FLYING INTO HISTORY

BRISBANE’S Tori Nikolaou is set to soar as Australia’s first female indigenous commercial pilot – and her 737-flying father is on cloud nine at the prospect.

After acting as her dad Tony’s “wing-girl” as a child, Ms Nikolaou, 22, is almost ready to follow in the Virgin Australia captain’s flight path. She’s in the final weeks of advanced pilot training at the Australian Wings Academy at Coolangatta and hopes to land a job with a major airline.

“Flying’s been in my blood since I was a little kid,” said Ms Nikolaou, whose mum Tamara is Aboriginal. “I flew with Dad all the time from when I was a toddler and really looked up to him.”

Mr Nikolaou said he was “incredibly proud” of his daughter, who used to fly on his lap as an infant in the Kimberley.