Young Lady, Big Dreams

By Mike Shelly

Most people look to the sky and see nothing more than a sunrise on a beautiful day, yet others look to the sky and see a challenging oasis that beckons the call for adventure. Ava Shelly seeks the latter. Her very first time aboard any aircraft was at six months old on a cross country flight from South Florida to Hawaii. Most babies fuss and scream, but Ava was pleasant and enjoyable the entire ten hour flight. This would be the beginning of the many journeys and adventures to come her way. 

Ava’s paternal grandfather, after leaving the ARMY in the 1960’s, flew commercially for several major airlines until his eventual retirement. When Ava was born, her grandfather moved in with her parents and grew very close to his first grandchild. For her 10th birthday, his gift to her was a discovery flight at the local flight school. With no visible nerves, she took to the sky and thoroughly enjoyed her first flight. The smile on her face was imprinted so hard that before we left the parking lot, she had us sign her up for her next flight lesson! Twenty five flight hours later, we were convinced this was more than a hobby, but a passion. 

Her desire for adventure keeps our life exciting. We had plans to travel to Europe and Ava’s wish was to fly over the Eiffel Tower, so she did! The Paris Flight Academy took her under their wing and gave her an experience of a lifetime. She flew with Captain Michele from Air France and explored Versailles many wonders and beauties. Having that time logged in her flight book was just as precious to her as the flight itself. A memory not only imbedded in her mind, but on paper to show to all.  

Top Gun- the movie that speaks to all pilots out there. The famous “Because I was inverted” t-shirt caught the eye of this adventurous soul. Once purchased, we told Ava jokingly, “Ok, now you can’t wear it, till you earn it”. That short statement had stuck in this little girl’s mind and became not only a dream, but a mission. With some homework, we found a fantastic Pilot. Mike, who took Ava up in an Extra 330NG. They performed half Cuban 8’s, aileron rolls, and loops. Spiraling through the clouds and flying 500 feet over South Beach this girl was ecstatic. It’s official, our baby went inverted! She had earned that t-shirt and wears it proudly. We were able to witness one of the best moments, the pure joy on Ava’s face. 

Happy 11th birthday Ava!  What would you like to do for your big day? “Fly a helicopter,’’ was her response. Say goodbye to princess parties and hello to rotorcraft. We love how unique her requests are and how she breaks our comfort zone. The EAA chapter we are apart of has opened opportunities and allows these birthday requests to be answered. Surrounding ourselves with people in the aviation community has opened doors we never dreamt of. Talk about being at the right place at the right time. Once after completing another flight lesson with her CFI, the hangar next to us was being visited by a magnificent woman, Katie. She was so taken by Ava and her brother Van, that after several conversations, Katie had awarded scholarships to our children for Glider training. No words can be expressed for our gratitude. Fixed wings, helicopters, gliders, aerobatic aircraft, simulators… and all she can think of is what else can she get her hands on?  

Not your typical middle school aged girl activity, flying airplanes has been an independent adventure. Not many peers share the same desire to participate in this somewhat unique activity. When one of her girlfriends asked about her weekend, Ava told her, “I flew to the west coast of Florida for the day with my dad to meet some friends for lunch, then flew home.” Her friend replied, “you don’t have to brag.” At that moment as her parents we sought out a youth flight club or something similar for her to find peers that were interested in similar activities. It was during this search that we came across the United States Naval Sea Cadets (USNSCC). It is the only youth group chartered by Congress and sponsored by the Secretary of the Navy. The cadets range in ages from 10-18 and are authorized to wear the U.S. Navy uniforms with special insignia identifying them as Sea Cadets. The Sea Cadets offer several trainings in almost all military occupations, but aviation is what caught my eye.  Earlier this year, she had an opportunity to attend the National Flight Academy (NFA) in Naval Air Station (NAS), Pensacola, FL for a one week immersion training camp. During this training, the Ambition Experimental Pilots (AXP) live aboard the Ambition Aircraft Carrier and carry out and perform all the duties and functions of a Naval Aviator. Some activities included were flight planning, briefing for contingencies, weather analysis, fuel conservation, diversion landing fields or blue water operations, weapons systems, rules of engagement (ROE) and so many more details that go into every sortie. Each student had a chance to be apart of a flight squadron and carry out real world missions.

Once each mission was completed, a full debrief and after action review was completed showing the pilots how each decision made in the cockpit affected real world outcomes. After graduation from this training we took the rest of the afternoon to walk around the museum in Pensacola. The amount of aviation history in this one building is remarkable. If anyone has the chance to visit, I would highly recommend it.   

The aviation community as a whole has been tremendously helpful and overall very kind to an inspired young lady who wants to pursue her passion as a career. The world needs more pilots. No the world needs more people who are passionate about their career choices and the ability to chase them down. After her first flight, I promised her she would fly at least once a month until she can qualify for her license. The FAA has strict guidelines about age minimums. For those of you that are unaware, I’ll break it down for you, age fourteen for glider solo flight, fifteen for the FAA written, sixteen for powered flight solo and seventeen for a private pilots license. Ava is twelve, with a long list of goals in her near future. I cannot describe the amount of work behind the scenes that go into learning to fly and the fact that this determined young woman has faced those challenges head on and tackles them day by day. The advanced weather theory alone is enough to make any amateur meteorologist blush.

    

Although flying is her main passion, it is by no means her only hobby or extra-curricular activity. Ava has been studying piano for the last four years and takes weekly private lessons. She regularly performs with her music school and even with her music teacher at a locally owned and operated piano lounge. Self defense is also a big part of our routine. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and boxing are two of her favorite activities. Over the summer she competed in her first Jiu Jitsu tournament and came in third for her weight class. Living in South Florida, the ocean is a big part of our culture. Ava is a certified scuba diver and just obtained her Nitrox certification. She is currently working on her advanced open water diver rating and will have all the necessary dives to meet the criteria to earn her card. 

Somewhere between the interest of aviation and the Navy sea cadets, Ava has decided that she will do everything in her power to attend the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. With a little bit of luck and the grace of God, she hopes to be selected for jets. Hopefully by then, she will be flying the world’s best aircraft, the 5th generation Fighter, F 35C Lightning II. The sky is the limit for this young aviator.