Musings: Making a difference

At first, she didn’t pay much attention and waited for her turn in line, but the conversation behind her became louder and more interesting. The boy wanted to be a pilot but didn’t know anyone he could learn more from, nor did he know how to take first steps toward his goal. My wife couldn’t disregard the purity of intent in the kid’s tone. Somewhat hesitantly, she turned around and said, “Maybe you could speak to my husband. He may be able to help you.”

The boy was named SK. He started off shy, hesitant to ask me questions. It didn’t take much to get me talking. Before we knew, an hour had gone by and SK was increasingly open to ask questions and gain clarity. That first conversation led to multiple follow-up conversations with him and his family. He was in his senior year at high school. He was beginning to fill out college applications. He had decided to study business finance, and he had this mild aspiration of wanting to fly, not knowing what a career in aviation entailed or how to even go about getting there. No one in his family had any background in science or engineering, let alone airplanes.

Just a few years earlier, I had acquired a half share in a relatively new Cessna 172SP. I offered to take SK on his first flight. Within three days, he drove out to Lewis University Airport where my Cessna 172 was parked. I had asked my friend and flight instructor, Sean, to come by. Sean, as always, graciously agreed. To make it special for SK, and to give him a true flight training experience, I asked Sean to go flying with SK while I waited in the car at the hangar. They returned an hour later, SK with a wide grin.

The experience was transformative. SK was totally motivated. He was now going to apply to universities with an aviation or aeronautics program. He would use the year ahead of him to earn his private pilot certificate. That would set him ahead when he entered his aviation program at the university.

I took him to the flight school I attended and got him introduced, registered, and set up with a flight instructor. I helped to explain the training process, the program, the goals, and milestones to achieve. His parents stopped by the next day and took their first flight in a general aviation airplane with SK and his flight instructor.

The third week of September, SK started on his formal flight training program. So that he didn’t feel any pressure of attempting the training program not knowing how he would fare, I absorbed the cost and told him that every flight school typically offered a few hours at no charge. If that could ease the pressure, why not?

I have used flight simulators for more than 30 years. Having thousands of hours on a simulator helped expedite the path to my certificate. Simulators are an immensely valuable tool in staying proficient. More important, I firmly believe that if used correctly, simulators can cut the time and cost of training. Given this belief, I built a decently powered personal computer with the ability to carry a triple-head display. I loaded up one of my unused licenses of Microsoft’s Flight Simulator and set it up for SK at his home. My advice was to use it to practice before a flight lesson and reinforce learning after a flight lesson on the sim. 

In March 2019, SK was accepted into two leading U.S. universities for an aviation program. Over the past year, he flew as much as possible while balancing schoolwork, running track, and flying lessons.

SK now has 33 hours on his logbook. He is working on taking his FAA knowledge test. Next week, he leaves for Daytona Beach, Florida, to attend the aeronautics program at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. From a hesitant boy aspiring for something, unsure of where or how to go about it, to an enrolled student in an aviation program, the journey has been quick. All it took was a little handholding.

Only time will tell where his journey takes him. For me personally, it is immensely gratifying to have been part of his journey, to have contributed infinitesimally to aviation knowing that my actions could eventually coalesce into bringing the next generation back into aviation. Far too often, we feel that we may be too trivial in the larger context to make a difference—that’s not at all true.

CP Jois is a private pilot living in Illinois.