AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2014 - 24

LICENSE TO LEARN

What's in a date?

BY ROD MACHADO

May 1939 isn't just Batman's birthday
ETYMOLOGY IS THE STUDY of word roots. It's not the
study of insects, which is entomology. It's easy to confuse the two, which is why some people think that
either term refers to the study of "bug words." It's really
a problem of pronunciation. Perhaps that's why the local
buzz suggests that a "hot entomology" is a Mexican dish
made with corn and crickets.
The word anniversary, however, easily rolls off the
tongue and seldom confuses. Its etymology is Latin,
with its root meaning to "return yearly." Unless our
special day occurs on February 29, most of us celebrate
anniversaries of some type-be they birthdays, weddings, or bar mitzvahs.

AOPA has been nothing less than a caped crusader
protecting the liberty of everyone who flies.

ROD MACHADO

began flight
instructing in 1973
and began writing
for AOPA Pilot in
1998.

24 | AOPA PILOT May 2014

Anniversaries are significant on many levels. Some
pilots, for example, schedule their medical exam on the
anniversary of their birth (their birthday). Apparently,
the sudden appearance of candles, cake, and friends
reminds them that they're supposed to be attached to a
sphygmomanometer somewhere. More important, our
anniversaries serve as a cultural mnemonic helping us
remember that something important happened that's
worth celebrating. What better reminder is there than
the reappearance of familiar star patterns after a planetary loop around the sun to kick off the festivities?
Yes, I said festivities, because it's the celebration
that helps us reconnect with the original meaning of
that significant past event. In the inescapable clutch of
time, our emotional attachment to historical dates and
events diminish. Think about it. We seldom celebrate
the birthdays of famous scientists and, as a result, fail
to accurately remember their accomplishments. That's
why many people think that Madame Curie Fleming
invented radioactive penicillin. Celebration is the
agency by which our intellect and emotions collaborate to sustain the meaning of a historical event.
Of course, celebrations are not always accompanied by "party hat" headsets, "boom-mic" kazoos, and
forbidden ramp dances. On a very Spartan level, these
might be solitary activities where you isolate yourself
and express gratitude for the good and important things
that have happened to you. More often, they're communal events where individuals with similar interests-I'm

thinking of pilots here-don propeller hats, offer toasts
by raising cups of freshly decanted avgas, and step to the
"No Step" two-step.
The essential element of any celebration is remembering the reason behind the festivities. So what
happened 75 years ago in May 1939 that's worth celebrating? True, it was the date Batman first appeared in
comics. It was also the birth of the Aircraft Owners and
Pilots Association at Wings Field near Philadelphia.
Don't get confused here. This wasn't the date that
AOPA's founder, P.T. Sharples, saved Gotham City.
It was when general aviation began speaking with
a single voice of reason in support of pilots and the
machines they fly.
As I see it, AOPA has been nothing less than a caped
crusader protecting the liberty of everyone who flies
a general aviation aircraft. Were it not for AOPA, we'd
have fewer airports from which to fly, more VASIs
unnecessarily decommissioned, and more pilots sporting handcuffs because they didn't respond quickly
enough to a U.S. Customs agent's command to "hit the
dirt." Without AOPA overseeing the FAA's often heavy
hand of regulation, we'd probably be rocked back
into the Stone Age of flying, where logging flight time
involves building airplanes out of actual logs. Just imagine what the radio calls would be like: "Tower, this is
Duraflame One reporting downwind. Be advised, I'll be
landing hot."
This is why I plan on celebrating AOPA's founding
this month. I shall gather a few pilot friends (propeller
hats optional), raise a strainer of avgas (OK, something
a bit tastier), and chat about the significance of AOPA
and airplanes in our lives.
Join me in celebrating AOPA's seventy-fifth anniversary with the same enthusiasm that the French celebrate
Bastille Day. Treat the date as you would your wedding
anniversary-you wouldn't dare forget that special event,
especially if you enjoy sleeping indoors. Despite the
good intentions of many individuals, groups, and government organizations, their behaviors sometimes lead
to a reduction in your liberty to fly. AOPA stands guard
against these forces. The organization is to general aviation as Batman is to Gotham City. Strangely enough, both
were founded on the same date. Coincidence? You make
the call-or use that searchlight.
AOPA
WEB

www.rodmachado.com

http://www.rodmachado.com

AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2014

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