ANDOVER, Kan. (KSNW) — A teenager getting their driver’s license is like a right of passage. Instead of hitting the road, an Andover teen is taking flight.
Zaydie Ladner is a senior at Andover Central High School.
She turned 18 on Nov. 21, but at 17 years old, she began reaching new heights.
Zaydie was figuring out what career path to take when she finished high school and set her sights on the sky.
“I kind of was debating whether or not I should try it myself because I just never thought it would be possible for me to do this,” said Zaydie.
In January, she took a discovery flight with Aviation Academy in Wichita.
In April, she started training to get her private pilot license.
“And we just took off, and I couldn’t stop flying,” she said.
She went through hours of training, learning how the plane works, getting comfortable with taking off and making a safe landing, all important parts of becoming a pilot.
Her brother, Baylee Ladner, was by her side, cheering her on.
“There is no better way to bond with your sibling than teaching them how to fly,” he said.
“My brother always told me taking off is optional landing is not it’s the most important part,” Zaydie said.
Both her dad and brother got their private pilot license at 17, too. Baylee is a pilot for United Airlines.
Her dad and brother made sure to be there when Zaydie hit the skies solo for the first time.
“I looked over the right seat, and my instructor wasn’t there, and I looked outside the window, and I’m 5,000 feet above the ground by myself, and that was pretty awesome,” Zaydie said.
Her brother said it was a nerve-wracking moment for her, but they were there to support her when she made it back safely.
“She looks at me, and she goes, ‘That was it? That was it? That is all I was worried about?’ and I said I told you you could do it,” he said.
Seventy hours later, Zaydie got her private pilot license.
“It is such a rewarding to be able to fly a plane at 17, better than I can drive a car,” Zaydie said. “The feeling of just doing this for myself. It feels really good to have something that I know I want to do.”
Now she can take passengers.
“When she did the solo, I mean, I just remember when her first take off, you just start to maybe tear up a little bit. I just don’t even know how to put it into words how proud I was that she was able to do something like that at 17,” said Baylee.
Zaydie is planning to attend the University of North Dakota, her brother’s alma mater.
She hopes to one day become a commercial pilot, so the two can take flight as co-pilots together.
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