By Jim Trusty
I had the opportunity recently to be a speaker at a local high school “Career Day” and it was an eye opener for me. I graduated in 1952 and there have been quite a few changes, thank goodness, since then. About 40 professions were represented and all drew a crowd from the 2,000 plus student body. After an initial welcoming speech to the entire group, we went to the assigned rooms and, happily, I had drawn the attention of 40 young minds. Or was it aviation that did the trick? Either way, they were mine for a couple of hours.
I gave a presentation about aviation safety and then answered questions about every aspect of flying. Good questions were asked and the knowledge level about our business was keener than I remembered. There was a time in my career as a flight instructor that almost all of my students were around 14, 15 or 16, and occasionally I still get to fly with one of them. Working with the basic students takes a lot more time and patience than the advanced ratings and if you make a living as a pilot, like I do, you have to be careful not to do them a disservice by breaking up their training routines. Time permitting, I would only work with the kids. It is amazing how bright they are and how quickly they learn to fly and how much they enjoy learning. Seeing all those big bright eyes brought back a lot of memories, mostly good ones.
What do we tell them? That aviation is in the biggest funk ever? That the “biggies” are not hiring? That a lot of very good, high time pilots are walking the tarmac? That to reach an acceptable level of proficiency in big aircraft, someone will have to shell out over $30,000? That the fleet is old, outdated and in constant need of repair? That between the airline execs’ and the unions’ combined greed, the business cannot survive? All these statements are true to some extent, and I would be telling the truth more or less. But, who am I to burst that bubble of dreams that they all have about flying?
I don’t remember anyone telling me the bad side of flying to try and keep me out of it. I do remember the fun of just seeing an airplane land near my home and meeting the pilots. Sometimes, if we were lucky, we even got to wash to airplanes. Not fly . . . just wash. I still remember every flight, every airplane, every trip, every experience, and certainly everyone I have ever flown with. I even kept a record, a logbook if you will, so that none of those memories can ever be taken away from me.
Who am I to stand in the way of these youngsters having the same love affair that we had. Who knows, they may not like it and move on, but for the time being they are with us, and flying. They will be that 1 in 400 people in the United States that can fly an airplane, not a part of the 99.8% that can’t. That’s very special and not a lot of things we do in our short time on this earth can be considered “very special.”
I hope that as they remember where, when, why, what and with whom they flew, they think of me and maybe even this initial introduction to aviation. I hope that they remember that I did tell them the bad side of this profession but that I also mixed in the fun we have. I’ve invited them to take a discovery flight with me. If they pay for the airplane, my services will be free. I asked them to visit me at the airport as a group and I would take the entire bunch to a nearby Pizza place for a free lunch. I told them to have their parents call me and we would talk about costs and financing, and I think I answered every question in such a way that both the positives and the negatives were covered.
These invitations to speak to groups spring up all the time, and you really have to be ready to answer questions and concerns from the heart. This nation is well informed and the kids even more so sometimes than the parents. I don’t know exactly what impact these little talks have toward helping someone decide on a career in aviation but if it is only one, I’m willing to continue my efforts. My profession needs that one and hopefully someday that one will attract another so that we can stay in business. Believe it or not, this great nation could not survive and be as strong as we are, in wartime and peace, without the services provided by airplanes and pilots.
If you are asked, as an aviation enthusiast to say a few words to any group of non-flyers, be positive, be truthful, and most assuredly, be current with all your facts and figures. Tell them that flying is not for everyone, but that everyone benefits in some way with every flight that is taken, economically, in war and peace, in time saved, convenience, pleasure, travel for fun and business, and a hundred other positive ways. The future of aviation is in the hands of those of us already involved with the business, so let’s do our part to save it.
I get the call to speak at least once or twice a month, year round, and try to make the talk interesting to the group that’s present. If you would like to hear some of my ideas about what they want to hear, just contact me at by e-mail (Lrn2Fly@bellsouth.net). I thank you for taking the time to read this article and want you to know that I appreciate your comments. I still work daily as a Corporate Pilot/ Flight & Ground Instructor/ Aviation Magazine Writer/ FAA Aviation Safety Counselor at MQY in TN and have been a published writer since 1973, both in the US and internationally.
Always remember that accidents are caused and therefore preventable. Have a safe and fun flight as you go forward in aviation, and if you can, take a kid with you. They will never forget you.
Jim Trusty, Flight Instructor
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