AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2024 - 35

In the morning the nerves had set in
again; the stress and fatigue of the previous
day, coupled with the idea of the Fisk
arrival at AirVenture weighed heavily on
me. But in the air once again, my nerves
faded with every foot of altitude. Feeling
good, Alicia and I engaged the autopilot,
took turns taking the proverbial pilot selfie,
and began discussing our planned arrival.
Six minutes later the alternator failed.
After cycling the alternator Off then
On with no luck, we turned off our secondary
radio and HSI, and let the tower
at Waterloo know our intentions. I shot
a quick text to Flite Instruments and avionics
shop owner Matt Layton and by the
time we landed, he had already briefed the
mechanic at Livingston Aviation, and they
were ready to get to work; it turned out the
alternator had just thrown a belt.
A short time after crossing the
Mississippi River into Wisconsin, it was
time for the big arrival into the big show.
Alicia at the helm and I with my eyes on the
sky. We, almost a little too easily, merged
into the conga line at the Green Lake
Transition and received a smile-inducing
" good rock " at Fisk. Once we were established
on our downwind, the tower called
our base and final and instructed us to land
on the green dot, my favorite color.
This 13-hour adventure, all with the
most perfect weather we could have asked
for, took us over the mountains of Arizona
and New Mexico, across the flat lands of
the Oklahoma panhandle and Kansas, to
the beautiful greenery of eastern Nebraska.
From there, a surprise landing in Waterloo,
Iowa, a city with one of the cutest downtowns
I've seen, over the Mississippi River
and into one of the busiest airports-at
least for that week-in the world. All these
landscapes, places, and friendly faces I
may have never seen if not for the freedom,
adventure, and accessibility that general
aviation provides, and I can't wait for my
next adventure! Signing off a more confident
pilot and cross-country adventurer.
niki.britton@aopa.org
AFK to Waterloo Regional Airport (ALO), Iowa
ALO to OSH
" Alicia's landing was smooth
and nearly spot on. We then
exited the runway onto the
grass and celebrated with
high-fives and cheers as we
taxied toward Boeing Plaza. "
-Niki
" Landing on the green dot
(well, a few feet past if I'm
being honest) felt the way
I expected it to feel: deeply
satisfying. We did it! "
-Alicia
" This wasn't my first rodeo with a failed alternator, but this was
an airplane with brand-new avionics while flying in unfamiliar
territory, so I wasn't completely unfazed. I texted Matt at Flite
Instruments, and by the time we landed, the folks at Livingston
Aviation at ALO knew we had an alternator failure. " -Niki
" We grabbed a courtesy car and had a quick and delicious
lunch in neighboring Cedar Falls. Once back at the airport the
airplane was ready to go and so were we. Big thanks to the
amazing crew at Livingston for prioritizing us and getting us on
our way to AirVenture so quickly! " -Alicia
View the video
aopa.org/pilot/
october24
Claim your chance
to win this airplane
today.
No purchase or contribution
necessary to enter or win.
Void where prohibited. Ends
at 11:59 p.m. Eastern time on
6/30/25. Grand Prize winner
must be certificated by the
U.S. FAA as of 6/30/25. To
enter and view complete
official rules visit aopa.org/
sweeps. Sponsor: AOPA
aopa.org/sweeps
AOPA PILOT / September 2024
AOPA PILOT / Octo
35
LEFT: ALICIA HERRON; RIGHT TOP AND BOTTOM: NIKI BRITTON
http://www.aopa.org/sweeps http://www.aopa.org/sweeps http://www.aopa.org/sweeps http://www.aopa.org/pilot/october24

AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2024

Contents
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2024 - Cover4
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2024 - Cover1
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2024 - Cover2
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2024 - Contents
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2024 - 2
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AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2024 - 4
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AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2024 - Cover3
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2024 - Cover4
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