By Barbara A. Schmitz
As we prepare to celebrate the 2.5 millionth Young Eagle, we wanted to check in on Jodie Gawthrop, of Noblesville, Indiana, who became the 2 millionth 10 years ago.
In July 2018, Jodie, then 18, passed her private pilot checkride. As she flew, she became more and more interested in how each system of an airplane worked. So, naturally, she started maintenance training.
“Being detail oriented is praised in my field, and I had always been nitpicked about that as a kid. I found my home in aircraft maintenance,” she said.
But she also liked flying, so over the years, Jodie, EAA 1108302, continued her flight training, earning her instrument rating along with commercial single and multiengine certificates and a tailwheel endorsement. Earlier this year, she also became a CFI and CFI-I.
What really sparked Jodie’s interest in becoming a CFI was EAA Chapter 67’s Ray Aviation Scholarship, a program started after she had become the 2 millionth Young Eagle flown.
“I saw it as an opportunity to give back to my chapter,” she said. The Ray Foundation provides up to $12,000 to deserving youth to help cover their flight training expenses, while the chapter helps mentor the scholar and supports them on their path to becoming a certificated pilot.
In between all her coursework, Jodie kept busy working. She worked at an FBO fueling airplanes and staffing the front desk. She had an internship working with the corporate flight department at the sister company of the FBO.
“I was terrified of the old mechanics, but I went there and told them I’d like to observe the work they do while I was going to school, and they handed me some tools and put me to work. Every day after school, I went there to work and I gained so much experience.”
Today, she is an FAA aviation safety inspector. “But I still love being around the homebuilt community and encouraging pilots to became mechanics or flight attendants to become pilots. Every time someone learns something new, they can experience aviation from a different perspective, and the whole field benefits from that.”
Jodie has logged about 550 hours in the air, many in her 1946 Aeronca Champ that she purchased from a fellow Chapter 67 member. It’s her goal to replicate some of the trips and experiences he had in that airplane.
“He flew Route 66 and out west,” she said. “I went on adventures with George, the previous owner, both when he owned it and now when I own it. The aviation community is so welcoming that people still want to be involved even if they have to hang up their wings. I believe we should be caretakers of vintage airplanes because they are unique and have a story to tell.”
She also hopes to get her seaplane rating someday.
“Aviation is an addiction,” Jodie said. “It’s something to keep learning and working toward. And it’s so gratifying when you’re working toward something and have that ‘aha’ moment.”
Jodie said she takes her life one day at a time. “You don’t know what life will throw at you, but you need to be receptive to new opportunities,” she said. “But I know I will remain active in the general aviation community and that I want to help guide and mentor the next generation of pilots coming after me. My goal is to contribute as much as I can to grow aviation professionals and to promote safety.”
Recalling her 2016 Young Eagles flight with actor Harrison Ford, she said it ignited her love for all things aviation.
“What stood out to me from that flight was how much general aviation unites people across generations,” Jodie said. “At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter how old you are. All that matters is that you really love airplanes and like sharing it with people. It made me realize that my heart was in aviation.”