Kritika Vincent

I want to say perseverance, discipline, and the people who have supported me along my journey. Moving from India to the US all by myself was obviously a hard challenge. I had to navigate through everything, whether it came to college staff, and just being a young student in the States in an unknown country. We're speaking English all the time. I'm multilingual, but, you know, initially that was not a good feeling of getting adjusted to something that was a culture shock, but from being a flight instructor to becoming a captain, and now flying the 7-3, I think every stage has taught me something valuable that I take with me. So yeah, I've learned to embrace challenges, I adapt myself pretty quickly, and I have never stopped learning. That's the most important thing. So, I believe success isn't really about achieving your own goals, it's also about creating opportunities for others along the way. And I've done that by giving back to the community in the form of being a mentor, giving mentorship, and being actively involved in the aviation communities that I'm a part of.

One of the most valuable pieces of advice I've received is to never be complacent, regardless of how much experience you have. In my industry, in aviation, there's always something new to learn, and I've carried that mindset throughout my career. Whether I was instructing a student on their first flight, you know, making decisions as pilot or just, like, recently, transitioning into a larger aircraft, I've learned that confidence really comes from preparation and not from knowing everything. So I've also learned that importance of being open to feedback and surrounding yourself with people who challenge you to grow is a really important thing. So you don't have to have your entire career figured out, you just have to keep moving forward. And as you do that and you navigate in your journey, just don't get complacent, just keep working hard, and keep sharpening your skills.

I would tell them, you know, It is hard to navigate in an industry where it's primarily just male-dominant, and it's hard when you don't see people that look like you, or, you know, there's not enough representation. I think finding mentors, asking questions, and building your knowledge on a subject, whatever it might be, doesn't necessarily have to be aviation, whatever it might be that you're passionate about. Think it outside the box, and not just going with, like, the stereotype of, oh, okay, maybe I'm not gonna be able to survive in this career, because it's not meant for me. I don't see people like me around. I think, focusing on becoming a skilled, confident person, is gonna get you through that, and asking questions and surrounding yourself with people who are going to raise your bar high is very important.

I think the biggest challenge in aviation is just creating a more accessible and an inclusive pathway into the industry. Flight training is very expensive. It requires a significant financial investment. I'm very happy and glad that my parents were able to help me out, but I know there are so many aspiring pilots out there that don't have that financial funding from their parents. And they have to rely on loans, and they have to rely on scholarships. That kind of derails their path a little bit, right? Finances are always one of those things that can be very challenging. So I think that is number one, and number two would be, there's not enough outreach for the kids, although I've been noticing that there's a lot more coming now. With the 99s and Women in Aviation, it's directly forcing the women group, right? But then when I just recently attended the conference of OBAP, and I got to learn this other side of the community, because I've always so been involved in supporting other women and uplifting women, that when I got to see what else is out there, surprisingly enough, there are a lot of good gentlemen that are, you know, giving you a helping hand and guiding you through, so I think you know, just, like, outreach programs and financial, I think those are the two biggest challenges, opportunities, in my field right now.

I think the top 3 for me are integrity, humility, and compassion. I try to carry these values into everything I do. As a pilot, integrity means doing the right thing even when no one's watching, right? So, having the courage to speak up when something doesn't feel right is something, that we're taught in training, and I carry that forward. Humility reminds me that no matter how experienced I become there's always something I can learn from someone else. And I think compassion is equally important, whether I'm looking to working with my crew, or spending time, with the people that I love. Outside of aviation, my family and relationships, they keep me grounded. I'm ambitious about my career, but I also do believe that, you know, success means building a meaningful life, supporting other people around you, and staying true to yourself. So I think my top 3 are integrity, humility, and compassion.