Posted on 11/02/2026 6:26:32 AM PST by Angelino97
The doomed Learjet co-pilot heard pleading for help in harrowing air traffic control audio before the fiery Florida crash has been identified as Nathalia Gadelha – a 20-year-old who got her pilot license while still in high school...
The young aviator, who grew up in Palm Beach County, was previously featured in local media when she got her private pilot’s license at just 17 back in October 2023 — before she even had her driver’s license.
“I definitely do brag because people say, ‘Oh, you can’t drive,’ and I’m like, ‘Yeah, but I can fly,'” she told CBS12 in an interview at the time.
The West Boca Raton High School senior explained that she began pilot lessons in 2020, but was also taught by her dad, who learned flying for fun in 2018.
Her mother often shared posts on social media of the family flying in private jets together.
In the article, Gadelha explained that she had flown every day since ground school, building 88 hours of flight time and passing the knowledge test.
The School District of Palm Beach County’s Aviation Academy paid for her pilot’s license after introducing the program that year, in 2023.
“I like being different than everyone, so to me I think it’s cool that like it’s not really an opportunity,” Gadelha said.
“I just didn’t do it, and this is how it ended up. But I think it’s cool. Some people think that it’s weird that I can fly planes, but I can’t drive a car, I mean I can but, a lot of people think it’s funny. I think it’s funny, and I now want my [driver’s] license really bad,” she added.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
The Daily Mail says the co-pilot was male. Perhaps her boyfriend?
In a recent social media post, Gadelha shared a video of herself and her boyfriend, Justin, flying together.
“How often do you see 2 pilots under 21 with a commercial, multi-engine, instrument, CFI/CFI-I [Certified Flight Instructor/Certified Flight Instructor – Instrument],” she wrote in the overlay text.
RIP.
I remember seeing the articles on Theranos and Elizabeth Holmes - and seeing how the main focus of the article was all about how amazing it was that this company was started by a young woman. That was way more important to the story than any of the technology, science, or actual working product. The industry, media, and investors were so excited to push this “young woman doing a better job than traditional companies” story.
This feels so much like the same story. Pictures of her attempting a sexy pose next to a plane. Bragging about how young she is to have her license and be a commercial pilot. Downplaying the role that experience plays.
I’ve been thinking for quite a few years now that a lot of young people today go into Aviation for this “cool” factor rather than any particular love of aviation .
If given a choice, I’d always opt for a retired military pilot.
I call it “Boss Girl” culture.
Putting my finger on a date when it became noticeable to me and a problem is to say the 1990s. Young women fresh out of school demanded and felt entitled to almost immediate rise to management and senior positions. It infests corporate, academic and government positions. Particularly bad in government where there are positions in which a female could fully display being “Boss”. Education\training didn’t matter. Experience that’s male patriarchal thinking! HR departments aided and abetted these women. Any rational push back you might do damaged your career. Throw in race & sexual deviancy and the problem is magnified! TV and movies contributed even more so to the image.
Not a word about who she was flying for, who hired her, who the passengers were. Did they know they had a 20 year-old pilot or co-pilot
Also, the caption below one of the photos said there were sixty (60!) passengers aboard. I doubt it - probably just poor editing.
Aviation ping......😢
Yep. Same here. A guy named Steve, Jack, or Bill with twenty years experience. Seems like there were more of them around back in the day...
There is a lot to be said about age and experience over youth and enthusiasm when it comes to flying planes.
They're becoming harder to find, especially the retired ones.
In 1980, 99% of commercial airline pilots were ex-military pilots (not necessarily retired). By the mid 1980s that dropped to 75%. In the late 1990s, that dropped to 49%. Currently it's estimated that 22% are ex-military but not all were pilots in the military.
In the scramble to fill the increasing number of vacancies, the industry is pushing candidates through as fast as they can, with all the risks attached.
YES!
Amen.
I was just going to post something similar. I can pinpoint almost the exact date this started in th 90’s. Bosses were too afraid to criticize any if them for fear of a melt down. I told one boss that they should be fired and was told they couldn’t fire the gal because the all acted like that abd then they would have no employees (woman dominated field).
Wonder if other pilot was her father
The Daily Mail was reporting that she was the pilot - they’ve since updated their article to say she was the Co-pilot.
The Co-pilot is the one that communicates with ATC while the pilot flies the plane.
Such a sad story, glad no one on the ground was killed.
Wonder what happened...
Common sense will tell you she was not the pilot. Because the pilot would not have had time to contact and communicate with ATC while trying to get the jet out of trouble.
NO KIDS should be licensed under 21 and
moving passenger until your much older.
The FAA needs to wake up to theses
reckless flight schools and close them.
This child flew into a storm.
Her first supersonic flight. Unfortunately it ended up like it did for Geoffrey de Havilland, Jr.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.