May 7, 2019 Abingdon Mullin, the pilot

The Liberty Gazette

May 7, 2019

Ely Air Lines
By Mike Ely and Linda Street-Ely

When Abingdon Mullin was a sophomore in high school, she went to the Career Center the first Wednesday of every month for the free food offered during presentations. One day, two pilots from a flight school at nearby Burbank airport talked about careers in flying.

Abingdon learned two things. First, a military background wasn’t required. Second, airline flying wasn’t the only choice. They told her about corporate flying, banner towing, firefighting, missionary flights, morning traffic watch (off work by 10:00 am). The options surprised her.

She also liked the idea of being paid to travel. As an immigrant, born in England and raised by a Mexican mother, she traveled to see family and had her passport before age 1. Flying would be a perfect career.

After college, she spent every waking moment studying and flying and earned her private pilot certificate in 34 days. Upon obtaining her commercial certificate, she worked in sales as a demo pilot for Cirrus Aircraft, and later Lancair. Then she launched an aircraft ferrying business. As a result, she’s flown about 80 different types of aircraft in 20 countries. During that time, she studied more and became a flight instructor, then spent a year flying for Seaborne Airlines in Puerto Rico.

What she likes about ferrying is that she often flies an aircraft that is outside of its “comfort zone” (it’s condition possibly a concern). There isn’t a book written on how to do that. Sometimes, it’s outside the pilot’s comfort zone too, though not necessarily outside their skill set. She has turned down many flights because of the condition of the airplane.

 “Aviation is integral to all our lives whether we ever set foot on an airliner or not,” Abingdon affirms. “From what we order through Amazon to the groceries we buy—like avocados from Mexico.”

She says it has made the universe our neighborhood. “After Notre Dame Cathedral burned, many people shared photos of when they were there. Unless they hadn’t been there. They either said, ‘I wish I’d seen Notre Dame before it burned,’ or ‘I’m glad I saw it.’ But you can get on a plane and go! A couple of generations ago, you couldn’t. So even if you have no interest in aviation, you still benefit because of it. You can move for a job or college, visit distant grandkids, meet someone online and marry, because of aviation.”

Among the planes she’s flown so far, her favorite for long flights is the Lancair Evolution. It can carry a lot of weight, and you can fly it single pilot.

What has she not flown yet but is eager to? It’s a tie: Stearman, because it’s a classic, and the Boeing 737 because she holds a type rating for the Airbus A320 and is curious about the differences between the two.

Abingdon was the only girl in the Career Center that day, and there had never been a pilot in her family. Free food was a great start. Come back next week for more from this pilot-entrepreneur.

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