By MELISSA C. HESSELIUS
Are pilots born or are they made?
It’s a confounding question, much like the adage, “what came first: The chicken or the egg?”
Are you a pilot and then you take flight, or do you take flight to become a pilot?
At the ripe old age of 4, Cianán had already set his eyes on the skies. After he had the opportunity to spend time near a helicopter pad and watched as flights landed and took off, he told his mom, “I want to be a pilot.”
Fast forward to age 5. Dressed in what he calls his “pilot’s uniform” — blue corduroy overalls — Cianán took the first steps toward achieving his dream of becoming a pilot. He was assisted by another fellow dreamer, 22-year-old Eldon Hesselius, an airline pilot and general aviation enthusiast.
Eldon, who remembers his own first flight in a general aviation airplane, offered Cianán and his mom Shannon a flight in a Piper Archer.
Winds were calm and the day was marginal VFR, making it a good time to go for a flight, as the wait on the runway was shorter than usual for a busy airport.
After the run-up, and gaining clearance for takeoff, Cianán, already being quite adept about the process, pointed out the air traffic control tower, asked about it, then inquired if they were on the runway yet?
His mom reports he has his own flight simulator at home and is already sounding like a pro.
Once airborne, and free of the airport traffic, Eldon showed the young pilot some of the usual maneuvers, such as steep turns and stalls. Then came time for Eldon to let Cianán take the controls. He performed some turns and enjoyed the sights, as he was able to see his dad’s house from the air.
Cianán reveled in the fact that “Eldon let go and I became the pilot and Eldon the co-pilot!”
And just like that, a pilot is brought to life.
Anyway, flying is lhe most wonderful and pleasant activity someone can experience!
I agree that you are born with the love of flight, when you are compelled to fly, and think about it all the time; looking up, whenever you hear the familiar sound of an engine. The catch is, we have to love it enough, to care enough to be the best possible, because we flirt with death, and not necessarily only our own. There is a certain thrill that only a true flyer owns, and no words do that justice.
Pilots are born because we have that certain air about us. I was age 9 when I knew I wanted to be a pilot 2 or 3 years later I knew I wanted to be a Fighter Pilot. My Mom did not want me to fly or go into the military and I did both. USMC F-4 Phantom, TA-4J Advanced Flight Instructor, Top Gun Adversary. Navy reserve TA-4 J Advance Flight Instructor. Southwest Airlines Captain for 25 years then forced to retire at 65 years old. Yep that makes me old having retired twice. Started flying in 1969 and I am still flying. Yes it was born in me and it is still there and always will be.
Charles “Orville” Wright
Some are BORN with it naturally… others strive to become. I’ve seen it over and over. And that’s why some shouldn’t be in the “friendly skies” at all. They just don’t have what it takes. It’s like mixing oil with water.
In any endeavor or profession there are those who have natural innate abilities to comprehend and those who muddle through.
Simple reason that most plane crashes are the result of a pilot, mechanic, or engineer’s failure to do or not do something that was foreseeable, or was correctable at the time.
I recall reading somewhere that Chuck Yeager said: “There are no ‘natural pilots’, because flying ain’t natural!”
What a beautiful story.I would live to read more like this.