Can pilots help save this small town?

No matter where you live on the surface of the earth, you are in danger.

The planet is doing its level best to kill us off. Forest fires, avalanches, tornadoes, lightning strikes, tsunamis, earthquakes, and hurricanes all conspire to make life a bit more challenging.

Of course, that’s the negative perspective.

There are also stunning vistas to behold. Glassy water filling mountain lakes and expansive plains of grass. Who doesn’t enjoy the sound of ocean waves lapping against a windswept beach? Snow-peaked mountains, a seemingly endless desert that stretches out to the horizon, and forests so thick and large some of us believe emphatically that undiscovered species hide there.

Yeah, I’m talking about Bigfoot. Consider it a bit of editorial license.

The world is a majestic place, but that beauty comes at a price. Whether we’re in Kansas, California, or Maine, there are naturally occurring challenges we have to struggle with, muddle through, and overcome.

In September 2024 a Category 4 hurricane named Helene came ashore in the big bend region of Florida. Winds of 140 miles per hour, packed with rain, lashed the area with a vengeance. As destructive as the wind is, that rain weighs the same 8 pounds per gallon as the water from your tap. The combined force of wind and rain can lay flat entire forests and reduce man-made structures to kindling wood.

This section of the Sunshine State is often referred to as the Nature Coast, because it is largely undeveloped. Miles and miles of coastline remain as pristine and untouched as it was hundreds — even thousands — of years ago.

On the edge of the Gulf, where forests stretch out for many miles to the East, a series of small islands exist in a place called Cedar Key. I’m told my great-grandfather John Beckett ran a ship from there to Key West in the late 1800s. Back then cedar was big business in the area. Pencils needed to be made and cedar was an ideal material to make them with.

The cedar is gone today. Sailing ships don’t transport lumber to Key West anymore. Yet Cedar Key remains — more of a tourist destination than a shipping terminal.

It’s become the pride of the Big Bend. This little village of roughly 700 residents is a colorful stop for many who want to spend time in a thoroughly walkable place that harkens back to a simpler time long ago.

On Sept. 26, 2024, the wind and rain of Helene wasn’t the worst of it. A storm surge of at least 12 feet ran through the islands. Imagine a wall of water that tall, moving at speed, smashing into your home, running down your street, taking debris with it as it went, distributing it here and there as it washed inland.

How bad was it really? George T. Lewis Airport (KCDK) sits just across Daughtry Bayou from the heart of Cedar Key. It is on high ground. In this part of the state that’s just 11 feet above sea level.

It was bad. Seriously bad.

Yet, Cedar Key remains. Just barely. Beaten and broken by Helene as it is, the people are still chugging away with all the heart and soul we might hope to find in a resilient little American town.

I stopped into this heartwarming little village on the edge of the map recently. I wanted to see what remained of this formerly bustling place in the heart of the Nature Coast. And maybe, deep down, I wanted an excuse to drop a few dollars into a community that could really use an influx of out-of-town cash right now.

When we fly out for our $100 hamburger, we make that trip for a variety of reasons. Many of us use it as an excuse to keep current. More than a few of us make it a point to meet up with friends at a favorite lunch spot. Occasionally we explore a bit by incorporating a new destination into our plans.

Lunch is lunch, after all. Anytime we can sit down with other aeronautical aficionados to ingest a few calories, swap stories, and maybe learn something new we do it.

Perhaps you’re starting to see where I’m going with this.

The odds are good that Cedar Key and the George T. Lewis Airport aren’t in your local area. And the reason I can make that assumption is because Cedar Key and the George T. Lewis Airport are in the local area for fewer than 1,000 people in this world of roughly 8 billion people.

If you’re a pilot, however, there is a good chance that you will pass within just a few minutes of Cedar Key on your way to someplace or other. Perhaps you’ll be en route to the SUN ‘n FUN Aerospace Expo one fine spring day. Or you may be headed to the capital city of Tallahassee on business. Or to Gainesville where you plan on visiting the campus of the University of Florida.

Your route will put you quite close to little, hurricane-battered Cedar Key in any of those scenarios. If you were of a mind to put down on the 2,302-foot runway there, you would be welcome. A short golf cart ride away you discover one of several waterside restaurants, shops, and hotels that dot the island. No need for a car. Everything is within walking distance.

That was pretty much my plan. I stopped in, saw the damage, was impressed by the rebuilding taking place, and felt a sense of responsibility to help these good folks pull themselves back from the brink and become prosperous again.

Is a 100% tip for lunch out of line? No, I didn’t think so either.

Have you ever seen the look on a server’s face when their whole day gets better because of just one customer? It’s worth it. It really is.