By Angela Satterlee
When Alina landed her Aerolite 103 at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh in 2023, she was only 14 years old. After flying nearly 1,000 miles from South Carolina over six days and 42 airport stops, many people focused on her age and the remarkable journey.
Alina remembers something else entirely. She remembers the lessons of patience and perseverance that came long before the trip.
Her aviation journey began in 2021 with powered paragliding. Excited to get started, she quickly realized enthusiasm wasn’t enough. Progress didn’t come easily. The motor was too heavy for her to manage, and despite repeated attempts, she realized she simply wasn’t strong enough yet. She worried she had let her dad down, but instead of disappointment, he encouraged her to keep going.
“My dad said to me, ‘Having trouble doing something is one thing. Worrying about it is another. Don’t make more problems for yourself.’”
The following year, she came back stronger. After plenty of frustration, and more than a few tears, she finally completed her first solo powered paraglider flight.
“You can’t let your emotions stop you,” she said.
That breakthrough opened the door to flying the Aerolite 103, but learning the skills to make the trip to Oshkosh meant following a disciplined process.
Training was divided into three phases. The first focused on mastering the aircraft itself, beginning with understanding the controls and emergency procedures before progressing to taxiing, wheel lifts, takeoffs, landings, and low-altitude flight. It took nearly two months and about 60 takeoffs and landings before she advanced.
“Since it was just me in the aircraft, I needed to learn each skill in order. And I had to clearly demonstrate my ability in order to move onto the next phase,” Alina said.
The second phase introduced air work, including stalls, slow flight, emergency procedures, and off-airport landings. The final phase covered navigation, airspace, radio communication, airport procedures, and everything needed to safely complete cross-country flights. Her first cross-country flight was 4 nautical miles.
“If I could do a 4-mile flight, then I could do a 40-mile flight,” she said. “All that was left was to link 42 airports together with short flights and I’d be in Oshkosh.”
Along the way, she learned that preparation builds confidence. Before every flight, she completed a detailed preflight inspection while her dad checked the aircraft alongside her.
Even after all that preparation, unexpected challenges still happened. She dealt with engine issues and her muffler broke while arriving at AirVenture. Instead of panicking, she relied on the training she had spent months building.
Today, at 17, Alina is working toward her private pilot certificate and hopes to one day fly military bombers or fighters.
Looking back, she says success never came from natural talent. It came from showing up, trusting the process, and refusing to quit when progress felt slow.
For young people who dream of flying she hopes they know: “You have to be putting in the work. It doesn’t come quickly or naturally so you need to be patient.”