TAMPA, Fla. – Anna Sutter’s instructor thought she was ready. It was a clear summer day July 30, and they just completed a flight to and from Peter O. Knight Airport on Davis Island. Everything checked well.
“In the weeks leading up to it, my instructor kept telling me that he thought I was ready,” she said. “He said if the weather is good and you have a great takeoff and landing, then you will be soloing.”
Sutter again took off from Davis Island. This time with an empty passenger seat. It was her, her Cessna 172, and the friendly skies.
“I was super calm, like it was natural,” said Sutter. “I found it interesting because I thought I was going to be nervous, and I wasn’t. I was very much focused.”
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Sutter (pronounced SOOT-er) is not sure where her pilot’s license will take her. For now, another big day awaits December 13 when she walks across the stage at the Yuengling Center to receive her degree in world languages and culture.
The Australian-born Sutter was raised in Switzerland where her family lives and where she will return following graduation. She may hook on with a Swiss professional soccer team. The forward completed her collegiate career at USF earlier this month, a career that began in 2021 at UTSA where she spent two seasons before moving to Tampa and playing her final two years with coach Chris Brown’s Bulls. She led the team in goals both years, including nine this season to tie for the American Conference lead.
“I am super thankful to have had the opportunity to play at (UTSA) and here at USF,” said Sutter, who had 27 goals in four seasons. “I feel as though I made the most of it.”
Sutter received her student pilot’s license in 2022 when she was in San Antonio attending UTSA, and first flew a Cessna in early 2023. Her interest in flying comes from her father. Florian Sutter and his father often went to an airfield to watch planes take off and land. They flew remote-control airplanes and Florian ultimately became a glider pilot.
“When my grandfather passed away, my father was lucky enough to be in the position to fulfill the dream of becoming a pilot, which opened the door for me,” said Sutter, whose father is Swiss and mother, Karolin Adler-Sutter, is German.
Sutter’s preference is to pilot smaller aircraft as opposed to commercial airlines. Becoming a flight instructor also appeals to her, though any teaching endeavors may not be limited to the cockpit. Becoming a youth language instructor is also of interest.
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“One class that was very intriguing was linguistics, and learning about the backgrounds of different languages and how it all makes sense,” said Sutter, who speaks English, German, Swiss and French. “I could see myself in a teaching role, not just with aviation, but also teaching language to younger kids.”
Heck, she might have a crochet class at some point as well. It is difficult to imagine she has much time to squeeze it in, but she began crocheting in the spring and has completed “little projects like stuffed animals.”
Safe to say that when Sutter walks out of the Yuengling Center with her degree, she will be walking into a world where the sky is the limit.
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