Pilot Annie:
My name is Annie and I am a Private Pilot based out of Collingwood, Ontario (Canada). I was first inspired to pursue my pilot’s licence after living abroad in Coral Bay, Australia. Every morning spotter planes would take-off from the dirt strip by my house and that’s when I thought to myself “I’m going to learn to fly”. When I moved back to Canada, I booked a discovery flight and was hooked instantly. I took out a loan, and began my flight training full time.
When I was coming toward the completion of my PPL my family and I learned that my father had ALS, a neurodegenerative disease which on average gives you a year and a half to live from the time you are diagnosed. Despite my ambitions to fly in Northern Canada, it was important to me that I stay close to home, so I passed the flight test, received my PPL and decided to fly recreationally for the time being.
Five years had blown past and I had accrued 300 hours by the time I decided to revisit my original aspirations. A fateful moment where I was laid off from my nine-to-five job was the kick in the butt I needed to reignite the fire and start gunning for my greatest passion. I am currently working toward my Commercial Licence and since the global pandemic started, I have also started working on my IFR ground school.
There isn’t a day of my life that passes that does not involve aviation. If I’m not flying, or studying I am writing articles for different aviation magazines as a freelance writer or working on various projects for a number of different organizations that I volunteer for. Promoting aviation to young women and girls is incredibly important to me and I contribute to organizations like the 99’s, The Northern Lights Aero Foundation and many more.
My long-term goal is to become a flight instructor and assist students through their aviation journey. I know how important it is to have a mentor to help you get through all the hurdles on this journey. I hope that my experience as a pilot and my personal struggles and story can help the next generation.
I am passionate about general aviation and encourage those pursuing a career in the airlines to take time through their flight training to enjoy their airport and get to meet some of the locals. It is something that I took the time to do and have benefited from greatly. I have made great friends, incredible mentors and learned to fly incredible aircraft like a Cessna Cardinal, a Lake Buccaneer, a Tripacer and many more.
My journey is just beginning and I am so excited for the opportunity to connect with other pilots in our community. Through this difficult time, we, now more than ever, must support each other.
Pilot Annie has amassed a large following on social media! Go check out her great content!
Instagram: PilotAnnie
Any further questions?
Email us at Aviatorskies1@gmail.com