Cori Sutherland, Valley View, Texas woman pilot

Cori Sutherland, 46, a remote transportation systems consultant, wife and mother, recently earned her private pilot’s license through Ayers Aviation at Gainesville Texas Municipal Airport and decided to continue training for instrument rating — learning to fly in the clouds!

Here, she is checking every item on the Federal Aviation Administration flight inspection before she tows her 1981 Skylane II Cessna 182 to the loading zone.

Two years ago, Cori bought her husband a discovery flight lesson for their anniversary. He's always wanted to learn how to fly. He later decided he was going to take lessons and invest into a plane. Then, Cori decided she needed to learn, too. She fell in love with it.

Here, she is flying with her instructor, Certified Flight Instructor Kade Hermes of Ayers Aviation on an instrument rating flight lesson on Wednesday morning, November 12, 2025.

After landing to return to Gainesville Texas Municipal Airport, Cori passes by some vintage aircraft on the tarmac, casting a shadow of her plane.

Lastly, in their hanger, a picture of Cori and her husband is displayed on the wall.