Dr. Anna Thomas is either an audiologist who moonlights as a flight instructor or a pilot with audiology as her side hustle. Either way, the audiologist-turned-aviator is flying high as she pursues both passions. 

Originally from Arkansas, Thomas moved to Utah 10 years ago to play softball for Utah State University, before earning her audiology doctorate at the University of Utah. She currently works with patients at Advanced Hearing & Balance Specialists in Murray, where she treats people with hearing loss.

“At the beginning of my college career, we would do Special Olympics camps,” Thomas said. “A lot of those Special Olympics athletes had either hearing aids or cochlear implants. I was curious about it and I took a communication disorder intro class. I was set from there.”

It was her brother who turned her on to flying. He had returned from a church mission and thought he wanted to be a pilot. He invited Thomas to go on a discovery flight with him to see if he enjoyed flying. He didn’t, but Thomas was hooked.

“It freaked him out,” she said, “being in the little plane. But I felt such a sense of freedom and empowerment.”

With only 5% of U.S. pilots being women, Thomas said she’s faced misogyny within the industry. Other pilots challenge her knowledge or capabilities, sometimes telling her she’s too emotional to handle high pressure situations. Thomas finds that idea funny. 

“They’ve actually done research into this that shows women are better at analyzing and breaking down emergencies than men,” she said. “Men are quick and impulsive, but women are more critical thinkers, and in the end, that’s what saves your life.”

She also looked to her mom for inspiration, who served as a vice president at Walmart. Thomas watched her mom make a name for herself in a predominately male industry and it sparked her own passion to stand out in a male-dominated field. 

Aviation started as a hobby but quickly morphed into something more. Thomas has earned her commercial pilot and flight instructor licenses, flying both a Piper Archer III and a Cessna 172 XP, with plans to expand into multiengine airplanes and seaplane training.

She said earning her pilot’s license was harder than her doctorate. It required mastering weather, physics, airspace laws, the mechanics of flight and the hands-on skills to bring it all together.

Now, she teaches other people the love of flying. Thomas is working to earn her airline transport license, which allows her to fly jets, and teaching students at Randon Aviation (out of the South Valley Regional Airport in West Jordan) is a fun way to get her 1,500 required flight hours. 

She would eventually like to work as a pilot for Delta, so her schedule is pretty full, but she takes regular hikes with her Wheaten Terrier, Winnie, to relieve stress. 

“Flying challenges me in ways nothing else can,” Thomas said. “It requires patience, attention to detail and courage, but it also reminds me to appreciate the journey and celebrate small victories.”

Her passion for aviation helps forge a special bond with many of her audiology patients, especially Air Force veterans. Conversations about flight, aircraft mechanics and even the body’s balance systems have led to deeper discussions about hearing health. 

Thomas loves the challenge of working with patients while flying toward her own goal. It triggers her inner athlete who always needs something to work toward and to improve. She encourages women to pursue their field of interest, even if they’re labeled as “male” industries. 

“Trust yourself and trust your ability,” Thomas said. “If you have unbreakable self-confidence, then nobody can challenge that. Put in the hard work, but then have full, unbreakable confidence in yourself, because people will question you. Welcome them when they question you, because that just proves that you’re capable, and it proves to yourself you’re capable.”