A system and method for airborne oblique image collection provides a dense diversity of view aspects of a subtended scene. An onboard camera of an aircraft collects a highly overlapped set of oblique images that are well suited for preparing three dimensional meshes that model complex scenes with significant vertical relief. The aircraft is flown in a radial trajectory over a targeted observable area in order to collect the images. The radial trajectory is optimized using parameters including an altitude, a field-of-view angle, an aft edge angle, and a forward edge angle of the onboard camera, as well as an expected velocity of the aircraft. A flight management system is also employed, wherein the flight management system computes a predicted location for the aircraft using location data and a current velocity of the aircraft. The predicted location being compared to an expected location, ensuring proper navigation of the radial trajectory.