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One of my earliest memories is of my Mom telling me about Amelia Earhart, and how she was her Shero. She would talk about how much she admired Amelia, for so many reasons. When Mom passed in November 2021 I knew I wanted to pay tribute to her with a photoshoot but wasn’t sure how. Then, in June of 2022, a client’s daughter posted that she’d received her Pilot license. At 17. And I instantly knew that an Amelia Earhart tribute shoot was how I would honor my Mom.

My Mom always told me that I could do anything. To go after my dreams. To work hard. And I know the main influence of that way of thinking on my Mom was Amelia. Amelia never defined herself by gender. She was as an adventurous soul who wanted to live out loud. She was light years ahead of her time, and that tenacity still resonates with so many today. I saw this same adventurous spirit in Aubrey Thomas, and we discussed her journey to becoming a Pilot.

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Why did you want to be a Pilot?

I became a pilot because I was always inspired by my dad and his love for aviation. Growing up, he and I would always go to airshows, and I always loved seeing the different aircraft. My dad would also tell me the stories of the times he used to fly, and I always thought that I wanted to do that one day, but I never knew how to get into it and I didn’t even think it was possible.

How long did it take you to obtain your Pilot license?

I begin flying when I was 15 years old in 2020. It took me two years to get my license because legally you have to be 17 in order to get a private pilots license. I got my license on June 1st of 2022, and I am about to get my second!

What does it mean to you being a Pilot?

Being a pilot is one of the most freeing and joyful feelings in the world. I love being able to go up and bring people who have never been able to experience something like it, and I just love the overall feeling I get from flying. Every time I see an airplane, touch the airplane for preflight, hit the mic to talk to ATC (air traffic control), it all just makes sense in my brain. Every time I am in the air, I know it’s where I belong, and I know I am in the right place. Every time I’m in the air, I can never stop smiling. Aviation has brought such a light to my life, bringing me an airplane cleaning business,  friends, and so many experiences flying different aircraft. I can’t wait for what the future holds!

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We can’t wait to see what your future holds as well, Aubrey! 
 

This session meant so much to me, and to Aubrey. It started off as a sweet tribute to my Mom. Along the way, it became so much more. It reminded me that Amelia’s legacy isn’t about flying around the world. It isn’t her mysterious disappearance. Her legacy is that her adventurous spirit lives on to this day in the hearts of so many women. Women like Aubrey who go after their dreams, no matter the hard work or obstacles.

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“…now, and then, women should do for themselves what men have already done—occasionally what men have not done—thereby establishing themselves as persons, and perhaps encouraging other women toward greater independence of thought and action. Some such consideration was a contributing reason for my wanting to do what I so much wanted to do.”

~ Amelia Earhart

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MNP would like to give tremendous thanks to Steve Bankston for loaning us the plane for the afternoon, and to Michael Franck with Elite Rotorcraft who allowed us to borrow their hanger at Lebanon Airport (M54). This was a group effort to pull this off and I'm so grateful!