Busy skies

Everyone’s flying everywhere, and that is a great thing for general aviation. Businesses such as flight schools, FBOs, and maintenance shops are booming. A thriving GA lifts us all.

The numbers back this up.

According to the most recent stats from the FAA, the number of total certificated pilots is up by nearly 25 percent in just the past five years. It’s even more phenomenal that the number of student pilots starting flight training each year has skyrocketed by nearly 50 percent during the same period. We have about 280,000 student pilots in this country! And that’s a great thing. We need growth in all sectors of aviation, and GA has always been the best place to start.

But the crowded skies do present some challenges. We all need to be on our toes; professional and respectful so we can keep ourselves safe. Nowhere is that more important for us seasoned pilots than in helping and guiding those entering this wonderful world of aviation.

It’s easy for us to lose our cool as we’re patiently waiting for a somewhat new pilot to finish their run-up (perhaps a little slower than we’d like), or asking for clarification from the controller as we’re also trying to contact ATC to get a clearance. As pilots, we’re all expected from day one to be on our game and have the baseline knowledge to enter into the busy airspace system, but we have to remember that we’re all on different points of the learning curve and in different stages of our aviation journeys.

Remember we all started out with that “Rookie Pilot” bumper sticker on our airplane. We may be the most confident and polished aviators today, but we were all once new to the game, and maybe a bit timid with the throttle and hesitant on the mic. On the other hand, we can remember that one reassuring smile we saw during training or that pat on the back—or even “you’re gonna be great”—that kept you calm, kept you confident, and kept you moving forward on your aviation journey.

For me, that was my first instructor and mentor to this day, Waldo Anderson. Waldo was—and is today at 89 years old—an active instructor, guide, and teacher, and a big reason why I have traveled far. Waldo may have taught me the technical stuff to help me achieve ratings and endorsements, but it was the confidence he instilled that I carry into the flight deck today for every trip. I still hear Waldo’s voice and feel that friendly jab when I need to perform a maneuver or make an adjustment.

You know that saying about how airplanes aren’t meant to be on the ground? Same goes for pilots. We like to be places, and we don’t do as well when we’re longing to be in the air and at that great destination. But we owe it to the next generation of aviators to have the patience to allow them to grow, and to give them the freedom for the on-the-job learning they need to carve their own paths in the skies. The more we cultivate and mold the newest members of our aviation community, the more we can feel assured that the future of general aviation is in good hands.

Let’s all pay it forward and welcome our new aviation brothers and sisters with open arms. Talk with students, give them some pointers, make them feel welcome and a part of the community.

Let’s all be a Waldo Anderson to the next generation of pilots.

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