Can a high school class change the direction of a young person’s life? Yes! Jon’s journey illustrates that point well. Today he’s working toward his goal of being an aeronautical engineer, adding more flight time to his logbook, and mentoring those who come behind him.
Weight and balance for life
Changes have to be made in life. Our size and our acceptance of obesity as a normal consequence of life should be among those changes. We can do better. For ourselves and for the generations that come behind us. Because if they can’t get into the aircraft, they certainly won’t be able to succeed in their desire to fly it.
What about, No!
When we arrived at the tie-down I unbuckled, stepped out, and announced in no uncertain terms, “We’re done. I won’t fly with you again.”
Should this sort of thing be allowed?
What might have been perceived as the greatest adventure of their lives became an inescapable tragedy — one the rest of us will Monday morning quarterback for years to come, leading to the question “should this sort of thing be allowed?” Yes, without a doubt.
The question of ownership
I was having enough difficulty paying for my flight lessons. Finding and buying an airplane was just crazy. Or so I thought.
It’s the gear that gets us
The truth is pilots can adopt procedures that, if followed, would prevent most gear-up events. We should, too. Fewer insurance claims result in lower insurance costs. Fewer gear-ups also means fewer runway closures. Everybody wins.
Missing the point
We don’t know what we don’t know, until someone helps us learn it. Should we somehow get past the educational requirements of flight training without ever grasping the basics, we’re as lost as we might be on an Algebra II test, if we chose to skip Algebra I and go straight to the big time. Stalls are a good example of the phenomenon of misunderstanding.
Buying with cash for the win/win
Buying an aircraft is closer to buying a house than buying a car. Everything is negotiable, including the purchase price. A lower selling price and a quicker sale can be perfectly acceptable to the seller — a result that becomes attractive to both sides of the equation when offering cash.
Their future is in your hands
In a very real sense, whether these programs aimed at teenagers survive and thrive or wither and die is dependent on you and whether you do something about the problem or turn the page and go on with your day.