Grass Roots

It’s undoubtedly a picture that occurs in every small airport across the U.S.: A few small airplanes are in the pattern practicing takeoffs and landings, as a father with his son are sitting on a wooden bench near the grass runway marveling at the miracle of flight. This specific picture occurred more than a decade ago at the Red Stewart Airfield in Waynesville, Ohio.

One by one, the aircraft gently touch down on the soft airstrip. The next one is a yellow and red taildragger, but there is nothing soft or elegant about this landing, as the aircraft roughly bounces down the runway. Zoom into the picture and you will see the instructor of that yellow and red taildragger glancing out at the father and son and joking to his young student, “We should charge to have people watch you land!” As I taxi the yellow and red taildragger back for one more trip around the pattern, I look back at my first instructor – clearly, not amused by his joke.

Learning to fly was difficult for me, especially the landings. It did not come naturally. It took a lot of work, patient instructing, and a good amount of my hard-earned money. As is true for all pilots, the learning didn’t stop with getting my license. I vividly remember things that used to scare me as a young pilot – namely, crosswind landings, rain, and controlled airspace. But, as with any skill, the more you work at it, the better and more confident you become. It also helps if you have good teachers.

I have been incredibly blessed with amazing instructors, including my first instructors at Red Stewart Airfield, Pat Patten of Flying Medical Service, and the many instructors who volunteer for Wings of Hope. Each has taught me something that I still remember today. I have been able to use their knowledge to help thousands of people over numerous countries – and overcome my fears. My short aviation career is filled with stories of landing on the sides of mountains in Tanzania, operating on “airstrips” that resemble cattle paths in Congo and Tanzania, crosswind landings in 25-knot gusting winds in Nicaragua, and navigating short airstrips on islands off the coast of Belize.

It’s been 11 years since I received my paper private pilot’s license certificate on the grassy apron of Red Stewart Airfield. Over those years, more than 85 percent of my 2,300 total hours of flying has been used to bring health care to those who need it. I have piloted an aircraft from the earth and safely returned back 2,800 times. That may not seem impressive to some, but it’s encouraging for a student pilot who used to struggle to make one safe landing without his instructor intervening.

Flashback to that grassy airfield in that small town in Ohio: If I were to return today, that father and son would see a much smoother landing by a pilot who has honed his skills through instruction and experience. Despite the many changes in my piloting these past 11 years, however, two things remain constant: I continue to enjoy using aviation to help those in need – and I still flight plan around controlled airspace.