AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2020 - 24

FLYING LIFE

A little push

BY NATALIE BINGHAM HOOVER

The drawer of lonely logbooks

Of 41 logbooks in
the drawer, NATALIE
BINGHAM HOOVER
was able to find
contact info for 22
pilots. Of those, five
people said they'd
like to come back
for more flying
lessons.

24 | AOPA PILOT April 2020

DURING MY FIRST WEEK ON THE JOB as chief instructor
at Air Venture Flight Center, the office administrator was helping me get the lay of the paperwork land
when she opened the drawer of a large filing cabinet.
"This is where you put the logbooks of the people
who took flights with us, then never returned to finish their rating," she said. I was shocked and a little
saddened by that drawer of lonely logbooks, representing perhaps 40 to 50 people who would never
become pilots. My precious logbooks are kept in the
safe when not in use, right along with my college
diploma and my children's birth certificates. It blew
my mind that someone would make the time commitment and financial investment in flight training, then
just walk away with nothing.
My first thought, as first thoughts often are, was
not my finest. If these people don't care enough to see
their rating through or at least come pick up their logbook in case they decide to try aviation again in the
future, then we don't want them in our ranks. Aviation
requires dedication and a constant commitment to proficiency. How safe would those quitters actually be if
they did come back out and get their ticket? And that's
when the still small voice in my head reminded me
that I was very close to being lumped in that drawer
once upon a time.
When I took my first introductory flight, I knew
I loved it and could be happy flying airplanes forever, but the overwhelming task of securing financing
and rearranging my schedule for flight lessons had
me paralyzed. I can't say with certainty that I would
have taken the steps to pursue aviation had that flight
instructor not given me a call a few weeks later to say,
"Hey, just checking on you. When are you coming back
for another lesson?" I'll never know what his motivation was. Maybe he was broke and needed another
student. Or maybe he knew I just needed a little push.
Whatever the reason, I'll always be grateful he picked
up the phone one more time.
Yesterday, I did a checkride for a man who took
more than three years to finish his commercial certificate. He moved to Florida with the intention of
pursuing aviation and plugged along nicely, earning
his private certificate quickly. But then his instructor
got hired at the airlines, and he was passed around
like the leftover fruitcake that nobody wants after the
holidays. Unfortunately, his story is a common one.

Many people cite their reason for leaving aviation as
an instructor or flight school's unprofessional and
unfriendly treatment. This guy didn't let it deter him,
though. After the constant ping-pong of instructors,
he depleted his flight training funds (another common
reason for quitting). So, he looked elsewhere for funding, eventually securing a scholarship and finding a
flight school that at last felt like home. He earned his
commercial certificate there after having to relearn a
few things, and yesterday, I handed him his certificated
flight instructor certificate. He had every reason in the
world to walk away, but he kept at it, and he will now
get to make a living doing what he loves.
Stories like his make me wonder: What is the difference between people who doggedly pursue their
dreams and people who end up in the drawer of lonely
logbooks? I am writing this piece in January for publication in the April issue of AOPA Pilot. January is
the time of resolutions (mine is to write 5,000 words
a week). So, I'm sending a message through time to
April, that we will be motivated by the commitment of
our January selves. Let's make this the year we don't
let any excuse derail us from our big plans.
For all of you who have picked up aviation and
then put it back down, maybe you need to keep hunting for the right flight school so you can finally earn
your private pilot certificate. If money is an issue, look
for scholarships or loans, sell your left arm if you have
to, but don't let that be the reason you give up on a
promise you made to yourself. Or maybe you've been
a private pilot for years, but life is busy and now you
have three kids and two jobs. It's time to get intentional about your schedule so you can finally take
those instrument lessons you've been putting off. I
know that for me, the only time that can be sacrificed
is time formerly spent sleeping. The alarm goes off at
4:30 a.m. now so I can steal an hour every day to write
before the joyful chaos of three small children ends
the silence of the wee hours.
I'd also like to encourage all of you who know
someone whose life would be better with a little air
time in it. I know I'll personally be going through
that drawer of logbooks, reaching out with an invitation back to the airport. I might even call them a
second time or a third. Sometimes all people need
is a little push. 
AOPA
myaviation101.com
http://www.myaviation101.com
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2020

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