The Role Model that Women Never Knew they Needed: FlyWithKay

Kay Hall and her airplane Lil Red have become celebrities across America and on social media. Kay is in the process of building her flight hours, but uses her moments in the air to showcase her journey to viewers. Her success on social media may have taken her by surprise, but now, the burgeoning pilot has turned it into a career. 

Whilst female pilots are becoming increasingly commonplace, that does not make their plights to the skies easy. Kay notes that there were many moments of discrimination in the initial stages of her aviation education. Kay, though, persevered with an optimistic and determined attitude. This determination and perseverance makes Kay stand out as a role model for many women. However, her continued spotlight on flying as a woman has proven to be a beacon of hope and inspiration to other young women and girls who, now, see aviation as a distinct possibility for them too. 

From the Beginning: How Kay Took Flight

After being laid off at one company and working as a server at Olive Garden to help her meet her expenses, Kay’s father (Pops) called to tell her that a flight attendant at Delta Airlines had told him she could help Kay get a job as an attendant. After chatting with the flight attendant, Kay phoned Pops to help her get her Resume together. The lack of enthusiasm in her voice struck her father as odd, and he immediately came to the point, “If you could do anything you want, what would it be?” Kay responded immediately by saying she would, “rather be the person flying the airplane.” This spurred her father to take immediate action. The next day, Kay’s dad organized an introductory flight at the local flight school in Houston, Texas.

In just two years, Kay became a pilot and instructor as she worked toward building up the 1,500 flight hours needed to take the ATP exam for a piloting job in one of the major airlines. Unfortunately, flight instructor jobs disappeared with the lockdowns, leaving Kay stranded workwise and back at home in Texas. This did not stop Kay. The pilot continued to take to the air, but this time, she chose to document her process. Kay notes that, whilst social media success was gradual, she immediately saw interest from viewers. 

Since 2020, Kay has established an impressive social media presence on Instagram and TikTok, with more than 2 million combined followers. Here she documents her flying adventures as she soars above the clouds.

A Role Model for Women

Kay reflects on a time in her pilot education where, an overly protective instructor, refused to let her fly solo. She had watched as her male counterparts were all granted that right, yet she had been denied countless times for nonsensical reasons. On one occasion, Kay was not allowed to solo because her sunglasses had fallen from their spot in her shirt. This discrimation hurt Kay, but she persisted and sought out a new instructor. This time, Kay could solo and she solo’d well. So well, in fact, that her new instructor said she ran circles around some of her more experienced counterparts. 

When Kay began posting on social media, something unexpected happened. Women began messaging her – detailing how her journey with flying, and her posts on it, have inspired them to pursue aviation. Many see Kay as an inspiration. Both as a woman in charge, and as a pilot. As a result, Kay became an overnight role model for young women, many that had never even given aviation a thought. Kay’s documentation of her experiences with flying are often coupled with her joy, enthusiasm, and determination. This has proven to be infectious. 

Unfortunately, some followers do still express discriminatory thoughts towards female pilots and Kay is not exempt from this. However, Kay overlooks the negative few, since she knows she is not only succeeding with her dreams, but spreading her message of sticking to your guns if you want to succeed.

(Copyright: Kay Hall)

Bottom Line

Kay started out with a dream, but now that dream is touching the lives of many women across the globe. She now serves as a hopeful reminder that women can achieve in any career path with the right attitude and the right amount of determination. Kay now manages the company she started ,Fly With Kay LLC  with the primary goal of continuing her fruitful social media career. Of course, flying her plane remains one of her top priorities. Women can look to Kay as a role model for many things: entrepreneurship, perseverance, and, of course, her position as an avid and excellent pilot.