Teen pilot and her pooch take off to circumnavigate Australia
While most 15-year-olds are in school, Australia’s youngest female pilot and her puppy are set to make history attempting to become the youngest team to fly around our country’s vast coastline
READING LEVEL: GREEN
It is often said “a dog is man’s best friend”. Rarely, though, is it said “a dog is man’s best co-pilot”.
But for the next month, 15-year-old Jennifer Hunt and her three-month-old golden retriever, Bella, will set out to make their case.
After earning her pilot qualifications in June at just 15 years and five months — making her the youngest female pilot in Australia — Jennifer has her sights set on a new record.
The Darwin teenager and her pup were set on Saturday to take off on a month-long journey around Australia’s coastline, in an adventurous bid that would make her the youngest pilot to circumnavigate* the country.
Her journey starts in Darwin, before heading to Port Keats, Truscott, Broome, Port Hedland, Carnarvon, Geraldton, Busselton, Albany, Esperance, across the Nullarbor, Ceduna, Kangaroo Island, Portland, around Tasmania, Flinders Island, Bankstown, Port Macquarie, Coffs Harbour, Byron Bay, Hervey Bay, Palm Island, Cooktown, Borroloola, Gove, and back to Darwin.
Her parents, who have been in the aviation* industry for about 26 years, will complete the same journey in a separate plane.
Jennifer said many of these locations may only be brief stops to refuel, while others may include overnight stays.
The daring duo will fly in a seven-year-old Super Petrel amphibious* biplane, a small two-seater aircraft that Jennifer has flown for about two-months and said “looks like a catfish”.
“It can also go on the land and the water … it’s basically a jet ski that can fly,” she said.
Before her journey, the teenager has added some personal touches to the plane.
On the tail, “Wing it and Wag it” is prominently displayed.
Jennifer said she chose the slogan* because “I like to wing it, and Bella likes to wag it”.
Closer to the front, near the door, several names – including parents, instructors and mentors* – stretch their way down the side.
“They’re all the people that have helped to get this trip to come together,” she said.
“Without them, we wouldn’t be here.”
Jennifer, who is not yet old enough to legally drive a car, has previously flown in a “Foxbat”, “Savannah” and “BushCat”, and learnt to glide in NSW.
While she was not worried about Bella causing any mischief on-board, Jennifer said she had packed scores of puppy pads just in case.
“She’s definitely not an experienced flyer,” Jennifer laughed, “she’s only been on about two, maybe three, flights. But she’s been pretty good so far.”
Jennifer said Bella would be put into a crate, too, to stop the playful puppy from jumping on her during flights.
The bond between the two was already “pretty good”, the young pilot said, but she also hoped this trip would strengthen it even more.
As for her record-breaking feats, Jennifer said that becoming Australia’s youngest female pilot was far from her initial goal, which was beating her 26-year-old brother to a pilot’s licence.
“It wasn’t until one day I thought, ‘Hang on, who’s the youngest female pilot in Australia?’ And I Googled it, and it turns out it was me,” she said.
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GLOSSARY
- circumnavigate: to sail all the way around something
- amphibious: mainly refers to animals but also to vehicles able to function both on land and in water
- slogan: a short, catchy phrase that’s easy to remember, as in a product’s advertising slogan
- mentors: experienced person who gives help and advice to someone less experienced and usually younger
EXTRA READING
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Aussie teen’s triumphant Everest trek
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QUICK QUIZ
- How old was Jennifer when she earned her pilot’s licence?
- How many years have her parents spent in the aviation industry?
- What are at least five of the places on Jennifer’s ambitious flight around Australia?
- What is the name of her flying companion and what’s unusual about her?
- What kind of plane is Jennifer flying and what’s special about it?
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CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Pilot skills
What are some of the skills Jennifer would need to have learnt and will need to use as she flies around Australia for the next month?
Think about things like plane maintenance, interacting with airports and air traffic controllers, accommodation, food requirements, not to mention Bella’s requirements!
Write a list of these skills below:
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
Time: allow 15 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Geography, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking
2. Extension
How does it make sense that a 15-year-old can gain a pilot licence to fly a plane on their own, but cannot get a learner driver’s licence until 16 in most states?
Do you think this minimum age is fair or do you think the driving or aviation laws should be changed? Discuss with a classmate and write your response below.
Time: allow 15 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking
VCOP ACTIVITY
Imaginative dialogue
Imagine you were there in the plane as the co-pilot, flying around Australia with Jennifer.
Create a conversation between the two of you, or between your plane and her parents’ plane. Don’t forget to try to use facts and details from the article to help make your dialogue as realistic as possible.
Go through your writing and highlight any punctuation you have used in green. Make sure you carefully check the punctuation used for the dialogue and ensure you have opened and closed the speaking in the correct places.