14-year-old Brampton girl flies solo above GTA, one of youngest to do so

At just 14 years old, Anaya Sohail has become one of the youngest people in Canada to fly an aircraft after she took to the skies solo for the first time and flew over the Greater Toronto Area last month.

“'It always just been my childhood dream. Whenever I saw airplanes in the sky, it always just interested me, and I always felt a wanting to do it,” Sohail told CTV News Toronto from her home in Brampton, Ont.

“It was very exciting to be flying solo for the first time. It was something very unusual. I did it many times with an instructor but doing it alone was very special. It had been my goal to fly solo at the age of 14.”

Her solo flight was on July 25 was on a small aircraft called a Cessna.

“It felt very special because when you are out there are you can see the entire view of the hills and the lakes and everything around you and you are in control of everything on the plane,” she said. “You’re controlling your altitude, your speed, how you're maintaining the aircraft.”

Sohail said she started learning to fly at 12 years old after her uncle brought her to a local flying club. She added that she felt anxious about flying solo, but her instructor gave her the go-ahead to and that helped her feel confident enough to take to the skies.

“I was nervous a little bit but I knew I could do it. I was confident in myself,” she said.

“I never had any fear about flying.”

Razi Ahmad, Sohail's uncle, said he’s very proud of what his niece has accomplished.

“I just gave her the idea to join the club, and she made it happen very quickly,” he said. “She could have flew solo a long time ago.”

Sohail said she plans to become a commercial pilot and hopes to one day be the captain of an A380 plane.

She said that she wants to inspire others to also follow their dreams regardless of their age.

“I feel like everyone should just do what they want to do to reach their goals, no matter their age,” she said.

There is no minimum age to begin training towards a recreational pilot permit in Ontario, but students must be at least 14 years old before they can fly solo. Once they fly solo and meet a number of other requirements, they can get a student pilot permit. They need to be 17 years of age before they can obtain a private pilot’s license.