SocialFlight, the aviation industry’s free web and mobile app for finding events, airport restaurants, and interesting places to fly, has launched two new initiatives to help pilots and the general aviation community during these challenging times:
SocialFlight Live!, a live-streaming program, and Take-Offs for Takeouts, which encourages pilots to fly to airport restaurants for takeout to ensure these restaurants remain in business through the COVID-19 restrictions.
“Even though these are totally separate programs, they’re both intended to do everything I can to support the general aviation community, which I am so passionate about,” says Jeff Simon, SocialFlight’s president.
SocialFlight Live!
SocialFlight Live! airs every Tuesday at 8 p.m. Eastern Time and includes interviews with general aviation experts, as well as tips and advice for pilots during the COVID-19 crisis. There’s even a viewer Q&A.
The first episode aired March 24, 2020, and included an interview with Don McPherson, owner and operator of Minute Man Airport (6B6) in Stow, Massachusetts, who talked about the airport’s efforts during the pandemic to stop the spread of coronavirus, including wiping down the fuel pumps before and after every airplane is fueled, as well as other measures.
The March 31 episode includes an interview with Mark Rubin from New England Aircraft Detailing with tips on disinfecting your aircraft, headsets, and more to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. That will be followed by a segment on setting up a home flight simulator, followed by a video tour of SocialFlight’s T-51D Mustang build shop — which is actually Simon’s living room.
Future episodes will include an interview with Mooney pilot Jolie Lucas, who will talk about stress management for pilots, as well as an overview of remote meeting tools for clubs and EAA chapters.
“We had so many people reaching out to us saying all these events aren’t happening. What do I do? And we want to help,” Simon says. “We want to help EAA chapters learn how to have Zoom meetings and other ways to use technology to keep their chapters together and going.”
“We want to help everybody that we can by putting experts together with that audience, getting questions answered, and inspiring people to fly when it’s safe,” he continues.
The general aviation community is resilient and important to the nation, Simon notes.
“But we’re vulnerable because we’re a small group economically and we’re on the margins when a complete society rolls up its doors and looks to protect everyone,” he notes. “Also, there’s a bit of a concern because it’s no secret that we’re an older demographic and, although we’re a healthy demographic, we are a demographic that’s at risk in this crisis.”
He hopes that the show will help pilots work through the crisis.
“I am confident that, together, we will emerge stronger than ever before,” he adds.
How to Watch
“SocialFlight Live!” is livestreamed through SocialFlight’s webinar platform. To register, go to SocialFlightLive.com or SocialFlight.live.
Can’t make the live program? All episodes will be archived on SocialFlight’s YouTube channel at YouTube.com/c/SocialFlight.
Take-Offs for Take-Out
Simon bills the new Take-Offs for Take-Out as a program to save airport businesses while practicing social distancing.
The program encourages general aviation pilots to patronize airport restaurants, FBOs, and pilot shops that support safe social distancing business practices, or to purchase gift certificates to be used after the COVID-19 crisis.
Using the SocialFlight mobile app or SocialFlight.com, users can tap on a “Burger Icon” on the SocialFlight map page to display a map of airport-accessible restaurants. Thousands of airport restaurants are available, including location, hours, photos, reviews and more.
Many airport FBOs and restaurants have already adapted to the crisis with pay-by-phone services and safe food, fuel, or product transfer procedures, according to Simon.
Pilots are encouraged to contact a business to determine if they are open before taking off.
SocialFlight is asking pilots to send pictures and stories of their adventures to [email protected] as part of the Take-Offs for Take-Out campaign. The stories and images will be shared throughout the general aviation community through SocialFlight, and the most compelling submissions will be selected by SocialFlight staff to receive prizes donated by BendixKing, Bose, Lightspeed, Masimo, Tempest, and others.
“These are challenging times for people in the United States and around the world, with a crisis that threatens not just people’s health, but also their economic well-being,” he says.
“General aviation is so important to so many people, whether it’s delivering supplies, transporting patients, or just inspiring future pilots everywhere,” he continues. “From local airports, FBOs, and airport restaurants, we are made up of the small businesses that are most vulnerable during difficult times. Take-Offs for Take-Out is a way to celebrate the importance and resilience of general aviation.”
Simon, whose son lost his job at a restaurant because of the COVID-19 restrictions, says that airport restaurants are much more vulnerable than others. Airport restaurants rely on pilots flying into the airport, unlike the local pizza shop that is known in town.
“These airport businesses adapted right away,” he says. “We’ve checked in with them and they describe the processes they’ve put in place to ensure the safety of the food. They’ll deliver the food to your plane with gloves on, set it down, and then leave. Then the pilot can exit the plane and get the food.”
It’s not just restaurants that are vulnerable. Fuel providers are wiping down pumps before and after every fueling. You can order online at pilot shops and they will deliver your purchases to your plane when you fly in. You can even get your oil changed while you sit in your plane, he says.
“If you need something done, they find a way to take care of you,” he says. “There’s a million ways that general aviation has adapted. And I really think it’s important for us to do that.”
Keep Flying
In fact, it’s important for pilots to keep on flying — as long as they can do it safely, he says.
“I think it’s incredibly important that the things that are safe to do we continue to do in our lives to retain our sanity, our joy, and our expertise,” he says. “It’s very easy to say that the answer is to show that you are sharing the sorrow and that’s how you support people. And I’m not sure that’s always the case. In general aviation, so much flying already happens using safe social distancing before we ever heard the words.”
“Most flights occur with only the pilot on board in general aviation,” he continues. “Many flights that occur in general aviation are by the people who own the aircraft to begin with. And so the idea that someone who before this crisis would not have thought twice on a sunny day of going to the airport on his own, pulling out a Pitts aerobatic plane, and boring some holes in the sky, shouldn’t do it now — I don’t think that’s helpful.”
“In fact, I think it’s kind of hurtful because who says how many kids who can’t play with their friends are going to look up from their backyards and see that plane and feel some sense of hope and joy and looking towards the future. Who says we can’t still inspire future pilots?”
I am registered on Social Flight. It’s a well laid out website. The only problem is not many participate on the platform so there are few (like most sites like this) notifications from different groups that may not be aware of it. They may want to add a chat or blog section and contact all the airports one by one to find the locals who group together to do hamburger runs.