Viewers Stunned By Woman Flying Cross Country Alone: 'No Big Deal'

A woman moving cross country decided to fly her single-engine plane from Michigan to California by herself.

Stevie, or @planegirl, posted a TikTok of her journey and received more than 11 million views and 6,000 comments in less than 24 hours, stunning viewers with her casual attitude toward flying solo.

But flying is a casual mode of transportation for many Americans, with nearly 3 million flying in and out of airports every day. The Federal Aviation Administration also estimates that there are more than 14,500 private airports across the country.

In the video, Stevie shows herself packing up her plane with all her bags necessary for the move.

"Wanna know what it's like to fly a small plane across the country?" Stevie asked in the video. "Last fall I moved from Michigan to California in my 1952 Beechcraft Bonanza."

Stevie showed herself packing her entire apartment in several large suitcases and filling a cooler with snacks and drinks for the three-day journey.

After loading the plane with all her belongings, she said she put air in the tires and took off from Ann Arbor, Michigan for her last time.

"Holding short runway 24 ready for departure southwest bound," Stevie said to the air traffic controllers (ATC) through her headset.

Stevie explained that on day one of the trip she flew 700 miles at 6,500 feet. She said that "thanks to a headwind," or wind blowing toward the aircraft, which made her go slower than normal at 120 knots.

Stevie's plane, a Beechcraft Bonanza, is a single-engine, piston aircraft that was manufactured between 1951 and 1952. The plane can fit one pilot and up to three passengers and can get to a top speed of 165 knots.

During the flight, Stevie spoke to ATC through her headset.

"South Bend Approach, Bonanza 5921C," she said into her headset while in the air.

She said the first part of the flight was fields and clear skies but she crossed into Mississippi after three hours and stopped to refuel in Missouri. She then continued on to Kansas and flew for two and a half hours, while eating candy, before landing in Wichita, Kansas.

Stevie said she spent the night in Wichita and got ready for her flight to Arizona the next day. In the comments, Stevie said the trip took three days or about 17 hours of flying. She also said fuel was $4.50 a gallon and her plane burns 10-12 gallons per hour.

"She makes flying an airplane look like driving a car," one viewer commented.

"You make it sound like 'just hoping in my 1969 Chevelle going cross country' like it's no big deal," another viewer commented.

"Oh no. Now van people are going to start buying planes," another wrote.

Newsweek reached out to Stevie for comment.

Another young pilot caught the attention of the public in February after 16-year-old Mack Rutherford aimed to beat his sister's record for being the youngest person to fly solo around the world.

In August 2021, his sister 19-year-old Zara Rutherford became the youngest woman to fly solo across the globe in a trip spanning 155 days.

In 2016, a British woman became one of the youngest commercial airline captains in the world. Kate McWilliams, 26, began flying at 13 and began working for budget airline SkyKing.