After 42 short hops in six days, 14-year-old Alina Scott made her first trip to EAA AirVenture Oshkosh all the way from South Carolina in her Aerolite 103 ultralight!
Alina was born into the world of aviation. Growing up in Virginia, her family always made it a priority to attend AirVenture. Her father is a pilot, so throughout her aviation journey, her dad has provided reassurance that she can achieve great things. Although her mom is not a pilot, she supports Alina wholeheartedly.
Alina started by flying paragliders to see if aviation was something she wanted to pursue. Even though her first flight in a paraglider did not go as planned, she knew this was something she wanted to continue and improve.
Eventually, she tried her hand at flying an ultralight. Her first flight was in an Aerolite 103, the same model she flew to AirVenture. After she reached this milestone, her determination and perseverance only grew.
“Because I accomplished this, now I feel like I can accomplish more. I am not saying it was easy to get here, but once you are done with it, you are like, ‘That is it!’” Alina said. “It takes patience, which is the hard part, but once you’re done, you realize you did it, and it was not impossible. I can do more.”
Alina has been coming to AirVenture since she was born. She loves attending because it is always an action-packed event. She sees it as a place where everyone can find something they enjoy, from cooking shows to jewelry booths to air shows and demonstrations. She always takes away information she can use to grow in her aviation career.
Arriving several days before the start of AirVenture, Alina stayed at a hotel but prefers camping. “When we were at the hotel, this didn’t feel like Oshkosh yet. We camped out on Sunday night; it was the first day that felt like Oshkosh. You have to walk to breakfast, walk to the showers, the trainer for P-51 [T-6] flying by waking up everyone, and the guy who yodels on the speakers — it is all a tradition for people at AirVenture.”
The future is bright for Alina, as she plans to continue mastering her craft of fly-ing. She wants to keep improving and accomplishing everything she can in aviation, and hopes to soon earn her pilot certificate. Eventually, she wants to join the Air Force and be fully immersed in aviation. And, of course, she wants to keep attending AirVenture for years to come.