On Thursday, Oct. 6, 2022, Tarah Ernest became Haiti’s first woman pilot to fly an American Airlines Boeing flight to Port-au-Prince.

Upon landing she published on her Instagram account, “I did a thing today! For 14 years I dreamed of this day. Haiti Darling, I just landed home. Thank you all so much for the love and support. I am my ancestors’ wildest dreams."

As she walked through the doors of her home, “Everybody was congratulating me,” she said at “Haitilegends” on TikTok, “and then wanting to take pictures. It was nice to be received that way.”

Ernest was born in Massachusetts and moved to Haiti when she was a month old. She left Haiti in 1998, earned a degree in Aeronautics at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in 2014, and instructed for two years.

Growing up she had wanted to become a psychiatrist, she said, but that all changed after a ride at the fair.

“I was on a hang gliding ride at a fair when I was 17,” Ernest said on Instagram, “and loved the feeling of being in the air, so I made the decision then to become a pilot.”

Before joining the American Airlines team, Ernest flew for Loyd’s Aviation, and spent several years on the staff of Republic Airways, according to “Haitilegends.”

“Knowing how much I love my career now, it saddens me to think that it almost didn’t happen simply because I had never been exposed to it,” she said on Republic Airways’ rjet.com blog.

“I almost never became a pilot not because I didn’t like flying but because I never knew I could become one. I had never met or even seen any pilots that look like me, so aviation was never something I considered.”

Now based in Miami, Ernest said it was hard to become a pilot. “I’m still on the journey honestly.”

It took her three years to gain her commercial license, she said, which normally could be done in about 10 months.

“I’ve had times when I had to stop training for months due to illnesses, lack of funds, lack of instructors,” Ernest said. “I’ve had failures in my initial training. I’ve gotten let go from gigs due to reasons out of my control and I’ve had my doubts.”

With a major milestone now accomplished, Ernest said, “Everyone’s path is different. It may be easier for some but still hard work. But it is possible for most just depends on how bad you want it.”