My name is Nikki Bodie and as a young girl I had dreams of becoming a pilot or astronaut. However, growing up in a small town, I didn’t know any pilots or where to start. To compound this, my teachers and mentors told me that “girls didn’t fly.” Unfortunately, I believed this and failed to realize that I could become a pilot until my senior year of college. After being inspired by learning about the Women Airforce Service Pilots of World War II, WASPs, I saved money and took a discovery flight.
Immediately, it was love at first flight. Still, I had no idea how to make my passion a career. So, I turned to search engines where I ended up jumping between several schools, taking out costly loans with high interest rates, and ultimately learning the hard way. After that, I had a nontraditional path gaining experience through aerial survey before getting hired at a regional airline and then joining the Air Force Reserve where I learned to fly again- the military way.
Now, as a traditional reservist serving as an Air Mobility Pilot in my local squadron and as a First Officer at a major airline, I have had the ability to learn from my unique and inefficient path through aviation. Due to my experience, I have always strived to be the mentor that I wish I had early on and to create tools that inspire and help aspiring aviators.
This led me to creating a free eCourse to help aspiring or transitioning aviators at all stages of their career to find the resources they need to chart a more efficient course to their aviation dreams through scholarships, networking, pathway programs both civilian and military, and through non-profit/ charitable endeavors. Please check out the eCourse at BogiDope.com and reach out if you would like to collaborate or provide feedback- Affordable Paths for Launching Your Aviation Career | BogiDope.
