Flight Training - August 2020 - 21

FIVE QUESTIONS

BY JULIE SUMMERS WALKER

NIKI BRITTON
AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHER

NIKI BRITTON'S PARENTS AND GRAND-

mother and uncle were pilots, but she
didn't think she could compete in their
world. She resisted pilot training believing
she did not have the confidence, but after
earning both her bachelor's and master's
degrees and working alongside her father
in The 111th Aerial Photography Group at
San Martin Airport in California, Britton
had an epiphany. "Every day I would
come to work and longingly watch the
airplanes take off and land from my office
window. When it was time to go on a
photo shoot I would sit in the back seat
and wish that I was flying. Then one day it
hit me, What are you doing, lady? You can
be a pilot, let's do this! I walked the three
feet from my office to the FBO and set up
my first lesson with one of our resident
CFIs." She now flies the aerial missions
and photographs commercial real estate,
aerial surveys, and vertical mapping for
the family business.
How did you get started in aviation?
I come from an aviation family and was
introduced to aviation at a very young
age. I am a third-generation female pilot,

my mom and grandmother were both
pilots, and my dad is a retired F-16 fighter
pilot and airline pilot. I took my first
airplane ride in my grandma's 182 at the
age of 4. My dad was flying while I sat
right seat on a phone book, unable to see
over the panel. After putting off flying for
a long time, I finally got my private at age
29 and my commercial this past June.
What was your biggest challenge? I
struggled a lot with self-confidence in
my teens and early 20s. I felt that I didn't
"have what it takes" to be successful in
the aviation industry and decided to sideline my flying dreams and study business.
Getting over the self-doubt was tough
at first but the more I fly, the more my
confidence grows.
What's your favorite aircraft and why?
This may seem like a very unexciting
choice, but my favorite airplane is my
1969 Cessna 182M. My grandmother
purchased the aircraft brand-new from
the Cessna factory and the aircraft has
been in the family ever since. The 182 is
an amazing piece of family history and

although my grandma never got to see me
fly, flying her 182 makes me feel like she's
flying with me.
What is your favorite photo/pilot
activity? People ask me what kind of
things I take pictures of from the air and
there's never one answer. From commercial real estate to large surveys and
mapping jobs, I am doing it all. Our 182
is equipped with a photo window in the
back and a belly port for mapping in the
back of the aircraft. On a typical photo
flight I do the flying to and from the
photo site. While on site my dad takes
over the flying and I move into the back
seat to take the photographs or run the
mapping software.
Do you have any advice for students?
Learning to fly can be intimidating,
mentally straining, and hard at times,
but don't let those small setbacks stop
you. Flying should be fun. The aviation
community is amazing in its willingness
to support other pilots. Surround yourself
with like-minded pilots who will push
you to achieve your goals.

MIKE FIZER

@eyeintheskylane

AOPA.ORG/FT  21
http://www.AOPA.ORG/FT
Flight Training - August 2020

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