So many possibilities in aviation
Many of us in aviation started flying in pursuit of a dream. Perhaps that is why you, too, have embarked on the adventure that is flight training.
For some of us the dream is an aviation career, for others it's simply the freedom to leave the Earth behind. Sometimes aviation itself is the dream, and sometimes it serves the dream, as it does for business people who use general aviation to expand their reach or get home to their families more often.
I had accepted an invitation to speak at the International Women in Aviation conference in Atlanta, and it seemed like the perfect venue to surprise our winner, Karoline Amodeo, a 25-year-old pilot from New York.
Not knowing she had won the airplane, Karoline accepted AOPA's invitation to attend the conference and cheerfully worked at our booth, where she won the hearts of our staff and everyone else she encountered. When it was time for me to speak, I called her onstage and invited her to share her story with the audience. Even when I asked her to hold up a model of the 2008 Get Your Glass Piper Archer and help me announce the winner, she still had no idea that her role would be more than that of assistant.
As the realization dawned that Karoline was, in fact, the winner, a wave of shock broke over her face. Then she turned to the jumbo screen behind us and saw a live image of her new airplane and her parents-waiting for her at Richmor Aviation in Poughkeepsie, New York. Turning back to face the audience, she saw a thousand people on their feet, sharing her joy in a standing ovation. It was a moment neither she nor I will ever forget.
At 25, Karoline is passionate about flying, and a poised and gifted communicator. She loves sharing her enthusiasm for flying and life, and seemingly spreads joy and goodwill wherever she goes. And she actively pursues her dreams-first learning to fly, then earning a degree in air traffic control management from Daniel Webster College, going on to work at a fixed-base operator, and pursuing a position as an air traffic controller.
Chasing her dreams has not always been easy; there have been setbacks along the way. But she has persisted and succeeded, each success-the first solo, the pilot certificate, advanced ratings, college graduation-a dream fulfilled and a milestone marking the path to her next dream. Recently, she was accepted into training to become an air traffic controller, another dream soon to be fulfilled. And now, she is also the owner of the beautiful AOPA Get Your Glass Sweepstakes Piper Archer II airplane-any pilot's dream.
Meeting Karoline, hearing her inspirational story, seeing her enthusiasm for aviation, and sharing her unbridled joy at winning the AOPA sweepstakes airplane renewed my own sense of excitement about the many possibilities and opportunities available through general aviation. Being a part of the International Women in Aviation conference, where so many young people just beginning to pursue their own aviation dreams had gathered, was an energizing experience.
For some of these young people, the goal is to fly for a living; for others, flying is a passion that goes hand in hand with the pursuit of other aviation-related professions in the military, government, engineering, maintenance, FBO management, or air traffic control. Still others want to fly for the sheer enjoyment of it. But regardless of their goals, these individuals see opportunities in aviation, and so do I.
Even though our economy is suffering and aviation is suffering along with it, aviation has much to contribute, and it will survive this downturn. It will rebound, and grow strong, and as it flourishes so will the dreams of the young people who love it.
And aviation dreams are not restricted to the young. Giving away the AOPA sweepstakes airplane for the very first time reminded me that, even when you've been flying for 40 years, as I have, aviation always has some wonderful new experience to offer, and dreams really do come true.
E-mail AOPA President Craig Fuller at [email protected].
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