Sheri “Lightning Girl” Petzel has been an aviator for as long as anyone can remember. From the time her first grade teacher told her that only men could be pilots, she set her sights on aviation. She got her private pilot license in 1990 and at the time of this writing has accumulated over 5500 hours. She has since received her CFII, MEI, and ATP. The National Association of Flight instructors has even recognized Mrs. Petzel as one of the top flight instructors in the country by awarding her a Master CFI Certificate in 2002. Approximately 50 students have received their license from her and these individuals have gone on to become airline pilots, astronauts, acrobatic pilots and even instructors themselves. But her obvious love of aviation has reached well beyond the students she has taught, to the people she interacts with every day. If you ever meet Sheri, you will likely get drawn into her excitement and love of all things aviation,.