Why Fly

Eye in the Sky

This picture was taken by a friend one sunny day while we were circling the Statue of Liberty with the canopy open. "The Lady," as the pilots on the Hudson refer to her, is a symbol of freedom, much like flying represents freedom!

There is a great sense of satisfaction that comes with the dedicated focus, concentration, and effort that flying demands. I suppose in many ways it is like running a marathon. Part of the reward comes from pushing through a challenge which once seemed insurmountable. Another part comes from the shift in perspective received when looking down at the vastness of the world and witnessing the grandeur of it all.

There can be many factors that motivate someone to do something. Motivation often comes from positive thinking to achieve something more. Motivation can come from the disappointment of failing to achieve something combined with the determination of reaching the goal. It can come from "digging in one's heels" when someone tells you that you can't do something. It can come from the fear of the consequences of not driving forward. And, it can come from the positive encouragement of others. It is best to surround oneself with those who provide such inspiration and encouragement. Indeed, there are many sources of motivation.

Source of Motivation

I suppose that watching too many sci-fi TV shows and movies as a kid may have led to it. "Star Trek," "Space 1999," "2001: A Space Odyssey," and "Star Wars" provided some motivation to fly.

Who doesn't like some action and adventure in life! How many people have set on their path in life from the dreams they had as a child? In ways big and small, we look to capture what we can of those dreams. But often things do not come as easily as we imagine.

I suppose that some of my inspiration came from disappointment.

Whoa!

I was a child. Maybe I was in elementary school or junior high. I don't remember. My father had a buddy at work. He had recently become a pilot. He offered to take my father and me on a flight. So, we went to the airport. We walked up to the plane. He was going through various checks and other things I didn't understand at the time. All I knew was that it was taking a long time, and I couldn't wait to get into the air. I also remember the sky being cloudy.

After waiting for what seemed like an eternity, he said that we couldn't go flying because it was too windy! I thought to myself, "What wind? It's not windy!" So, we were grounded. Although we did not get to fly, I did get to sit in the left seat and look over the plane. Needless to say, I was still disappointed.

The thought of that missed flight sat in the back of my mind for a long time. I didn't get to fly until some years later on a night flight to Houston. I remember looking out the window and thinking about how much it looked like the intro to Night Flight. I sat and stared out the window for the duration of the flight. It was beautiful. That thought stayed with me.

I used to work close to Republic Airport in Farmingdale. One day for lunch, I was driven to do something different. I headed over to Nassau Flyers and got myself an intro flight. OMG! It was fantastic. We took off in a Cessna 152. The turbulence seemed intense, though looking back, it was really quite light. After five minutes, the instructor asked me where the airport was located. I had no idea and said so. He told me it was 180° behind us (duh). We did some climbs, descents, and turns. I was hooked.

From there, I went on to get my private pilot license. My advice to anyone who wants to get their certificate is that you must be very motivated, determined, and most of all, patient. There will be many times when flights get scrubbed because the weather is bad, or the plane is in disrepair, or you're sick, or the instructor is sick, or some paperwork is not in order, or anything else you can imagine. And then, when you're ready for the exam, the examiner cancels the flight because they have health issues or their paperwork has expired! So, you have to really, really want it! And, if you do, you will eventually get there.