If it’s happened before, we’re not aware of it. Our congratulations go out to what is most likely the only pair of female twins to achieve their private pilot certificates on the same day. On December 7, 2019, the pair successfully passed their practical exams at Bergstrom International Airport in Austin, Texas.
Lexie and Emily Wilson come from a legacy of aviation in the family, but their decision to commit to pursuit of their own pilot privileges happened quite naturally—and as separate from the other’s decision as would be reasonably possible, given their connection.
“What initially inspired me to get into aviation was my dad and his career,” Lexie told Flying. “He has been able to show me firsthand what life in the cockpit is like. I remember how happy he would be coming home from work, and—no matter the time of day—always had a huge grin on his face. I knew he was doing something he loved, and I wanted to make sure to find something that made me smile just like he did.”
“Flying was always something that fascinated me, but I never thought to pursue it myself,” says Emily. “I spent a good amount of time as a child flying in single-engine airplanes with my dad and getting a thrill out of it. But it wasn’t something initially I though I was capable of doing. It wasn’t until I had the opportunity to fly as a passenger on the Orbis Flying Eye Hospital with my dad as the captain. I got to sit in the cockpit and really see the art of flying first hand— I knew I had to get my private pilot certificate after that. Once I began training, I quickly learned flying was something extremely special. I enjoyed being at the controls so much, I then thought to myself, ‘I could really make a career out of this.’”
With a great-grandfather licensed as a pilot in U.S. Army Signal Corps in the 1910s, a grandfather who flew 32 missions in the B-17 bomber in World War II, and a father who flies for an international airline, the Wilson twins plan to continue the family’s aviation story.
Next up? Both now plan to take their training full-time, and they intend to pursue aviation careers. They’ll begin that training in January 2020 at ATP Flight School in Phoenix, Arizona. “Since I quit my corporate job, I’ve decided to just “go for it” and make the leap to pursue a career in aviation,” says Lexie. “I’ve achieved my private pilot’s license and am off to complete the rest of my training at ATP.”
“I had previously worked in sales and did not love what I was doing,” says Emily. “Flying is something I really love, and I feel so excited and blessed at the opportunity to turn this into a career. I would tell any young girl out there that wants to learn to fly, but may be doubting themselves, that you are fully capable if you set your mind to it!”
