Whether you’re flying for business or fun, private aircraft are wonderful things. They enable us to travel whenever and wherever we want. But it does have a downside. All too often it makes us so efficient and busy that we forget to be truly thankful for what a fantastic privilege business and general aviation truly is.
.jpg)
Think about it: Nowhere else on the planet are people as free to get aboard a small airplane and go from point A to point B with so much safety and efficiency. We can do that because two brothers in Ohio had a dream and the commitment beat all the odds to see it through. I am very thankful they did.
I am also thankful for all the other visionaries who had a better way to do things and then did them – Jeppesen, Doolittle, Cessna, Beech, Piper, Lear, Sikorsky and Easton, just to name a few. I know that everyone here at Genesys Aerosystems is very thankful for the work done by a fellow named George DeBeeson – the “father” of modern autopilots.
While it’s important to recognize the pioneers of aviation, I think it’s even more important to appreciate the people who support our industry today. We all should be especially thankful for everyone who dreams of flying – and then learns to do it. And then continues to rent or buy an airplane and all the “necessary” stuff that goes with it.
None of us would be where we are if it weren’t for them, whether they’re flying a 150 or a G550, everyone in aviation matters – and shame on us when we lose sight of that.
So this holiday season, let’s all just take an extra minute during our individual celebrations to give a little bit of extra thanks for our predecessors, our colleagues, our customers and our friends – all the people that come together to create the wonderful world of aviation. Cheers!
Until next time, fly safely,
Jamie