Musings: That's a pilot

Honor system

Living in an urban Northeast town where there’s more trash on the street after the garbage men roll through than before, where smokers litter the sidewalks and dog owners let their animals drop wherever they want, I’m amazed at Oshkosh. Twenty-thousand 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 only 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 a pilot has to 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 with courtesy 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 reverent?

I’ve seen some greasy aircraft owners, but usually only when they’re changing the oil, and I’ve sometimes heard some unreverential oaths coming from under the same airplane engine. But, 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 it 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 for 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 lifesaving medical treatment. Volunteer pilots fly their own airplanes and pay the expenses to transport people to the health care facilities they need.

The Honor Flight Network transports veterans, especially World War II veterans and those who are terminally ill, to Washington, D.C., to visit the war memorials.

The glider pilots of Freedom’s Wings International give physically challenged people an opportunity to experience soaring in an adapted sailplane and provide flight training designed specifically for them.

The glider club at Front Royal, Virginia, funds scholarships for youngsters to learn to fly sailplanes and promotes STEM education through the Skyline Soaring Educational Foundation.

Pilots, like those at Pilots N Paws and FlyPups Inc., 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.

When a massive hurricane struck Puerto Rico, general aviation pilots were among the first to fly supplies to the disaster zone. 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 the 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.

Dennis K. Johnson is a freelance writer and pilot living in New York City.