Palm Beach Co-Pilot Nathalia's Flight Instructor Says She Was 'Born to Fly'

Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras was a "natural-born pilot" ... according to one of the first instructors who taught her, who's now paying tribute to the young co-pilot killed in the tragic Palm Beach plane crash.

Chris Kirk, who says he was one of Nathalia's first instructors and mentors, took to social media to defend her flying abilities ... making it clear she wasn't just another pilot looking to cash in on an airline career.

Kirk said he'd been teaching for 40 years and she was "without a doubt the most naturally gifted pilot I have ever taught" ... adding, Nathalia routinely impressed examiners during her check rides, saying "that young lady was born to fly!"

The instructor also recalled Nathalia completing her Learjet type rating with fewer than 1,100 flight hours under her belt. He says she absolutely aced the pilot-in-command certification, with the examiner thinking she'd logged closer to 5,000 hours.

And apparently, she wasn't afraid to get her hands dirty in the cockpit ... Kirk says he gave her opportunities to fly all kinds of aircraft, including tailwheel planes and the Caravan.

Kirk says Nathalia's passion for aviation was what really set her apart, taking a swipe at other pilots in training who, in his experience, were more interested in getting to the airlines and making big money rather than actually loving the job.

As we previously reported ... Nathalia was serving as co-pilot aboard a Learjet 60 traveling from Austin, Texas to the Bahamas, when it crashed in Palm Beach County ... killing all nine people aboard, including captain Jeff Gregory and family of CEO Adam Robinson.

We also reported Nathalia sent her pilot boyfriend a chilling text shortly before the November 1 crash ... telling him, "I've got turbulence, I've got ice," according to her stepfather, Thiago Corleti.