You need some disposable income but don't necessarily need rich parents. A pilots license is doable with $5-10k depending on where you are in the country and w

You need some disposable income but don't necessarily need rich parents. A pilots license is doable with $5-10k depending on where you are in the country and whether you purchase time in blocks. Training in the bay area is ridiculously expensive because of fuel plus the sheer amount of time you spend waiting for other traffic. Looks like she also has quite a few sponsors so perhaps she was able to fund the trip through those.