A wonderful thing about kids is the big dreams they have, whether it’s to become a teacher, doctor, rock star, or pro athlete. A 10 year-old girl named Taylor wants to become a pilot and she may be well on her way.
Ever since Taylor was 4, she’s wanted to become a pilot despite the naysayers: “There was this one boy, he said ‘you can’t be a pilot because you’re a girl.’ Girls can do as much as boys can.” Word of Taylor’s ambitions made their way to the folks at United Parcel Service and the company arranged a very special day for her at its UPS Worldport hub at the Louisville International Airport.
When she hopped in the car with her mom, Taylor didn’t know where they were headed. When she asked, the answer told her all she needed to know: “That would have to do with your career; where would you like to go?” Taylor was all smiles. Once they arrived at the Worldport, she was introduced to Captain Gloria Hatcher who would be giving her a tour. The first order of business was presenting Taylor with her own UPS pilot’s uniform! After some practice guiding a plane to the gate using the hand-held beacons, she got to sit in the jet’s cockpit. Next up was a session in a professional flight simulator. That totally wowed her, but the best was yet to come.
She joined “Captain Dave” for a flight in a twin-engine Beechcraft. Once they were up in the air, he took his hands off the yoke and informed Taylor, “You’re flying.” After a minute and a half, the captain added, “You’re a natural pilot.” Back on the ground, he told her that he’s due to retire in 18 years. “You’ll be 28 and your goal is to fly my last flight with me.”
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