One evening at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, I was walking behind a gray-haired pilot and his wife. It had been a hot, lengthy day of airshows and he was holding on to his wife for a little extra support as he made the long walk from the flight line to the far reaches of the parking lots. He wasn’t moving fast and appeared to be worn out. Yet, when he saw a piece of trash on the ground, he stopped, slowly bent down and with much effort picked it up. Only then did he continue the long walk to his car or RV, trash in hand. That’s a pilot.
Living in an urban Northeast town where there’s more trash on the street after the sanitation workers roll through than before, where smokers litter the sidewalks and dog owners let their animals drop wherever they want, I’m amazed at Oshkosh. Tens of thousands of people on any given day and there’s not a scrap of garbage anywhere. That’s the community of pilots.
Do you know anywhere else in America where you’ll find a “courtesy car”? You’ve just landed from who knows where, walked into an unfamiliar FBO and they offer you the keys to a car: “Just bring it back when you’re done.” They don’t know you, but they trust you – because you’re a pilot.
I landed at an airport in central Pennsylvania on a holiday weekend to find a sign that read “the office is closed.” That really meant there would be no staff around, because the office was unlocked. I walked in, used the facilities and bought a soda. I rested a few minutes on the leather couch and flipped through a few magazines. I could have grabbed the computer and loaded it in my airplane. I could have rifled through the office for anything of value. But, being a pilot, I wouldn’t do that.
There’s always a helpful and friendly person around my airport to help push your airplane into the hangar or consult on a maintenance issue. I’ve been given spare tools and excess materials many times. The philosophy of pilots seems to be, “as long as it gets good use.”
No matter how many pilots are flying on a busy Saturday, they all remain courteous, kind and cheerful, even if that means they must veer away and make a second approach into the pattern. If there’s a conflict or someone is going against the flow, that person is usually asked politely to adjust. I’ve never heard an angry voice or curse over the radio. Most pilots follow the rules because they know that rules make things work better and keep them safe.
Clean and reverent? Usually
I’ve seen some greasy aircraft owners but usually only when they’re changing the oil, and I’ve sometimes heard some irreverent oaths coming from under the same airplane engine. However, I’ve never heard such comments aimed toward any person and I doubt I know a single pilot who peppers his conversation with curses like I hear every day on the city streets.
When I was in the Boy Scouts, I had to memorize the 12 points of the Scout Law and repeat them before every meeting: “A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent.” Many of these attributes that Scouts strive toward seem to describe most pilots I’ve met. According to NASA, 20 of the 24 men who traveled to the moon on the Apollo missions were Scouts, including 11 of the 12 moonwalkers. Maybe we can thank the Scouts for the good attributes of many of our finest pilots.
Pilots help others
The charitable organizations founded and operated by pilots number in the hundreds, if not thousands. Nine independent Angel Flight organizations across the United States offer free flights in GA aircraft to people in need of medical treatment. The Honor Flight Network transports veterans, especially World War II veterans and those who are terminally ill, to Washington, D.C., to visit the memorials. The glider pilots of Freedom’s Wings International give physically challenged people an opportunity to experience soaring in an adapted sailplane and provide specialized flight training.
Pilots, like those at Pilots N Paws and FlyPups, use GA aircraft to save man’s best friend. Volunteer pilots fly dogs from kill shelters to foster homes where they’ll be protected until they can be adopted. Mission Aviation Fellowship flies 2 million miles a year in developing countries in support of Christian and humanitarian organizations. MAF flights support indigenous churches and provide access to medical care by flying doctors into remote areas and flying seriously ill patients out. The list goes on and on.
If I say pilots are the best people, I may receive rebukes that many other people are equally good and dedicate their lives to good causes. I never claimed I was unbiased. However, I truly don’t know any group of people across our nation – and the world – who make up such a consistently honest, hardworking community.
Years ago, in the middle of nowhere Tanzania, I met a mechanic/pilot for MAF. Instantly, we were brothers in the community of pilots. “Come on home for lunch. Ya need a bed for the night?” He didn’t know me from Adam, but he knew I was a pilot, so it’d be all right. That type of generosity, that’s a pilot.