For the first time, senior Adelynn Davis steered the wheel in a packed aircraft, feeling every bump, turn and thud. 

Glancing at the zoomed out world beneath her, she felt her sense of worry start to disappear as all of her fears lifted off her back. 

Slowly but surely, she began to trust the airplane she was in control of. 

Finally, she felt free like the wistful dream that lingered throughout her childhood, which was being a butterfly.

“When you’re by yourself up there, the problems on the ground don’t apply,” Davis said.

Davis has found a way to live out her childhood dream by fostering a love for aviation and slowly working towards becoming a corporate pilot.

As the fictitious wings on her shoulders slowly diminished the older she grew, her love for the graceful creature dialed down with it. Little did she know though, her passion for flight was only at its awakening. 

“I love how there’s so much potential,” Davis said. “There’s not one short path someone could take.”

Throughout Davis’s sophomore year of high school, she constantly found herself scrolling through endless emails until something caught her eye, a field trip to Vincennes Airport. 

She instantly knew she wanted to take up on that field trip. So she gathered a couple of friends to attend the field trip alongside her. In this field trip, they toured a variety of airplane models and their guide enlightened them with the tasks of a pilot.

Even after learning more in depth about the aspects of flight, the subject still felt unknown to Davis and she wasn’t sure if it was the path for her.

“I thought becoming a pilot would be super challenging and impossible,” Davis said.

However, she didn’t let her doubts drown her mind. Instead, she pushed through the negativity and decided to give aviation a chance.

And from there, a new page in Davis’s life turned over.

During her junior year, Davis’s counselor introduced her to the aviation management course at C9, which is a program that enhances students’ work-based learning. 

This is where she learned more intricately about airplanes. She grasped important understandings behind the purposes of the propeller, engine and other parts of an airplane.

Through the training she’s had, Davis has grown a love for flight and come to the realization that aviation is a more feasible path for her.

“It finally hit me that maybe I can do this for my career,” Davis said.

And now, as a senior, Davis contributes to her aviation journey by doing more hands-on work. Every Sunday at 2 p.m., she attends her flight school classes with her flight instructor.

“It motivates me because it’s like the real world,” Davis said.

Davis’s instructor will stay by her side, ensuring full comfortability until she’s able to fly solo full time. 

They spent nine months building up to her first solo flight, which she completed last December, in preparation to receive her flight license.

Although she’s soared significantly within her flight training, Davis finds it difficult to handle the financial responsibilities behind it.

She takes weekly lessons that cost $300. 

Davis took on many jobs to support her future career. And since she began bringing in her own income, she’s been in full responsibility of paying for her flight lessons.

“If you want something, you have to work hard to get it,” Davis said.

On top of flight school, she also serves as an intern at Indy South Greenwood Airport for her second year of C9. At the airport, she furthers her learning by spending her mornings assisting her colleagues by refueling planes and answering phone calls.

The Greenwood Airport was not only where she could adapt to the life of a pilot but where she also met an important person who’s always pushing her to exceed her limits, her mentor, Angel Carter.

Carter met Davis while interviewing her for the intern position in March of last year, and since then, Davis has shown an extensive amount of growth within the world of flight.

From a shy intern on her first day, Carter says she slowly crawled out of her shell and flourished around the airport. 

“She goes above and beyond around the airport,” Carter said. “(She’s) always seeking out opportunities in different ways to make her goals happen.”

One of her many goals was to get into one of the top aviation schools in the nation, Purdue University. Purdue’s professional flight program is extremely competitive with a historically low acceptance rate ranging from 7-12%.

And as difficult as it was, Davis got in.

“I was overcome with relief and happiness knowing that it’s just one little thing about my future I don’t have to worry about now,” Davis said.

Despite her victories, Davis remains humble throughout her successes because she doesn’t feel the need to bring the subject of flight up unless asked otherwise.

“I don’t like to flex my accomplishments or anything,” Davis said.

However, a bigger aspiration of hers is to increase the representation of female pilots in the aviation industry.

By contributing a portion of her earnings to charities and scholarships, she plans to grow as a pilot and give opportunities to the young girls who were once in her position.

“(I want) to make sure they have the resources to turn that dream into a reality,” Davis said.

After spending four years at Purdue, Davis plans to receive her instrument rating, commercial pilot license and a flight instructor license to pass her knowledge onto the next generation.

Once she finishes her schooling, Davis hopes to eventually work as a corporate pilot for Eli Lilly, a major American global pharmaceutical corporation. 

The difference between a corporate pilot and a commercial pilot is the connection created while in flight. 

A corporate pilot flies private planes for business, executives or wealthy individuals as transportation for work or personal travel. They also provide direct passenger interaction, creating a bond while in flight.

“You can build a connection with them that’ll make your work life more enjoyable,” Davis said.

Flying for a business is important to Davis because family is so valuable to her. Becoming a corporate pilot would allow her to prioritize them while focusing on her career.

“I still want a family life,” Davis said.

From doubt in taking a flight course to navigating planes for a living, Davis’s perspective on aviation altered as she gave it a chance.

“It clicked to me that maybe becoming a pilot is attainable and something I can do,” Davis said.

While some of her trials have been easier to overcome than others, Davis’s resilience has prevailed.

Finally, she takes off soaring as high as the butterfly she once wished to be, fulfilling young Davis’s dream. 

“Don’t ever think your dream is too big because anything can happen if you put your mind to it,” Davis said.