Mila had grown up in the shadow of the hangar. Her father had been a mechanic, and she had learned to read by tracing the rivet patterns on the AN-45’s wings. By twenty-four, she was the only pilot in the district brave—or stubborn—enough to keep it in the air.
wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonov">Antonov aircraft or perhaps another story featuring a specific pilot ? an-45 Mila
The story of Mila and the AN-45 is a tale of a pilot's unbreakable bond with a relic of aviation history. The Last Flight of the AN-45 Mila had grown up in the shadow of the hangar
The was never meant to be a hero. A twin-engine cargo workhorse with a fuselage that groaned like an old man’s knees, it had spent twenty years hauling mail and grain across the Siberian tundra. Most pilots called it "The Iron Mule." To Mila, it was simply "Old 45." wikipedia