Lydia Jacobs

She started by loading aircraft at a seaplane base at Lake Hood, earned her commercial certificate, and worked her way up. Soon she was flying Piper PA–32s and Cessna Caravans hauling cargo to and from villages and eventually ended up in the North Slope—an area covering 95,000 square miles of wilderness bordering the Arctic Ocean—whose majority of inhabitants are accessible only by airplane. After many adventures delivering cargo, medical teams, and passengers, and going on search and rescue missions with bigger aircraft and helicopters, she now flies in more comfortable skies as a corporate jet pilot in Washington state.

How did you get started in aviation? My aviation career flourished from an early introduction at local fly-ins. My dad, an aviation enthusiast, began taking me to the Greenville International Seaplane Fly-In in Northern Maine at the age of 2. After which, I was totally enamored with the idea of flying. Despite roadblocks and costs, I was unable to discard this passion.

Favorite aircraft? My favorite aircraft is my mighty Cessna 150. I have progressed in my career to small jets and helicopters, but there is an undeniable nostalgia of going back to the 150 that I built my time in and catching a sunset from the sky. It’s a pleasure to fly yet keeps you honest.

Favorite aviation activity? Training! I never thought I would say that, but I enjoy and actively seek out the opportunity to expand my flying skills and go back to being a student. Adding ratings and stepping out of my comfort zone is an excellent way to continue growth as a pilot beyond my daily flying for work.

Biggest challenges? I believe it’s our obligation as pilots to help the others around us progress in their aviation pursuits. I consider it one of my biggest challenges to motivate other pilots who are young in their careers to commit to the cost and the stress and the uncertainty of the aviation industry. Learning to fly is a very daunting feat and demands sacrifices that may be intimidating to make. However, it is a worthy pursuit and can lead to an amazing and fulfilling career.

Advice for student pilots? If you’re interested in learning to fly, commit to 10 hours of instruction. In that time, you’ll know if it’s something you want to seriously pursue or not. If you’re actively learning to fly, embrace the hard days. From those we learn our best lessons. Take away what experiences you can from bounced landings, botched approaches, and busted altitudes. Accepting our mistakes and learning from them is how we grow.

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