A-B Tech Aviation Alumna Becomes Flight Instructor

Over the past four years, A-B Tech graduate Taylor Rice has completed the college’s Aviation Management and Career Pilot Technology degrees, has become a flight instructor, and has acquired sufficient flight hours to qualify as a commercial airline pilot.

Rice, 22, recently became the first female A-B Tech aviation graduate to receive a job offer from a major airline. She was conditionally hired by American Airlines, a subsidiary of PSA Airlines, subject to completing additional flight hours—and now she’s on track to become a First Officer in 2026.

Rice became interested in flying as a child watching a TV show with her dad that investigated plane crashes. At first, she wanted to be a flight attendant. As a high school student she attended an A-B Tech Aviation open house with her father and enrolled in the program after graduating in 2021.

Rice still wasn’t certain she wanted to be a pilot, but an A-B Tech “discovery flight,” designed to let students experience flying a small plane, sealed the deal. During that flight, the instructor performed some moves that won her adventurous heart.

“He brought the nose of the plane up to slow down, then pushed it forward real fast so you got the sensation of floating in your seat,” she said. “I looked at my dad then and said, ‘This is it!’”

Rice graduated from A-B Tech in 2023 and has earned both a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certified flight instructor license (CFI) and instrument flight instructor (CFII) license. She is currently a flight instructor for WNC Aviation, which is A-B Tech’s flight instruction partner.

Timothy Anderson, chair of A-B Tech’s Aviation Department, said Rice is one of the most requested flight instructors. “She’s calm, confident and always ready to go, just like you’d want your airline pilot to be,” he said.

Despite the many joys of flying, being a female pilot in a male-dominated field can be challenging. Over the years, Rice said she’s met a few men who feel that women shouldn’t become pilots, though most men she’s flown with have been supportive.

There also have been financial challenges. Rice, who was in her high school band, has had to sell three saxophones over the years to help cover the cost of flight training. A scholarship from A-B Tech also helped cover the cost of college.

Through the ups and downs of her journey, Rice has regularly leaned on her family for support. Living at home with her parents in Fletcher helped make college affordable. Her dad also has been an inspiration, encouraging his daughter’s passion and accompanying her on a flight to Gastonia to get her initial instructor license.

“My dad loves planes as much as I do,” she said. “He understands what I’m talking about when I come home and say, ‘Guess what happened today?’ We are similar personality wise, and I’ve always looked up to him.”

“I have poured my entire life into aviation as a student pilot,” Rice said. “Hours of study, flight instructor training. It’s reassuring to know I’ve got a job lined up.”

Learn more at abtech.edu/aviation.