When she told people that she wanted to be a pilot, they doubted her.
She became a pilot.
When she told people that she was going to fly across the country by herself, they doubted her.
It's not a good idea to doubt Theresa Whiting.
A Dexter Township resident, Whiting has been a flight instructor for two years now and flew alone across the country last month.
"I don't think that I can't do it," said the 25-year-old. "I give it my all and enjoy the journey."
It's Whiting's no-nonsense attitude that prompted a colleague to choose her to deliver his plane, a Cessna 172, last month to a buyer in Fresno, Calif.
"He sold his plane and I got to deliver it," she said. "It was the most fun I've had and just loved the experience."
Besides the experience of flying solo, Whiting said she loved taking in the view of her 2,141-mile, four-day long trip.
She explained that because small planes fly lower and slower than commercial aircrafts that she was able to check out plenty of scenery at a closer proximity.
"I flew over the Mississippi River and saw the Painted Desert," she said. "The most challenging part was flying over the Rocky Mountains, but I flew through Arizona, where the peaks were not too high."
Whiting said there were moments during the trip where she was frustrated.
She said she had to land three times because of two storms, including a snowstorm in Arizona.
"I loved the trip that I just wanted to keep going," she said. "The experience made me very patient, though."
She aced the mission and flew back to Michigan satisfied.
"I've always been a person who knew what she wanted," she said. "I've been pretty decisive my whole life."
Whiting said she knew she wanted to be a pilot when she was an 11-year-old Girl Scout.
She remembers her troop leader telling her that if he had to work he might as well have fun.
"And that became my motto," she said. "I wanted to enjoy my life and love my job and have a good time."
When she went to an aviation museum with her father and brother, she said that the pieces fit and that she decided on becoming a pilot.
"Flying is fun, it's an adventure," she said. "I have an office with a view and when I'm in that cockpit it gives me a whole new perspective on the world. "
Whiting said that people didn't take her desire to be a pilot seriously.
"Saying that I wanted to be a pilot was like a girl saying she wanted to be a ballerina or a boy saying he wanted to be a firefighter," she said. "So people had their doubt, but they really weren't mean about it."
Whiting disregarded people's reservations about the possibility of her becoming a pilot and received her aviation degree in 2003 from Western Michigan University.
Besides working as a flight instructor for Ann Arbor's Solo Aviation, Whiting said that she volunteer for the state's Civil Air Patrol for search and rescue missions.
"I was an Air Force brat and have been around pilots and planes almost all my life and Theresa was born to be a pilot," said Sharon Wyant, general manager for Solo Aviation.
Wyant said that she's impressed with Whiting's spirit and passion.
"We love her because she's a definite go-getter," she said. "As soon as she came through the door she has worked hard and gone the extra mile. She's a meticulous pilot and very good at what she does."
Whiting has been well accepted by the staff and students at Solo Aviation, Wyant said.
"This is what Theresa's meant to do," Wyant said. "You don't' get that excitement in aviation. You're either born with wings or you aren't. It's that simple."
As far as the future goes, Whiting said that she will continue flying and eventually find work as captain of a jet.
For now, she enjoys having her head in the clouds.
"I'm happy doing what I do and not a lot of people can say that," she said. "I love being up above the clouds because I feel closer to God. When you're above the clouds you feel like you could talk to him."
Staff Writer Sandi Kasha can be reached at 475-1371 or skasha@heritage.com.
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