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.
An Amazing Season Continues
02/09/11 06:01
I’ve been so busy this season it’s been hard to find time to update the blog. Well, here we are at the beginning of September and the Airshow season is far from over.
In June, we performed at the New Garden Airshow. It was a great small show, which I always enjoy. The weather was a little iffy both days but turned out flyable for our full show the entire weekend. The weather turned a bit sour after the show on Sunday, so we left Aurora at the airport and I sent Rock back the next day to pick her up.
On Thursday, August 18th we were finally able to do the air to air photo shoot for AOPA. I of course wanted to get all the pictures for them I could, but my main goal was to capture the inverted shot from above. Chris Rose was not only able to do that, but he was able to capture the most amazing shot. To say it’s breath taking would be an understatement! The feature article, complete with Chris’ pictures, is scheduled to be in the November issue of AOPA Pilot magazine.
On the weekend of August 20th, we performed at the Westmoreland County Airshow in Latrobe, PA. This was their first show in 10 years. They wanted to start small, but I have to say for starting small they did a fantastic job and exceeded all my expectations. It was a show packed with a lot of talent and the organizers did a great job putting it all together. We experienced some rain during the day on Sunday and I was concerned about getting in the wing walking as precipitation can be extremely painful. But shortly before my performance it stopped and we again were able to get in a full weekend performance and the crowd loved it. When I got off the airplane on Saturday the line for autographs was amazing. I know their show next year will be even bigger and more spectacular.
Last weekend was a challenge to say the least. The week leading up to Greenwood Lake we were not only keeping our eyes on hurricane Irene but on Tuesday experienced our first ever earthquake of a 5.8 magnitude. I work in DC and my building shook heavily underneath my feet. It was a surreal experience and one I wish not to repeat. Irene continued to threaten the East Coast and it didn’t look good for the show. I sent Aurora up on Wednesday with Brian ahead of any weather to ensure she’d be there to perform. Rock and I flew up on Thursday in the Cessna 310 with the boys and Friday turned out to be a spectacular day! AOPA arrived to not only take pictures of the actual performance, but filmed it as well, along with an interview that will all be posted on the AOPA website at www.aopa.org. If you are a pilot and not a member I definitely recommend you join. It’s a great organization.
Unfortunately, Irene had other plans for the remainder of the weekend and was heading towards us with a vengeance. Due to the state of emergency the organizers made the tough decision to cancel both Saturday and Sundays shows. We loaded up the planes and headed back home on Friday to get back home before Irene hit us. It was a little hectic and stressful, but we all made it back safely and were fortunately not impacted too much here at home. I can’t say the same for the rest of the North East as many people lost their property and a few even lost their lives. I pray for all those impacted and devastated by this natural disaster. The good news is that Greenwood Lake has rescheduled a rain date and we will be returning on October 22-23 for a make up performance. We are all looking forward to it and hope the weather will be much better this time.
Now it’s off to Louisa County for their show on Saturday September 3. Louisa is just a few miles from the epicenter of last weeks earthquake and they are still suffering after shocks. One as recently as yesterday morning at a magnitude of 3.4. It could be interesting, but I’m hoping that our show can be an entertaining escape for the folks down there.
It’s been a strange week between the earthquake and hurricane and one of our bigger challenges during this season, but it was also painted with some great moments of airshow performances.
In June, we performed at the New Garden Airshow. It was a great small show, which I always enjoy. The weather was a little iffy both days but turned out flyable for our full show the entire weekend. The weather turned a bit sour after the show on Sunday, so we left Aurora at the airport and I sent Rock back the next day to pick her up.
On Thursday, August 18th we were finally able to do the air to air photo shoot for AOPA. I of course wanted to get all the pictures for them I could, but my main goal was to capture the inverted shot from above. Chris Rose was not only able to do that, but he was able to capture the most amazing shot. To say it’s breath taking would be an understatement! The feature article, complete with Chris’ pictures, is scheduled to be in the November issue of AOPA Pilot magazine.
On the weekend of August 20th, we performed at the Westmoreland County Airshow in Latrobe, PA. This was their first show in 10 years. They wanted to start small, but I have to say for starting small they did a fantastic job and exceeded all my expectations. It was a show packed with a lot of talent and the organizers did a great job putting it all together. We experienced some rain during the day on Sunday and I was concerned about getting in the wing walking as precipitation can be extremely painful. But shortly before my performance it stopped and we again were able to get in a full weekend performance and the crowd loved it. When I got off the airplane on Saturday the line for autographs was amazing. I know their show next year will be even bigger and more spectacular.
Last weekend was a challenge to say the least. The week leading up to Greenwood Lake we were not only keeping our eyes on hurricane Irene but on Tuesday experienced our first ever earthquake of a 5.8 magnitude. I work in DC and my building shook heavily underneath my feet. It was a surreal experience and one I wish not to repeat. Irene continued to threaten the East Coast and it didn’t look good for the show. I sent Aurora up on Wednesday with Brian ahead of any weather to ensure she’d be there to perform. Rock and I flew up on Thursday in the Cessna 310 with the boys and Friday turned out to be a spectacular day! AOPA arrived to not only take pictures of the actual performance, but filmed it as well, along with an interview that will all be posted on the AOPA website at www.aopa.org. If you are a pilot and not a member I definitely recommend you join. It’s a great organization.
Unfortunately, Irene had other plans for the remainder of the weekend and was heading towards us with a vengeance. Due to the state of emergency the organizers made the tough decision to cancel both Saturday and Sundays shows. We loaded up the planes and headed back home on Friday to get back home before Irene hit us. It was a little hectic and stressful, but we all made it back safely and were fortunately not impacted too much here at home. I can’t say the same for the rest of the North East as many people lost their property and a few even lost their lives. I pray for all those impacted and devastated by this natural disaster. The good news is that Greenwood Lake has rescheduled a rain date and we will be returning on October 22-23 for a make up performance. We are all looking forward to it and hope the weather will be much better this time.
Now it’s off to Louisa County for their show on Saturday September 3. Louisa is just a few miles from the epicenter of last weeks earthquake and they are still suffering after shocks. One as recently as yesterday morning at a magnitude of 3.4. It could be interesting, but I’m hoping that our show can be an entertaining escape for the folks down there.
It’s been a strange week between the earthquake and hurricane and one of our bigger challenges during this season, but it was also painted with some great moments of airshow performances.