Makeup Artist Mom of Four to Pilot ✈️

Daughter of the King. Mother to four. Newly Separated and in the process of a divorce. Business owner and Makeup Artist. I want to be a pilot. Here’s my story.

August 13, 2017 was the first day I fell in love with aviation. I took my first round trip to OKC and before leaving the American Airlines aircraft, I got to sit in the cockpit and I fell head over heels for the experience. But I was stuck in management in Corporate America. I was with a company that turned into a career without me even realizing what had happened. So I knew flying planes was never in the cards for me. I was stuck not ever following a dream that I knew I would love.

Fast forward to January 24, 2018. My job in Corporate America was gone. The company I worked for went through a major restructure and eliminated 3,000 CO Manager positions leaving my husband and I jobless on the exact same day. Now what was I supposed to do?

I decided that I was going to take some time to figure my life out. That the next “job” I was going to have I was going to make sure that it was something that made my heart sing and made me happy. Life is too short to be in a job that just stresses you out all the time. It’s time to do what you love and take control of your life again.

I was 31 and had no idea what I wanted to be “when I grew up!” When I was in high school I wanted to be a nurse anesthetist, but my heart didn’t feel that way anymore. I decided I was going to drive for Lyft and Uber to help bring in income while I did this soul searching. For almost two years, I drove for Lyft and Uber, I sold makeup and skincare, and I started my business in Makeup Artistry, breaking into the world of boudoir and weddings in 2020.

During Lyft and Uber, I would drive around Charlotte, NC and my passion for flying came back full force. I would constantly pick up passengers from the airport, and I would drop them off. I even went to sit at the lookout area to watch the planes take off and land a few times. I networked with countless pilots, and flight attendants. I picked their brains and asked them every question I could think of. I researched schools, programs, and the position for nine months straight. I bought the 2019 FAR/AIM book, and a Pilots Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge. I was ready for to make this change.

I was truly fascinated. I wanted to fly, I wanted to be in control of these big metal birds, I wanted to see the world from a different perspective, I wanted to travel, I wanted it all. But I knew I needed to feel it in my bones, and in order to do that, I needed to take my introductory flight.

So I drove for Lyft and Uber to pay for bills and I drove to earn extra money to get my introductory flight and work my way towards flight school. The extra money never came. Any money that I made went directly towards the bills, or towards my car getting fixed. I did however get gifted $200 from a passenger who I will never forget. Even his last name was Gift. He sent me a check to be able to take my intro flight and I was so excited. I told my husband about it, and he ended up convincing me to use that money for Christmas gifts for the kids that year. Like I said, money was really tight, and I was the only one working. So I did. With intentions of taking the flight after the holidays. I felt so guilty for not using the money for its sole purpose, but had every intention of making it right.

My husband didn’t work or bring in any income for two years. I didn’t make a big deal about it, instead I encouraged him to find something to make him happy. He wasn’t happy in our last job either. He pursued a wood working business, and it didn’t amount to anything. He pursued farming with raising goats, ducks, chickens, turkeys, and peacocks, that was a money pit. He had ideas, that I said go for! Then one day I sat him down and said “look, this isn’t working anymore, I need you to get a job and start helping out.” I was struggling to make ends meet after two years.

January 1, 2020 was my last day driving for Lyft and Uber. In the beginning of Feb 2020 my husband got a job with another company in management making more money than he was at our previous company. Things were finally starting to look up! Our finances were getting better, and our goals were about to start happening a lot sooner. God is good!

When I kept talking to my family and his family about becoming a pilot, they all kept telling me that I couldn’t do it. That I have four children that I need to be home for, they need me. This dream that I had that was making my heart sing, was becoming frustrating to talk about with others when they kept shutting it down. My husband asked me one day “what happens if you go through this schooling and you don’t even like flying or that lifestyle?” I told him, “ok then, I’ll go get my passport and start off as a flight attendant first. I have a great personality for it, and they have the same schedule, that will tell me what I need to find out.” So I went and got my passport, and I started interviewing for American Airlines for flight attendant positions. I interviewed three times, and then Covid hit the world.

Interviews stopped. The world shut down. I was at home with four children all day, every day. My newly built Makeup Artistry business took a hit. I worried about my husband losing his job that he just got right before the covid outbreak. Everything was uncertain.

