Caroline Takes Flight

Where has the Whitley Advantage taken you? Soon, it will take Caroline above the clouds! Caroline is a 13-year-old aspiring pilot who has a “strong heart and passion for aviation.” She shares how she has loved flying since she was a baby, but now it has grown into something she wants to pursue as a career.

Attorney Ben Whitley, a fellow aviation enthusiast, heard about how she and her father spend most Saturdays at the RDU Observation Park to plane spot. He took her and parents flying in the right seat of a real airplane! Ben has flown this plane out to meet with clients, to deliver donations to those devastated by Hurricane Matthew, and now to help a young woman pursue her dreams.

In a couple of years, Caroline will be eligible for flight lessons. She has been raising money by offering piano lessons to her neighbors, hoping that by the time she turns 16, she will have enough saved up to pay for all the fees associated with the flight lessons such as plane rentals and flight times. This past weekend, Whitley Law Firm donated $2,000 to help cover the fees that will allow her to be one of very few female pilots! According to the Federal Aviation Administration, only 5.2% of pilots are women. Caroline wants to raise that percentage. She says, “I am a woman, and there are not a lot of women pilots… Amelia Earhart is such an inspiration, it would be awesome to bring women to the aviation industry.”

Caroline continues to study, learn on a professional flight simulator, and document her favorite planes on her Instagram account. We are excited for her to continue investing in her passion and hope that this donation inspires more women to pursue a career in aviation.