Why I Do What I Do
20/09/11 10:10
Why do I do this? There is nothing that feels more exhilarating or freer to me than the wind and sky rushing by me as the earth rolls around my head. My soul is fed by the air and I get a complete sense of fulfillment by not only the experience, but by challenging myself and doing something so uniquely different. I’m alive up there. To soar like a bird and touch the sky puts me in a place where I feel I totally belong. It’s the only thing I’ve done that I’ve never questioned, never hesitated about and always felt was my destiny. I’m not the type of person that is satisfied by just sitting still and watching Monday night football. I need to be active and see and do new things.
What about risk? Everything we do has an element of risk. The media asks this all the time and my answer is always the same. I feel safer on the wing of my airplane than I do driving to the airport. Why? Because I’m in control of those risks and not at the mercy of those other drivers. I think about this all the time when I’m driving down a two lane highway at 55 mph just inches away from cars heading towards me at the same if not higher speed. All it takes is one moment of distraction from the other driver and we will hit at a collision speed of 110 mph or more. Whether they are drunk, texting, or falling asleep it is out of my control and that is what scares me. When I’m in and on my plane I have the ultimate control of my risk factors and am not at the mercy of someone else’s mistakes. A few years ago I was proceeding through an intersection at a green light. My peripheral vision caught something and I slammed on the brakes only to have an 18 wheeler whiz past my front bumper just inches away as he ran the red light. Had I not quickly stopped I would not be here today. But do I stop driving? No. I just know that my risks are greater out there on the roads than up in the air. It’s not just driving either; there are so many facets of my life here on earth that I have little control over. If I were to eliminate the risks that would really take me out, I wouldn’t even walk out my front door. But then again there is a lot of danger at home as well and “freak accidents” can happen there too. To quote Amanda Franklin “If you live your life in fear that something could go wrong, you are not living your life”.
Why airshows? I’ve seen the faces on the kids. I’ve heard the excitement in their voices. I’ve had young girls tell me that after watching me they see opportunities they didn’t before. Not necessarily with the wing walking, but knowing that I fly too they have found that their opportunities are unlimited. The wing walking grabs their attention, but the flying and the fact that I’m a highly rated pilot feeds their appetite for excelling themselves. After 21 years in airshows, I’ve had grown young adults come to me and say that they became a pilot after coming to an airshow as a kid. It is the only place where kids and their families can fully experience aviation and its potential and spark the innovation of our future. You can’t get that at a museum full of static displays. That next child you meet at an airshow could be the next Burt Rutan or Neil Armstrong. We need that spark and innovation or we won’t excel to new things. That is what makes us human. People like to see others “push the limits”. It’s not the fact that they are watching others risk their lives, but the fact that it allows them to see what we are all capable of and it encourages them to push themselves. That is why there is and will always be a need for airshows and other spectator events such as this. We are the seeds of the future.
What about risk? Everything we do has an element of risk. The media asks this all the time and my answer is always the same. I feel safer on the wing of my airplane than I do driving to the airport. Why? Because I’m in control of those risks and not at the mercy of those other drivers. I think about this all the time when I’m driving down a two lane highway at 55 mph just inches away from cars heading towards me at the same if not higher speed. All it takes is one moment of distraction from the other driver and we will hit at a collision speed of 110 mph or more. Whether they are drunk, texting, or falling asleep it is out of my control and that is what scares me. When I’m in and on my plane I have the ultimate control of my risk factors and am not at the mercy of someone else’s mistakes. A few years ago I was proceeding through an intersection at a green light. My peripheral vision caught something and I slammed on the brakes only to have an 18 wheeler whiz past my front bumper just inches away as he ran the red light. Had I not quickly stopped I would not be here today. But do I stop driving? No. I just know that my risks are greater out there on the roads than up in the air. It’s not just driving either; there are so many facets of my life here on earth that I have little control over. If I were to eliminate the risks that would really take me out, I wouldn’t even walk out my front door. But then again there is a lot of danger at home as well and “freak accidents” can happen there too. To quote Amanda Franklin “If you live your life in fear that something could go wrong, you are not living your life”.
Why airshows? I’ve seen the faces on the kids. I’ve heard the excitement in their voices. I’ve had young girls tell me that after watching me they see opportunities they didn’t before. Not necessarily with the wing walking, but knowing that I fly too they have found that their opportunities are unlimited. The wing walking grabs their attention, but the flying and the fact that I’m a highly rated pilot feeds their appetite for excelling themselves. After 21 years in airshows, I’ve had grown young adults come to me and say that they became a pilot after coming to an airshow as a kid. It is the only place where kids and their families can fully experience aviation and its potential and spark the innovation of our future. You can’t get that at a museum full of static displays. That next child you meet at an airshow could be the next Burt Rutan or Neil Armstrong. We need that spark and innovation or we won’t excel to new things. That is what makes us human. People like to see others “push the limits”. It’s not the fact that they are watching others risk their lives, but the fact that it allows them to see what we are all capable of and it encourages them to push themselves. That is why there is and will always be a need for airshows and other spectator events such as this. We are the seeds of the future.