Five Questions: Danielle Booth

Started in aviation? My dad was a big influence. He always had an interest in planes and I remember as a kid him loading me and all the other neighborhood kids in the back of his truck’s camper shell and taking us to the Point Mugu Airshow. We would stand and watch in awe of the Blue Angels tearing through the sky with their loud engines and precise flying. In college I was very busy, and one day I just stopped and decided to do something that I really wanted to do. I had a little yellow Buell Blast motorcycle; I rode it down to the Watsonville Airport and started taking flight lessons and I fell in love immediately. Dad also got his license after I bought my 172, when he was 55 years old.

Biggest challenges in learning to fly? I was in college and I paid for my flight lessons myself, so coming up with the money was likely the biggest challenge at the time. I was fortunate the flight training came naturally and also lucky that I randomly got paired with Korby, an extremely knowledgeable flight instructor whose personality and teaching style matched my learning style.

Favorite aircraft? I am fortunate that I get to work closely with one of my absolute favorite planes, the Daher TBM 910/930. It’s a true aviator’s plane; when you stand back and look at a TBM on the ramp it is such a satisfying plane, it just looks fast and beefy, and sexy. If I had to pick a “just for fun” airplane, I think it would have to be a Vans RV–8. But any airplane is a good airplane.

How do we get more women in aviation? Take them flying, put them on motorbikes, and teach them how to work with their hands. Young girls are just as adept at these types of things when presented with the opportunity as the boys are. The girls I see taking up these activities end up gaining confidence from within rather than relying on their outward appearance and other artificial things. We have to start today with the 6-year-olds. Kids don’t learn about aviation in school—it is something we all have a responsibility to promote and cultivate within our own communities.

Advice for students? Don’t be scared to spend time hanging out at the airport. You can gain a lot of knowledge from the random pilots at your local airport, and that knowledge usually comes enthusiastically and for free. By hanging out at the airport, you will easily make friends and enjoy the community that ties us all together as pilots.