Flying in an airplane is the most life-changing, satisfying and fun way that I’ve found to live. For me, it’s so much more than a hobby.

As the flight school manager and owner of the Poplar Grove Airport, my passion is my work. Here, I help people realize their dreams of learning to fly.

AMY J. CORRENTI | ROCKFORDWOMAN.COM
Tina Thomas, owner of the Poplar Grove Airport

Little did I know how much my world would change when I went for my first airplane ride 35 years ago. I was training to be a nurse back then, but when I saw the world from above, I had a whole new perspective. As the plane left the ground, all the hassles from below seemed to disappear.

I obtained my private pilot’s license the same year I graduated from nursing school. As it happened, the pilot who gave me that first ride ended up becoming my husband.

Together, Steve and I have developed our love affair with old airplanes. Even before we were married, we began restoring historical aircraft. It was like birthing a baby to watch a derelict aircraft fly again. The best part for me was when a project reached completion. Steve would say, “Go fly it,” and so I did. Not everybody’s pilot logbook has time logged in such interesting airplanes.

Our children were raised around the airport and often were loaded up for a quick trip or pancake breakfast by airplane, just like other folks used their station wagon. As I earned my flight instructor rating, our youngest daughter was my “pretend student,” car seat and all. 

My husband and I bought our privately owned, open-to-the-public airport and existing business in the mid-1990s. Our kids were always busy on the weekends with airport chores. They developed some great people skills and a good work ethic as they hung out with us at the airport while they were growing up.

Currently Poplar Grove Airport is home to more than 400 aircraft and the people who love them, including 60 women pilots — pretty cool, since the national average is only 6 percent female pilots.

Some of our pilots are younger, and their parents drive them out and watch them fly. Sometimes they fly solo before they get their driver’s license and go on to a career in aviation.

Other pilots are in their 80s and reminisce about the days of old. We’ve got great camaraderie among all the pilots. The common thread is the flying. Who you are or how old you are doesn’t matter at the airport.

Some of our pilots live at Bel Air Estates, a fly-in community that we developed along with the airport. Here, pilots live with their airplanes and can simply taxi from their front door right to the runway.

Starting my day with a local flight certainly inspires me to share my enthusiasm for flying through the rest of the workday. Flying early in the morning, as the sun rises over northern Illinois, is a reminder of what’s important in life.
Sharing that gift of flight is a wonderful job, and I love to encourage interest in flying, aviation and airplanes. It’s so much more than an item on your bucket list.

As I’ve found, it’s a passion that can be enjoyed with friends and family forever.

Profile
Age: 56
Family: Husband, Steve; children, Blake, 29, Austin, 27, and Lindsey, 23.
Hobbies: Flying, dog therapy program at OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center
Contact: 815-544-3471 or tina@poplargroveairmotive.com

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