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Local teen is one of the youngest female pilots in the United States

Posted at 5:37 AM, Oct 18, 2016
and last updated 2016-10-18 11:58:01-04

Forget the glass ceiling.  The sky is the limit for a teen pilot following the flight path of her father. It's more rare than you'd think, as only about six percent of pilots in the United States are women.

You have to be 17-years-old to hold a pilots license in the United States. Jordan McGinnis is a senior at Dexter High School and just turned seventeen in May.

Right now, there are about 400 female pilots in the country under age nineteen. Most are studying aviation in college, and only a handful are as young as Jordan.

She spent the last year training, and her summer studying. She passed her FAA exam just last month.

Her dad, John, is a Delta Airlines pilot and went on his first flight with his daughter last week.

"You just sit there and have to marvel at it," he said. "I am out of my element flying with her. The second landing she did was perfect."

Flying isn't just a hobby. Jordan plans to use what she has learned to fly in the military and serve our country.

"I would love to fly fighter jets," she said. "Just the aviation aspect of it, and also to have a higher purpose for what you are doing, not just for your own enjoyment."

John understands his daughter's passion for aviation and service. He served our country as a fighter pilot and is amazed to see his daughter sacrificing so much to study, train and follow in his footsteps.