Page 36 - Feb 20 TNT

From the Flight Deck
by Kevin R. Dingman
Straight from the Heart
For some that are compensated monetarily for flying airplanes over and over (and over and over), it’s easy to forget that being around airplanes once elicited very
joyful emotions. Many have forgotten the epiphany when our curiosity, courage and checkbook overcame anxiety and angst and produced an emotional waterfall of achieve- ment, pride, even love, about flying. But I haven’t forgotten. The month of February belongs to the mischievous son of Aphrodite, the winged god of love, a fellow archer and aviator: Cupid. Although blind, he has wings – apparently having received a waiver from the Feds. Instead of a red, heart-shaped box of chocolates, please allow this archer to send an emotional arrow your way to refresh memories of when our love of flying was new.
We were on the crew van headed to a hotel in DFW and a guy and his wife were talking to us about how their trip to Cabo was postponed a day due to a late connection at
my carrier. The airline paid for their hotel room but they would miss one day of their vacation and the next morn- ing’s tee-time. The 60-ish man had 54 hours toward his private and was looking forward to an instrument rating and using his Cirrus to get to Cabo from Tulsa. The look in his eyes when he talked about his flying future said it all. Do you remember the moments in your own life when curiosity and courage overcame anxiety and angst? The times in which your persistence was rewarded with appreciation, ability, understanding and wisdom?
Like learning to ride a bike (Dad taught me), that first day of school each year (Parchment, Mich. – the smell of new books and pencil-sharpener shavings), the first head-first dive (at the YMCA), a first kiss (Darcy Daley, fourth grade), riding a high-speed roller coaster (The Blue Streak at Cedar Point) starting college (WMU) or sign- ing for a loan (1976 Honda Civic)? And don’t forget our
You see this guy,
this guy’s in love with...flying. – Herb Alpert, 1968
34 • TWIN & TURBINE / February 2020