Lindsay Kitson

I keep hearing pilots say that they always dreamed of flying. I didn’t. I always loved flying, right from my first time in the air. But I never dreamed I could actually do it myself.
You hear a lot of people say they were inspired by such and such a family member who was a pilot, but I never had pilots in my close family. All the women in my family had stereotypically female jobs; they were teachers, secretaries, nurses, stay-at-home-moms. My Dad took me to air shows, but there was always this voice in the back of my head telling me that I was just along because he couldn’t leave me at home alone; these things are for boys. I once considered looking into being an air traffic controller, but decided I’d only spend all my time in the tower wishing I was in the air, and I didn’t want to taunt myself with something I obviously couldn’t have.
One day I was musing idly to a co-worker who’d got his pilots license when he was younger, that I thought learning to fly would be the most awesome thing, and that I wished I could do it. And he said, “Well, why don’t you?” And he pointed me toward Harv’s Air.
It was like somebody opened Pandora’s box. It was the first time anyone had ever suggested that I could actually learn to fly. At Harv’s Air, the first female pilot I ever met took me for my discovery flight and became my instructor. Four months later, I earned my PPL, and took my first passenger, my husband, flying for his first time. Now I’m working on my commercial license and couldn’t be happier.
Growing up, I got used to the people around me doubting me and discouraging me, telling me no, or you shouldn’t do that, it’s dangerous. But when I got to Harv’s Air it was the most encouraging and positive environment I’ve ever been in. Instead of feeling like I had to convince my instructor I was competent, I was inspired to prove her faith in me was well founded. Harv’s Air has become my favourite place to be.