"Lilliana, turn left heading 270."
The young pilot gently banks the airplane, lines up with the runway and begins a remarkably smooth descent. Her eyes dart between the windshield and the instrument panel as she makes small corrections, listening carefully to every detail from her flight instructor.
Moments later, the wheels touch down.
Perfectly.
Except Lilliana is 12 years old. And she isn't really flying.
She's one of dozens of children from Troy, West Bloomfield, Bloomfield Hills and other communities attending Victors Aviation's summer aviation camp at Oakland/Troy Airport. And she's sitting inside one of the nation's most advanced FAA-approved flight simulators.
The cockpit is so realistic that within minutes, kids who have never touched an airplane are learning what it feels like to take the controls. For many, it's the beginning of a dream.
"I've wanted to fly for Delta since I was six and that’s what I’m going to do," says 12-year-old Tristan Lorenz of Troy. His favorite part of camp? "The flight simulator. It feels real because it tilts."
Peter Kovtun, 9, isn't convinced he'll become a pilot someday, but the Troy resident is thoroughly impressed by the simulator.
"It's almost the same thing as going in a real airplane," he says.
Then he clarifies, "I've ridden in airplanes. I just didn't fly them."
Lilliana, from Bloomfield Hills, says the experience has shown her aviation is about much more than flying airplanes.
"I'm learning things you can't get from textbooks," she says. "It makes me realize how many different jobs there are in aviation besides just being a pilot."
Those moments are exactly why Victors Aviation exists.
The Troy flight school was founded last year by Nathan “Nate” Miller – a retired Marine Corps Colonel and former Blue Angels pilot – along with Mike Roth, Jeff Vlasic and Nicola Reasoner. The mission? Make aviation accessible to anyone willing to learn.
"We're trying to open that front door to aviation for as many people as we can," Nate says. "You don't need an aviation background. Just the desire to fly."
Campers spend the week learning aerodynamics, aircraft systems and aviation careers before climbing into the school's Redbird MCX full-motion simulator, where they practice virtual takeoffs and landings from Oakland/Troy Airport while flying above Metro Detroit. They also get to check out the school’s two airplanes.
in April, the school was one of only five flight schools selected for Textron Aviation’s prestigious 2026 Top Hawk program – earning them a factory-new Cessna Skyhawk 172S equipped with Garmin G1000 NXi avionics and advanced safety technology.
"This is one of the hardest things you'll ever do," Nate tells his students. "It will teach you responsibility, persistence and self-confidence."
While this camp is for children, the school serves aviation students of all ages.
Mike, a 68-year-old retired pharmacist, recently enrolled to earn the pilot's license he's dreamed about since childhood. While taking his own lessons, he volunteered to help teach simulator sessions during the summer camps.
"I've always had an interest in flying," he says. "I'm retired now, so I have time to do something fun."
His journey is proof that aviation isn't just for teenagers pursuing airline careers. It's for anyone ready to chase a lifelong dream.
“Our first two pilots graduate this summer,” Nate says proudly. “One is 18 years old, the other 65.”
Hidden behind businesses near Maple and Coolidge, Oakland/Troy Airport is easy to miss.
But there, inside a refreshed hangar, dreamers discover new possibilities, retirees check off lifelong bucket-list goals and tomorrow's pilots take their first steps toward the skies.
2676 Industrial Row, Troy I (248) 750-8900 I VictorsAviation.com
HEADLINE: August 22 Open House
Interested in learning more? The school will host a free Wings & Wheels Open House on Saturday, August 22. Explore the airport, meet instructors and check out the amazing flight simulator. It's a great time to discover what it takes to become a pilot. For more about the Open House, visit VictorsAviation.com or call (248) 750-8900.