“Today wasn’t just about a solo flight, it was the beginning of something bigger," said Sánchez, a pilot herself
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/Lauren-Sanchez-and-son-evan-083024-1a44bbe28cb04e5997270484e26aaac2.jpg "Lauren Sanchez Celebrates as Son Evan Completes First Solo Helicopter Flight")
Lauren Sanchez/Instagram
Evan Whitesell, left, and his mom Lauren Sánchez, right, pose for a photo together on the same day Evan completed his first solo helicopter flightLauren Sánchez is celebrating son Evan’s first solo helicopter flight!
The philanthropist and children's book author — who opened up about her own piloting journey in this week's issue of PEOPLE — marked the special occasion with a post on her Instagram page that featured footage of Evan, 18, taking off by himself for the very first time.
“There’s a special kind of trust that comes when you watch your kid take off on their own for the first time,” Sánchez wrote in the caption. “It’s about letting go, but also knowing they’re more than ready. It’s terrifying, exhilarating, and so deeply rewarding all at once.”
“Today wasn’t just about a solo flight, it was the beginning of something bigger, @evan_whitesell took a step forward into his own story," she added. "So proud you 🤍🚁.”
Fittingly, the post included a shot of the proud mom grinning from ear-to-ear with her son, one of the two teenagers she shares with ex-husband, top Hollywood agent Patrick Whitesell. The mom of three also shares son Nikko Gonzales, 23, with retired football player Tony Gonzales.
In this week's issue of PEOPLE, Sánchez opened up about how she learned to fly when she was 40, and then began Black Ops Aviation, an aerial filming company.
"It was an incredible experience because I think only 3% of helicopter pilots were women at the time," Sánchez said. "Now I think it's about 6%."
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Sánchez’s first children's book, The Fly Who Flew to Space, is inspired by flying, as well. In March, she told PEOPLE that several years ago, when Evan was a child, he inspired her to pursue her dream of becoming an author.
While celebrating New Year’s Eve several years ago, Sánchez said Evan suggested she make it one of her resolutions for the year. “'Mom why don't you write that book you're always talking about?' ” she recalled him saying, to which she replied, "'Okay, that's going to be one of my goals!' "
As for the story of the book, well, there's a personal inspiration there too.
“I was flying with my kids and a fly somehow got into the cockpit of the plane. My kids were like, ‘Oh no, this poor little fly is separated from his family!’ And I was like, ‘I don’t know, she gets to see the world from a completely different perspective,' " Sánchez told PEOPLE in this week's issue.
She added, "So that sparked this fun story in my mind, that even the smallest among us can experience incredible adventures."
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