Brett Wickizer | Co-Founder

CKAero Co-Founder Brett Wickizer

I began flying models at the age of 9. My dad was looking for a hobby to get into with my older brother and I, and he decided he wanted to build and fly a remote control airplane. I think he was mostly interested in building the thing, he got the LT-40 kit so he could see the pile of sticks slowly become an airplane over time. When he finished it my brother and I spent months on the buddy box. I think my dad was glad that he knew how the thing was built, because he certainly had to fix it enough times!

I was soon flying sport planes, small scale aerobatic airplanes, 3D airplanes, large scale aerobatic airplanes, etc. Much of my effort in those days was dedicated to 3D flying. Like most kids that age, I loved to see the airplane close to the ground, doing things airplanes weren't supposed to do. Eventually though, around the age of 15, I was losing satisfaction with the pursuit of how low I could get to the ground. I needed a bigger challenge, a goal to work towards when I flew. Naturally, I looked towards competition.

I was hooked right away. Since then I've been very successful with the help of too many people to count. I will point out that without the awesome support of my family, Bryan, and all of the wonderful people in NSRCA District 6 (South Central U.S.) there is no way I would have had the success that I've had. I've been on 5 USA F3A World Championship teams and placed 11th in the F3A World Championships in 2019. Bryan has been behind me at every one.

Airplanes have always had a romance about them that excite me to this day. They are the ultimate convergence of man's genius and nature's elegance. Pattern, in my opinion, has always displayed that better than any other discipline. Pattern also satisfies my competitive tendencies. I love competition itself almost as much as I love flying; it has a way of stripping back all of the unnecessary "surface" of life, testing my character, focus, self-awareness, and dedication like no other activity can. F3A is the perfect melding of these two passions.

In the real world I'm a corporate pilot flying the Citation X+. I'm also the lucky husband of my very understanding wife Laytan and blessed father to our son Luke, who both love me so wonderfully despite my obsessions.