• February

    14

    2022

An Early Love of Aviation Leads to a Love of Instructing

An Early Love of Aviation Leads to a Love of Instructing
Niki Gaskins didn’t think she had it in her to be a CFI. She took the plunge, and found her calling.

By Ellen Voie
January 28, 2022
Flying Magazine

For most children, sitting in a car seat means endless hours watching the landscapes and buildings outside of the car window. For Niki Gaskins, when her dad put her car seat in the back of an airplane, it allowed her to see the world from above the terrain.

Years later, her father encouraged Niki and her brothers to share his love of aviation by offering them the opportunity to learn how to fly, and Niki quickly jumped at the chance. After graduating from high school, she found herself at the local airport beginning her flight instruction.

Her father had been a private pilot, and initially Niki thought she would attain the same goal and stop there. However, while attending college at Kansas State University, a course to obtain her certified flight instructor (CFI) certificate was part of the program. Although she felt being a CFI would be daunting, but challenging, she wasn’t sure if she was cut out for teaching.

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Story Credit: Flying Magazine Online

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