HIGH POINT, N.C. — Sixteen-year-old Lola Millican received her student pilot certificate surrounded by her friends and family at SkySouth Aviation in Burlington on Dec. 20. 

What You Need To Know

Lola Millican earned her student pilot certificate hours after getting her driver's license 

Guilford County and the state recently invested almost $107 million to bring another aircraft manufacturer to the Piedmont Triad International Airport

Millican, a high school sophomore, is learning skills that will be needed in the airline manufacturing industry

The sophomore attends the Aviation Academy at Andrews High School in High Point, and had been training for this moment both in and out of class for months.

"For somebody to be there from the start and really see your progress, it's just really great for them to be here today to see this," Millican explained.

She knows more than just how to fly a plane.

Millican is learning the mechanics behind them, which is a skill Guilford County wants to keep around. 

The county and the state recently invested just under $107 million into bringing another aircraft manufacturer to the Piedmont Triad International Airport.

They expect the move will bring more than 1,000 jobs to the area, and they will require some the skills Millican is learning now. 

"I didn’t know I had to know everything about circuit breakers. I told that to my instructor the other day and he had no clue what I was talking about, so I can learn stuff here that I would never have known going to any other flight school," Millican said.

All the studying paid off.  

On her birthday, the sophomore earned her student pilot certificate just hours after getting her driver's license.

She said she can’t wait to get started in the field as a commercial pilot, and she encourages anyone who has interest in aviation to follow their dreams.