Kelsey, our 2024 1st place Live Your Dream (LYD) award winner, is flying high. Kesley received the LYD award in April 2024. She is attending the Canada First Peoples Flight Technology program at Canadore College and is studying aviation to become a commercial pilot.
Here is the update that Kelsey provided to Soroptimist International Peterborough.
“On May 2, 2024 myself and the rest of the first years were welcomed onto campus to start our flight training. (Due to a hangar fire in 2022 we completed our ground school online from September to April). May 3rd my first ever training flight! C-GFNM a Cessna 172 s model with g1000. The flight was approximately half an hour and we went around the practice areas to get familiarized with the area I would be calling home base. (The majority of the flight was under the control of my instructor) I was able to get my hands on the controls and basically maintained straight and level. The flights primary purpose was to get in the air and have fun. May 6th, my first take off! The flight following my familiarization flight my instructor taught me how to take off, this would be the best take-off I had in the first two weeks of my training!
I do not recall my first successful landing. Landing was a huge challenge for me and it took me a long time to get the hang of it. This was a really discouraging situation for me as I had never really had any trouble picking up something new. I most definitely doubted myself for a while during these two months as I was learning to land. I didn’t stop though, I continued on and one day it finally clicked. July 4th, the day it finally clicked. I had been off and on up until this day some okay landings and some not great ones, and a lot of attempts that lead into overshoots. The morning of July 4th my instructor and I go up to practice landing, my first landing was the best I had ever had at that point, we try it again this one was even better. We go around again and a third really good landing. I had finally figured out landing. We taxi off of the runway and stop on the taxi way to talk about the landings. How it felt, what felt different, and what was working. My instructor was very happy with the three landings and he said it was time.
July 4th my first solo! After our conversation about the three landings Josh looks over at me and says “you’re going solo.” I will admit I started to panic, I didn’t think I was ready. This was the first day I was able to land properly, by myself three times in a row. “Growth starts beyond the comfort zone” he said and with that he pulled the power to idle and jumped out. I waited until he was clear of the plane I secured his door, and taxied onto the runway and into position. Words cannot describe the feeling of my first solo. Terror, excitement, extreme pride. One circuit and the best landing of the day concluded my first solo. I taxied back and shut down. My first words to Josh when he greeted me were “I cannot believe that just happened.”
August 22nd I flew and completed my private pilot examination with only one error. September 19th I was signed off as a private pilot.
I am now working on my commercial license. I am hoping to be completed my commercial by August 2025. Then onto Multi engine IFR training followed by float rating.
This past Friday January 31st 2025, I was honoured to be the recipient of the Bruce Tonner Memorial Award at school, the award goes to the student who shows the most dedication and commitment to their studies.
Aviation is more than I ever dreamed it would be. I absolutely love what I am doing and I am so excited to see where this adventure takes me.
Thank you all believing in me. I will continue to do my best to make sure it is know that women and indigenous women belong in the aviation industry.”
CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR ACHIEVEMENTS KELSEY!! We look forward to more updates from you.
These photos were taken on the day of Kelsey’s first solo flight (huge accomplishment and joy when you are a private pilot)
The photo was the day of her first solo flight (huge accomplishment and joy when you are a private pilot).
