Cindy Rogers wants to be a fighter pilot so bad she has a cat named Maverick.

Yes, that鈥檚 a Top Gun feline and yes that鈥檚 how bad she wants it.

Thanks to her courage under fire, Rogers鈥� dream came true May 30.

It all stemmed from an act of bravery in December 2012 when who tried to save the life of a woman whose jeep plunged into the frigid waters of Wood Lake.

That selfless act made an impact in the community and on her friend Marissa Baecker. To honor Rogers, Baecker made a wish in the #BMO200 fountain to help her friend鈥檚 lifelong dream take flight.

The next step was to ensure Rogers remained clueless.

The pair flew to Toronto two weeks ago, to take part in what Rogers thought was a commercial photo shoot for a sports company.

In reality, she would soon be up in one of the Waterloo Warbirds fighter jets.

It wasn鈥檛 until they were on the tarmac, that reality set in.

鈥淲hen I turned to Marissa, she actually had to turn to me and say 鈥榳e鈥檙e not actually doing a photo shoot, you鈥檙e going flying,鈥欌�� said Rogers.

She could smell the jet fuel, which was similar to fresh paint.

Rogers suited up and jumped in the cockpit behind the pilot.

鈥淚t had full controls, I could touch the landing gears and all that stuff,鈥� she said.

They tightened up her belts before clearing for takeoff.

鈥淵ou can feel it through your whole core, as the engines rev up, all that rattling,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he seat belts were pretty tight to start off with, but as you start down the runway they become loose because you鈥檙e pushed against the back of your seat.鈥�

The pilot took her on a Top Gun-esque fly-by, doing about 450 km/hr over the runway. 鈥淭he engines were roaring as he was just flying by,鈥� she said.

The pilot took her for a full 360-degree roll and asked if she鈥檇 like to do it again.

She replied 鈥淗ell yea!鈥�

She could feel the G-force tugging at her as she flew through the air, having no fear, only excitement.

鈥淚 get choked up talking about this stuff because it was just incredible,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t was like a complete roller-coaster ride.鈥�

Rogers also got the chance to fly the plane.

Her father was in the aviation industry and at 10-years-old she decided she wanted to be a fighter pilot.

Immigrating from South Africa, the Canadian military doesn鈥檛 recognize her schooling from the country, so she鈥檚 been unable to obtain her pilot鈥檚 license.

鈥淚f I was given the opportunity right now, I鈥檇 join the military in a heart beat,鈥� she said.

Baecker nominated her friend because of who she is.

鈥淪he鈥檚 just awesome. She just does so much for everyone else, you know? It was about time that someone did something for Cindy,鈥� said Baecker.

鈥淎nd she hasn鈥檛 stopped smiling since.鈥�

carli.berry@kelownacapnews.com
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