{"id":44206,"date":"2026-04-07T22:34:59","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T22:34:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=44206"},"modified":"2026-04-07T22:34:59","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T22:34:59","slug":"women-are-learning-to-fly-planes-as-a-hobby-its-anti-grandmacore","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=44206","title":{"rendered":"Women Are Learning To Fly Planes As A Hobby & It’s Anti-Grandmacore"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

\n

It seems like everyone\u2019s been on the hunt for the perfect grandma hobby<\/a> \u2014 a cozy pastime that feels slow, relaxed, and grounded. Things like crocheting, crafting, and baking sourdough have topped the list, but a new trend is emerging that may make you rethink how you view hobbies. Perhaps they don\u2019t have to be \u201cgrandmacore\u201d at all. <\/p>\n

On TikTok, many women are posting about learning how to fly planes<\/a>, and it\u2019s on the opposite end of the spectrum from grandma-approved hobbies. On April 3, creator @nataliafreiree shared a post saying \u201cI love my girl pilots.\u201d In the clip, she shows herself arriving at an airport, fueling up a 1974 Cessna 172 SkyHawk, and taking to the skies<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In her comments, someone asked, \u201cHow do you even get into this? I want to be in this!\u201d Someone else wrote, \u201cThis is as cool as y\u2019all think it is.\u201d The FYP is filled with even more pilots, like @alexa.isabelll who posts about her \u201cniche secret hobby,\u201d aka casually flying planes in her spare time<\/a>.<\/p>\n

On another page, @kinseywolanski shares a behind-the-scenes look at flying, including what it\u2019s like to communicate with Air Traffic Control via her headset so she can safely take off and land<\/a>. And on her TikTok, @thegirlypilot regularly posts tips for getting involved in flying<\/a> to her thousands of followers.<\/p>\n

Some of these pilots go up for quick joy rides. Others take a plane to see their friends, like @.neeloo who flew to meet her bestie as if she was simply driving a car<\/a>. The hobby really is taking off \u2014 quite literally. Here\u2019s what to know.<\/p>\n

The Latest Hobby To Take Off<\/h2>\n
\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Every now and then an unexpected hobby will go viral. In 2020, it was roller skating<\/a>. Then it was skateboarding<\/a>. Now, the girlies love flying planes. <\/p>\n

Thanks to social media, more people are getting a peek inside the world of aviation \u2014 something that rarely comes to mind when you think about how to spend your weekend.<\/p>\n

When someone\u2019s video goes viral that shows them getting their pilot\u2019s certificate<\/a> or flying their own plane to get lunch<\/a>, it may land on someone\u2019s FYP and give them a spark of inspiration.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\"Young<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

This trend is not only the perfect personal challenge, and a way to build confidence, but it\u2019s also one that\u2019s surprisingly age-inclusive. Lainey Jones, an 18-year-old student at Thrust<\/a> flight school, was only 16 when she took her first lesson.<\/p>\n

Now she takes off from an airport in Texas and flies on her own for about two hours five times a week. \u201cI love being up in the air and getting to see the places I go every day on the ground,\u201d she tells Bustle. \u201cIt\u2019s such a fun feeling to point down and say, \u2018Look! There’s my house\u2019 or \u2018There’s my dog’s vet!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

On TikTok, creator @secondwindpilot said she started to fly in her 40s<\/a>. \u201cOne day I just thought, why not me? Why not now?\u201d In her comments someone said, \u201cSame! 45. Never too late.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\"Flying.\"<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Some people fly as a way to get over a fear or push their limits. Others are in it for the adrenaline.<\/p>\n

The latter is one perk that drew Caroline Paul<\/a>, a pilot and author of the book Why Fly<\/a><\/em>, to the hobby when she was 21. \u201cIt gave me adventure,\u201d the 62-year-old tells Bustle. \u201cIt gave me a new way to see the world. I wanted to be up high.\u201d<\/p>\n

Paul first learned how to fly in a tiny two-seater plane, then moved on to paragliders, and then gyrocopters \u2014 a tiny, helicopter-like aircraft.<\/p>\n

She says the ability to fly improved her mental health when she went through a divorce, a topic she covers in her book. \u201cI was basically feeling like everything on the ground was out of control, so why couldn’t I learn instead to pilot this little yellow craft that would do anything I said?\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\"Flying.\"<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

That new perspective, Paul says, helped her figure out who she was and what she wanted to do next in life.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought of it as escape initially, because you escape into learning all these new controls and all these new rules,\u201d she says. \u201cBut it’s a physical escape because you’re actually just getting 3,000 feet above the earth that is so troublesome below.\u201d<\/p>\n

The literal perspective shift of being up in the sky can change your mental point of view, too. Imagine taking flight to get your mind off a stressful meeting or flying on the weekends to decompress from a failed date. When you\u2019re miles up in the air, all of your problems seem so small and you have to focus exclusively on the situation at hand.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\"Flying.\"<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Dr. Michelle Kole<\/a>, a licensed psychologist and certified flight instructor, treats flying in much the same way. \u201cI see it as a meditation,\u201d she tells Bustle. \u201cMy mind is focused entirely in the present moment and cannot be anywhere but right here, right now. It feels like a spiritual experience to be up there with the clouds, way above any earthly concerns.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\"How<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

If flying piques your interest, look into it. Or just admire the many viral TikToks that show what people are capable of.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are more role models than ever before,\u201d Kole says, noting the many benefits flying brings. \u201cBecoming a pilot will teach planning, decision-making, reasoning, and can instill confidence and self-esteem,\u201d she says. \u201cI highly recommend it!\u201d<\/p>\n

Sources:<\/em><\/p>\n

Caroline Paul<\/a>, pilot, best-selling author of the new book<\/em> Why Fly<\/a><\/p>\n

Dr. Michelle Kole<\/a>, licensed psychologist, certified flight instructor<\/em><\/p>\n