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“I see a yellow plane and there’s a red one behind it!” That was the extent of my airplane knowledge in Fall 2022. Then I met Franck Dumont, and since then my mind has been consumed with everything aircraft. Growing up in Iowa, I never had the opportunity to know a pilot or fly in anything besides a commercial airplane. I assumed aviation was for people who were highly intelligent and rich, and I quickly learned that was not true. Franck enthusiastically shared his love for flying, and it didn’t take long for that passion to become my own. I attended my first EAA AirVenture Oshkosh in 2023, and it felt like Disney World to me, with so many aircraft, air shows, and dreams of where aviation could take me. More than anything, I discovered that the aviation community is one of the most welcoming, inclusive, and supportive groups of people I have ever met. Just one year after meeting Franck, I bought a plane before I could even fly. I became the proud owner of a 2001 Glastar, and after a year of restoring and upgrading the experimental aircraft with Franck as my mentor, it was ready for a student pilot: me. By Spring 2025, after plenty of weather delays and a lot of hard work, I earned my private pilot certificate at age 41. Since then, aviation has taken us on incredible adventures across the country. We’ve flown to California, Kansas, and Iowa to visit family and friends, and even our dog, Wiggles, comes along for the ride. I’ve come to love that flying is not a passive experience. Fixing, maintaining, planning, and managing risk are all part of the journey. Today, I’m proud to serve as Vice President of EAA Chapter 509, and I’m currently working toward my instrument rating as the next step in my aviation journey. I’m grateful for the people and experiences that helped these dreams take flight.
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