Brampton teen soaring to new heights as one of youngest to perform a solo flight

Our Speakers Corner spotlight shines on a Brampton teen who cannot yet legally drive a car, but she can fly a plane all by herself.

Anaya Sohail, 14, has become one of the youngest females to perform a solo flight, a goal she’s been working to achieve for the past two years.

“My uncle got me into flying so I started taking classes when I was 12 at the Brighton Flight Centre,” she told us. “It has been my dream to become a pilot.”

It didn’t come easily. She had to study the plane’s controls and take hours of in-flight training with an experienced teacher before her solo flight.

“It was kind of surreal to be up there alone but it was also a dream come true.”

Sohail says she trained with a large group, made up of mostly males.

“More men seem interested in flying and I hope my story helps other young females get into this if it’s something they want to do because they can.”

While she hit a milestone, the teen doesn’t plan on stopping there. She wants to continue studying aviation with hopes of one day becoming a pilot for a commercial airline.

“One day, I want to be a captain of an A380, that’s my dream.”

While she works on that, she’s sharing her story to let other teenagers know that anything is possible. 

“Just follow your dreams and whatever you want to do, don’t let anything hold you back,” she told us. “Don’t let your age restrict you of anything and for their families — they should support those goals like mine did.”

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