Up, up, and away

There are challenges of planning and execution that just can’t be overcome. That’s a fact. Yet we persevere, because that’s where success is found.

On Thursday the wind was howling. Gusts into the mid-30s were giving me real doubts about whether the passing cold front would really be past us by Saturday. That’s the day a handful of intrepid aviators and community leaders had picked to launch the Aspiring Aviators Aero Club, and to celebrate that launch by offering first flights to dozens of high school students.

This new organization is literally decades in the making. Aside from a collection of hopeful pilots who operate from inside the airport fence, there were few in the wider community who saw the point of getting high school students involved in aviation. After all, aviation is entirely populated by rich old men who like nothing better than to play with their expensive toys. And who would want their kid to grow up to be wealthy and successful with equally wealthy and successful friends?

Yeah, I never understood that disconnect either. 

Finally, one of the local high schools picked up on a rumor that a dearth of pilots and mechanics coming through the pipeline might lead to better career opportunities than the fading citrus industry could offer. To the surprise of many of those folks who spent a lifetime ignoring General Aviation, more than 150 kids signed up for the program in the first year.

Hmmm, maybe you don’t have to be a millionaire to get involved in GA.

On Friday the winds had abated slightly, only gusting into the mid-20s. Still too strong to take first-time fliers aloft without scaring the beejeezus out of half of them. Yet the planning continued, arrangements were made, volunteers confirmed their intention to participate, boxes were packed, and airplanes were readied. 

The sun rose into a clear blue sky on Saturday morning. Winds were light, steady, and right down Runway 5. Our scheduled start time was 9 a.m. The first families began arriving at 8 a.m., a full hour early.

To say the excitement was high would be diminishing the level of anticipation many of these kids and their parents were experiencing. Most had never been to Florida’s Winter Haven Regional Airport, a place I still affectionately refer to as Gilbert Field.

Some arrived at the FBO, the only large building on the north side of the airport, where the highway establishes a border to the property. A volunteer positioned inside the FBO redirected them to the south side, where the fun was getting underway in an old World War II era hangar with brick walls and a sheet metal roof. 

Everything ran like clockwork. It’s amazing what a handful of dedicated volunteers can accomplish when they’re well prepared. Greeters met visitors in the parking lot, directing them to the appropriate meeting space. Volunteer pilots met guests as they came through the door. 

At 9:15 sharp the festivities got underway. The room was packed. In 30 years I’ve never seen so many people squeezed into that room. As the presentation got rolling, the room was quiet. All eyes and ears were on the folks explaining why the Aero Club was founded. Anyone interested was encouraged to seek out more information so they might make an informed decision about joining. And we talked about safety. Safety on the ramp and safety in the airplane.

The pilots briefed in a room adjacent to the larger group of visitors and potential riders. They were friendly, although several hadn’t met prior to that morning. They were professional and focused. They noted the route, the recommended altitude, the frequency for communications between pilots and passenger escorts. It was all coming together beautifully.

The passengers and their families were in the main room being briefed on how to be safe at an airport that didn’t separate passengers from the aircraft with jetways, locked doors, and security staff. Parents with small children were encouraged to hold their little ones by the hand, while riders were instructed to remain on the porch until an escort fetched them and walked them to the airplane they’d be flying in that day.

The Civil Air Patrol supplied multiple cadets who did a fantastic job of escorting riders to and from the aircraft.

Seven aircraft came and went. Five could carry more than one passenger at a time, speeding the process up considerably. Within two-and-a-half-hours every kid who wanted to fly had been airborne. A few parents who arrived with no intention of flying took the opportunity and did it anyway. 

Smiles, high-fives, and fist-bumps were rampant. The Aspiring Aviators Aero Club is alive and kicking. Formed to support, encourage, inspire, and mentor high school students as they explore their potential interest in aviation, dozens of students are poised to begin their journey with a home away from home at the local airport. A place that was a total mystery to them last week. It’s an aspirational location now. 

A handful of people made this happen, only about half are pilots. You can do the same at your airport if you’re so inclined. Just as we found a ready supply of interested teens in our town, you’ll find them in your town as well. The cost of entry is low. The reward in terms of personal satisfaction is exceptionally high. And just as the students meet and become friendly with folks they never thought they’d rub elbows with, so will you.

I can’t think of a better way to spend my days than helping open the door to aviation for a long line of kids who had no idea they were allowed to participate, and their parents who have shown such gratitude that their kids are finding a positive, productive direction for their lives. And that’s exactly why I spend so much of my time doing just that.

I hope you get to experience the same success at your local airport.

General Aviation is alive and well in the hearts and minds of our young people. But it might take someone like you to usher them through the fence. Are you up for it?