While we were there, my dad
encouraged me to imagine myself in the shoes of the pilots who had flown
the airplanes. It seemed like they had such freedom and excitement in
their jobs! It occurred to me that when I started to work, I would want to
do something like they did.
Despite my initial desire to fly, I never took the dream seriously until I was
in high school and met a friend, Erica, who had already started taking
lessons. She encouraged me to work toward my dreams and told me
about colleges and scholarships that were available. Instead of hanging
out at the mall like a lot of girls in high school, we visited airports. This
was before increased security, and we could go right up to the terminals
and watch planes!
We did silly things at the airports, like eavesdropping on professional pilots
and walking backwards on moving sidewalks. I remember one time when
we were looking at a cockpit of an airplane that was facing the terminal.
The pilots, who were doing some paperwork, noticed us and waved. We
were surprised that they had caught us watching, but pleased that they
had waved to us! It made our day.
After high school, I decided to attend Western Michigan University and
major in Aviation Flight Science. The only problem was that I did not have
a lot of money. Fortunately, I was able to win some excellent
scholarships, including one specially meant for women in aviation.
My big break came during my senior year when I got accepted into the
Delta Air Lines Undergraduate Scholarship Program at WMU. This was a
fast-paced program sponsored by Delta Air Lines, meant to promote
women and minorities in aviation. For 15 months, I attended accelerated
classes with 6 other women and 2 men. By the time we were ready to
graduate, we had received commercial licenses and training in a full-motion
Boeing 737 (jet) simulator. It was wonderful to have the support of so
many talented women in the program! Several of my classmates went
directly into jobs with regional airlines at Delta Connection.
Earning my licenses has been one of the most character-building
experiences of my life. Originally, I hoped to find a “magic” program that
would painlessly turn me into a pilot. I have discovered that no magic
program exists. The process takes blood, sweat, tears, energy, and a lot
of patience! It is like climbing a mountain – you have to take it one step at
a time, and eventually you will reach higher altitudes.
When I look at my friends who have remained in aviation over the years, it
seems that the most important thing they have in common is persistence.
It is neither the smartest nor the most gifted that succeed; it is the ones
that are too stubborn to give up.
I love my job as a flight instructor. I would do it again in a heartbeat.
There is never an end to adventures! In December 2006, I flew from
Michigan to California all by myself in a Cessna 172. In 2007, one of my
students won a new airplane from Sporty’s, a popular pilot store. I have
flown into Oshkosh, the world’s busiest airport, I have heard talks by my
heroes, Rod Machado and Sean Tucker, and I have met the Blue Angels. I
cannot wait to find out what will happen in the future!
My advice to young women in training is to get support from other women
and to get a good instructor. If your learning style does not match your
instructor’s teaching style, switch instructors. You deserve to be treated
well!
Although I am sometimes asked if I am old enough to have a driver's
license, I am a full-time flight instructor with approximately 1,800 hours of
flight time.
I have been a flight instructor at Solo Aviation, Inc. in Ann Arbor, Michigan
since December 2006. Before that, I trained students in Marshall, Michigan
and the surrounding areas for about two years. I am a commercial single-
engine and multi-engine pilot, a commercial glider pilot, a Certified Flight
Instructor for airplane and instrument training, an Advanced Ground
Instructor, and an Instrument Ground Instructor.
I became interested in flying at a young age. When I was 11, I visited an
aviation museum with my dad and brother. While we were there, my dad
encouraged me to imagine myself in the shoes of the pilots who had flown
the airplanes. It seemed like they had such freedom and excitement in
their jobs! It occurred to me that when I started to work, I would want to
do something like they did.
Despite my initial desire to fly, I never took the dream seriously until I was
in high school and met a friend, Erica, who had already started taking
lessons. She encouraged me to work toward my dreams and told me
about colleges and scholarships that were available. Instead of hanging
out at the mall like a lot of girls in high school, we visited airports. This
was before increased security, and we could go right up to the terminals
and watch planes!
We did silly things at the airports, like eavesdropping on professional pilots
and walking backwards on moving sidewalks. I remember one time when
we were looking at a cockpit of an airplane that was facing the terminal.
The pilots, who were doing some paperwork, noticed us and waved. We
were surprised that they had caught us watching, but pleased that they
had waved to us! It made our day.
After high school, I decided to attend Western Michigan University and
major in Aviation Flight Science. The only problem was that I did not have
a lot of money. Fortunately, I was able to win some excellent
scholarships, including one specially meant for women in aviation.
My big break came during my senior year when I got accepted into the
Delta Air Lines Undergraduate Scholarship Program at WMU. This was a
fast-paced program sponsored by Delta Air Lines, meant to promote
women and minorities in aviation. For 15 months, I attended accelerated
classes with 6 other women and 2 men. By the time we were ready to
graduate, we had received commercial licenses and training in a full-motion
Boeing 737 (jet) simulator. It was wonderful to have the support of so
many talented women in the program! Several of my classmates went
directly into jobs with regional airlines at Delta Connection.
Earning my licenses has been one of the most character-building
experiences of my life. Originally, I hoped to find a “magic” program that
would painlessly turn me into a pilot. I have discovered that no magic
program exists. The process takes blood, sweat, tears, energy, and a lot
of patience! It is like climbing a mountain – you have to take it one step at
a time, and eventually you will reach higher altitudes.
When I look at my friends who have remained in aviation over the years, it
seems that the most important thing they have in common is persistence.
It is neither the smartest nor the most gifted that succeed; it is the ones
that are too stubborn to give up.
I love my job as a flight instructor. I would do it again in a heartbeat.
There is never an end to adventures! In December 2006, I flew from
Michigan to California all by myself in a Cessna 172. In 2007, one of my
students won a new airplane from Sporty’s, a popular pilot store. I have
flown into Oshkosh, the world’s busiest airport, I have heard talks by my
heroes, Rod Machado and Sean Tucker, and I have met the Blue Angels. I
cannot wait to find out what will happen in the future!
My advice to young women in training is to get support from other women
and to get a good instructor. If your learning style does not match your
instructor’s teaching style, switch instructors. You deserve to be treated
well!
| Theresa's Website: www.marshallflight.com |
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| Using aviation to entertain and educate girls about their limitless opportunities... |
TM
| Theresa's Flight December 2006 Marshall, MI to Fresno, CA |
| Click on the above link to see a pdf slideshow of Theresa's Cross Country flight! |