When you walk into Millionaire, an operator for private, charter and corporate flights, you’re greeted by the smell of a clean, perfectly chilled waiting area and a friendly face, that of Kira Davenport, a 19-year-old working the front desk.

Her path to the airport is a little different than you might expect.

“Three years ago, it was a split-second decision,” she said.

She wasn’t talking about getting a job. It was more about proving a point.

“When my boyfriend got his license, I asked my parents, I was like, 'can I go fly with him?' And my dad said not until I could land the plane myself. I took that seriously, and I went up to my room and thought about it for a couple minutes and decided that I wanted to start training.”

And just like that, a pilot was born.

“I took intro flight in December, right after I made that decision, and we weren’t even wheels off the ground before I fell in love. It’s just a completely different feeling. You’re right here, you’re right next to the controls. You can see what’s happening and absorb so much information all at once. It’s hard not to catch the bug,” Davenport said.

Her career in aviation is in its infancy, and began at a time when most kids are excited to get a driver's license.

At just 16, Davenport became a student pilot, and then received her license at age 17, the earliest you can get it.

“My first solo flight was incredible. The sun was perfect angle, it was probably like five o’clock. The winds were calm and my instructor hopped out of the plane. I was like, 'this is it. This is it.' It was a serene flight, beautiful, in the Berkshires. I took three laps in the pattern and came back and said, 'I did what I set out to do,' ” she said.

Davenport said the reaction to seeing a young female pilot has been overwhelmingly positive. On National Amelia Earhart Day, she’s grateful to the most well-known female pilot, who began paving the way for today’s pilots 100 years ago.

“So many incredible women from all walks of life, from all different generations, that make such great strides towards who we are as women and aviation, and what we aim to do. And when you have figures like Amelia Earhart to look up to, you realize that you can do whatever you put your mind to,” said Davenport.

Another female pilot who many have recently come to learn about is Natalie Gillis, who also serves as an inspiration, though through a tragedy. Davenport was working at Millionaire last month when Gillis was passing through just minutes before she lost her life in a crash.

“I did get to have a brief interaction with her and by the way she carried herself, she was an amazing person. And just like Amelia Earhart, all of us that are adventurous just like her, all have a connection in some way,” Davenport said.

She said she’s been nervous flying commercial, but when she’s actually the pilot, there’s no fear.

“You know what to do in an emergency," Davenport said. "A majority of your training is just emergency procedures and you learn when you’re up there, you have to be calm, cool and collected. I had no idea I was going to be in my shoes, but I know that if I talked to myself three years ago, she would be amazed at what I’ve done.”