Thursday, March 26, 2009

The Dream of Friends of Aviation

About 17 years ago, I was spending some time during the Holidays to take some friends up flying at a small General Aviation Airport outside Los Angeles.
Throughout the day, I taxied in to the ramp several times to pick up the next batch of passenges. When doing that I happened to notice a young boy with a black leather jacket sitting on his bicycle outside the fence. He must have been 13 or 14 years old and was there for hours, quietly observing the plane.
At one point I found myself having an hour until my next passengers would arrive. Remembering being in this situation myself many years earlier when I was a kid, I walked up and asked him if he wanted to go up for a flight. "Really? Are you serious?", he said and his eyes opened wide open, like saucers, with excitement. I showed him all parts of the Piper Warrior that I was flying, as well as the controls and instrument panel.
We went up for about half an hour and I let him take over the controls for a bit. He seemed like a natural at it. After we landed, he went back to his bicycle and asked me if we could go back up the next day, which we ended up doing. I found out his name was Paul. After this incident, I did not think too much of it and thought I’d never see him again.
However, I happened to go back to the same airport about 5-6 years later. A young man with a mustache approached me when I arrived, shook my hand and said "Hello!!". At first I did not recognize him, but a moment later I remembered the face and said "Paul!". "Yes, that's me", he said and continued "It is funny that when you take someone up flying, you change their whole life".
I found out that he had managed to borrow money for his flight training after I had taken him up and he was now a Commercial Pilot and Flight Instructor. It had indeed changed his course in life and made an impact on him.
What occurred here made me realize how powerful the experience of flight can be, and how much more can be done to bring aviation to the general public. From this was born the idea and dream of Friends of Aviation, and it is now becoming a reality. Thanks to all who join us. We welcome you onboard!