Ouray, CO Teenager Earns License On Her 17th Birthday

On her 17th birthday September 30, Olivia Lockhart achieved more than one milestone in her young life.

Along with turning 17, Olivia earned a private pilot certificate on her birthday, becoming one of only 367 young women under the age of 20 to hold a PPL.

According to the online site the Watch, FAA designated examiner Lynn French gave Lockhart her checkride at the Montrose, CO airport. Her dad, John Lockhart, who is a commercial pilot and Olivia's primary flight instructor, said that French told him that her flying was "excellent ... one of the best flight checks he had seen in a long time."

Olivia began flying the Cessna 182 Skylane in which she took her checkride when she was 15 years old after taking a ground school class offered by Ouray High School when she was a freshman. She has logged more than 100 hours in the Skylane, about 25 of them flying solo.

Olivia said she might pursue a career flying for FedEx ... or as an astronaut. "It's a cool dream," she said.

(Olivia and John Lockhart Pictured in Courtesy Photo)

FMI: www.faa.gov/pilots/become