Most teens look forward to their 16th birthday for their first opportunity to get behind the wheel of a car.

But for young aspiring pilots the occasion also means the first time they are able to fly solo, without being accompanied by a flight instructor.On Tuesday, Elena Beckett chose the latter, spending her birthday performing her first solo takeoffs and landings at Jake Arner Memorial Airport in Mahoning Township.Family members and her flying instructor watched anxiously as she calmly landed a Piper Cherokee Archer and taxied over to the airport's hangar.Given the choice between driving and flying on her birthday, the rising sophomore at Marian Catholic said, "It was always going to be flying."Fortunately, Marian doesn't go back to school until next week. She had to miss a volleyball practice for the occasion, a small price to pay.Beckett had been preparing for her first flight for more than two years, taking regular lessons with local flight instructor Byron Arner.Arner has amazingly been teaching local pilots for six decades.Now that she is 16, Beckett can fly with Arner watching from the ground, as opposed to sitting in the seat next to her.She said that Arner showing faith in her as a pilot went a long way to helping overcome any challenges she faced while preparing for her first solo. "That helped me a lot. He's been an awesome instructor, he's patient, which is needed, because I'm not always on top of my game," she said.Despite her young age, Beckett knows that she would like to make flying more than just a hobby. The solo flight is just the first step in getting licensed as a pilot, something she hopes to do in the future. "It's amazing, once you get up there. You know exactly what you want to do, and what you have to do," she said.But it wasn't always so clear that flying would be her career. She admits it took some convincing from her family before she really got hooked. Her brother, Emilio, also flew solo at 16. She also said that her late grandfather, the late local businessman Gene Durigan, inspired her interest in aviation."To be honest, I didn't know at first that I loved it. I had a lot of encouragement from my brother and grandfather. After a while I learned to love it, a lot," she said.Durigan's widow, Ellen, who was on hand to watch her granddaughter's flight, said that he was excited to hear that Elena was studying to become a pilot."He was happy that she was taking lessons, and looking forward to her going solo," she said.Beckett says that she hopes to someday make a career out of flying, but probably after she completes college.Pilots must be at least 17 years old to be tested for their private pilot's license - meaning there is a pretty good chance that Beckett will spend her next birthday at the airport as well.