My husband was able to keep his job. In fact, his job flourished and was never in jeopardy. Turns out, everyone that was stuck home wanted to do “home improvements” so they were out shopping for the paint, or the yard tools, or the lumber. I was relieved that he was able to keep his job and work on becoming one of the next store managers. He was doing great! Working all the long hours, providing for his family, being our bread winner. I was proud of him.

Fast forward to 2021. I had given up on flying for awhile. Due to covid hitting, I thought it was a sign. My business was picking up, I was already doubling what I made in 2020. My husband was thriving in his job. I was able to work my business around all four children with school, doctors appointments, sports, you name it. Mom was and is there. Makeup has been a passion of mine for the past 10-15 years, and I’m great at it. So maybe this is the plan that God had in store for me? It does make my heart sing as well. So this is it! My life is figured out.

Fast forward to May 18, 2021. My heart sank into the pit of my stomach. That’s the date that I found out my husband has been having an affair. And affair that started with one of his associates at his new job. I was crushed. I was devastated. I was disgusted. Angry. Sad. Horrified. You name the emotion, I went through it. All the stages. Every single stage of grief. I was a complete mess. But you wouldn’t know that from social media. I have always aimed to inspire others, so I would try and post only positive stuff. I asked for prayers every now and again, and I would post a Christian song here and there. But I never put my business out there on my personal page. I thought “if I just work on reconciling my marriage, we can fix this and no one should have to know. We can go on being the happy couple that I thought we were.” That was not the case. Everything I tried wasn’t good enough. I cried out to God every single night asking why. Why me?

I won’t go into any more details on that. Just know that my marriage is over, divorce is messy, and I never saw any of this coming. May 29th was the day I kicked him out. July 28th was the day I knew for sure we were over.

It’s been five months since his affair started and four months for me to try and process this and see where my life is heading. What am I going to do? I live in a house that his father owns. My newly found business doesn’t produce enough income right now to support four children, or a house to move to. It will, but not right now in the beginning stages. I don’t want to get a job where I become complacent, and then become miserable, history repeating itself will not happen again.

Fast forward to September 4, 2021. I FINALLY got the chance to take my introductory ride. I was so overwhelmed. I sat behind the controls and there were so many buttons, switches, and screens. The CFI (Certified Flight Instructor) was talking to me and he was also talking to the ATC (Air Traffic Control) tower. My mind was exploding with all the multitasking going on. I was steering a plane down the runway with my feet!! I was trying to turn the yoke to steer the plane like a car, that’s not an option. Haha. We take off, it was magical. We do a stall mid air… my heart was throbbing like it was about to pop out of my chest, that was a little scary. Haha. But so much fun! We do several touch and goes at another airport near the mountains. I see a beautiful river scene down below. We finally head back and land. I got my first flight hour in my logbook. I felt it in my bones. I caught the flying bug. This. This is what I want my career to be.

This is what I want to do to show my four children that their momma is a bad@$$ and she is strong! What does your mom do for work? “My mom is a pilot!” I want my kids to be proud of the hard work that I put in to help make our lives better and our dreams come true. They are worth it, I am worth it.

I applied to Liberty University on September 7, 2021 and I got accepted into their Bachelors in Aviation Program. I have applied for FAFSA and got approved on a student loan and a Pell Grant. The loan and grant are good towards my schooling but I still need to pick up financial help for my flight hours. Becoming a pilot is expensive. Every pilot will tell you that. But, once you get in and you start working in the industry, you also get a fast return on the money you invested into yourself. I am not worried about that.

I am not one to just ask for handouts. I have been working for the past 20 years of my life. I was 15 when I got my first job, and I have been working ever since. I am excited to see where this journey takes me and my family. My kids are excited for me to start and they can’t wait to fly with me. I also cannot wait to see the smiles on their faces when I get to take them up myself.

With your donations you are allowing a single mother to follow her dream and passion. This is not a calling that very many people get, and I’m extremely happy that God has allowed me to feel this. When I become a pilot, I want you to know, that I will pay this forward, year after year. I will set up a scholarship program to help someone just like me to follow their dreams in Aviation. I want to pay it forward, and this career will allow me to do so. Please, if you can donate, I encourage you to do so, if you cannot, I would appreciate any and all shares to help this momma soar.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this “book.” I hope if anything, I inspire you to follow your dreams.

www.instagram.com/elizabethandersongantt