Mollie Warren
Mollie had a passion for flying at a young age and always felt at home looking out airplane windows and seeing a wide-open sky. After graduating from college and quickly realizing the 9-5 career wasn’t for her, she became a flight attendant at a major airline which provided the variety and adventure she wanted in a career. However, flying the jet was her ultimate goal.
Mollie began working towards her Private Pilot certificate at Rainier Flight Service while continuing to work as a Flight Attendant. In 6 months she became a Private Pilot and to accelerate her training she took a leave of absence from the airline. This allowed her to finish Instrument through Flight Instructor training within 11 months at a total training cost of $62,000.
To meet the airline flight hour requirements she began teaching and helping the next group of aspiring pilots reach their goals. Within 10 months she gained the requisite experience to become a First Officer at Republic Airlines flying Embraer Regional Jets throughout the US.
Looking back on her journey she found several keys to success:
- Stick to a budget - Estimate your costs and save your money. This means saying no to concerts or nights out with friends at times.
- Take ownership of your own success - Show up to lessons prepared and don’t hesitate to ask for what you need.
- Follow the Rainier Flight program - The curriculum is designed to provide the best education possible efficiently and affordably.
- Split flight time with other students - It’s a great way to share experiences and make new contacts while saving money.
- Join the community - There are a lot of learning opportunities observing other pilots train, participating in study groups and attending seminars – all at no cost.
In addition to flying, Mollie now volunteers at aviation events encouraging women to follow their dreams. Becoming a pilot can seem like a daunting task but Mollie uses her experience to prove it can be done with dedication and a support community like Rainier Flight.