Aviation is in the Blood
Imagine yourself lying back in your chair, ascending 30,000 feet into the air, above the clouds, overlooking the world below. Some people may be scared of flying high into the sky, but Valencia Caldwell finds peace gliding through the air. Her earliest memories of planes are when she would go to work with her father at the airport, who was an air traffic controller. She would sit for hours and watch plane by plane go by, mesmerized by the wonders of it all.
“It’s blissful. There’s really nothing quite like being in the air,” said Caldwell. She hopes everyone gets to fly at least once in their life.
Her father and her step-mother, who was also an air traffic controller, took Caldwell to Aviation Career Enrichment (ACE) camp, which sparked her desire to become a pilot.
Ironically, Caldwell didn’t enjoy plane rides in her youth because of the turbulence. Before closed cockpits in planes, passengers could directly see and engage with the pilots. Caldwell said it was because of the pilots that she got over her fear of flying. She would ask them questions about what it takes to become a pilot, and was told to focus on math and science. She credits her interest in aviation for her good grades in school. After her decision to focus on aviation, she made the honors list.
She also started doing her own research. She studied aviation for hours in her room, learning things like “pilot language,” which involved teaching herself the military alphabet.
In 2019, Caldwell’s father passed away, which really impacted her life. She turned her grief into making her father proud by chasing her dreams in aviation. For her 31st birthday, she called Milwaukee County’s Timmerman Airport and expressed her desire to be in the air. Around 5 to 6 a.m. on her birthday, Caldwell was with a pilot on a discovery flight: a hands-on intro flight where you get to fly the plane with an instructor.
“I wanted to be in the sky with my dad,” she said.
During that discovery flight, the pilot encouraged her to pursue her dream career in aviation.
At 36 years old, she is continuing to chase her dreams. Caldwell was recently accepted into the United Aviate Academy flight school, where she will train to become a professional pilot.
GoFundMe
Caldwell has spent over a decade as a STEM educator and has been encouraged by her students to keep fighting for her pilot dreams.
Many may not know, but the aviation field is an expensive one to be in, which plays a part in the lack of diversity. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024 report, Black people only make up 4.4% of aircraft pilots and flight engineers.
Caldwell’s aviation journey to become a pilot costs over $100,000, and she’s calling on her community for help. She started a GoFundMe to help pay for some of the fees.
To donate to Caldwell’s GoFundMe, click here.
Nyesha Stone founded Carvd N Stone in 2017 to cover positive news while attending the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Stone has a B.A. in Journalism. She has raised over $30,000 to award grants and scholarships. She has also been featured in ESSENCE and worked with the American Black Film Festival.
