Pied Piper Pilots

Time has a way of speeding along, and my nephew Kermit, who used to hang around the airport with me as a kid, is now the father of two teenage sons.

Neither of these youngsters seems to have the passion for flight that their dear old dad has. Kermit is a senior airline captain now after coming up through the ranks of the down-and-dirty general aviation community. His upbringing in flying included stints towing banners over beaches, flying forestry missions, flight instructing, and, of course, the ubiquitous charter/corporate world.

I had a part in that as his uncle, but truthfully, he did it himself. Once he discovered flying, he was unstoppable and never doubted or looked back. Now his sons are, as we say, "of flying age," although both have soloed, neither seems to want to do the hard work necessary to survive and thrive in the great big world of professional aviation.

"I love my boys and know they will turn out alright, but I worry about their futures," Kermit said. "I tried everything I could to interest them in flying, but they seem to take it for granted and aren't fired up about it."

I have noticed that I said. You have had those kids at the airport since they had predictable bathroom habits. They have gone flying and had great fun and opportunities because you are already successful. I think that may be the problem.

"What do you mean?" he said.

Perhaps being around the old man's passion and career made the boys take it for granted. Maybe they are not kids who think they should have the same jobs and interests as their parents. 

My opinion, which you never asked for, is that the world of aviation may be going in the wrong direction if it wants to attract the next generation of rabidly interested aviators. I think we need to make it harder and maybe pretend that we don't care if they get into it.

Almost every aviation group or club has a youth outreach program, and I understand the impulse and applaud their success. I have flown more than my share of Young Eagles and see the value and beauty of introducing flight to a new crop of young people who may have not otherwise ever set a butt cheek on to an aircraft seat.

One of these groups has even included a comic book in its magazine to attract newly literate kids. There is nothing wrong with any of that. The military has been doing the same thing for generations. I still have my World War II aviation adventure books on my shelves, and when I was a kid, the military would send me color posters and booklets on request.

Some of my Young Eagle kids no doubt got the bug from that first flight, but to most of them, it was another adult-organized freebee, like soccer practice or band camp. Think back on your youth; how excited would you be about a program your mom or dad signed you up for and drove you to?

You and I, Kermit, grew up in aviation by doing it. We were able to go to the local airport and hang around, soaking up the knowledge while we worked at crappy jobs like cleaning bathrooms, mowing the airport, and standing out in sweltering heat as we fueled other people's airplanes.

Sure, it was a hard way to do it, but how many kids did you grow up with whose parents paid for their flight training and sent them to various aviation camps made it to where you are now?

Maybe the way to attract the right kind of kids, the ones we can pass along our love of flying and our pride in doing it for a living, aren't necessarily the ones who get enrolled in special "let's get the kids on board" programs. Perhaps the best way to get them fired up is to give them access but then get out of their way.

Let's start by making airport ramps and hangars a place where teens can hang out if they want to work for it. We could continue to encourage their interest by butting out of their conversations and dreams. Many of the most meaningful and dumbest conversations I ever had were with my lineboy buddies when I was sixteen. A grownup would have shut us down and killed the fun.

Maybe we could quell the shrill talk from the flight training industry about how many pilots are needed to fill the maw of the airline meat grinder and emphasize that while being an airline pilot is okay, there are other flying jobs out there that are more than okay if you chase the fun and adventure without focusing on the money.

I am an opinionated old pilot who may be missing the mark here. Still, it could be that the adventurous times of growing up in the flying life without the benefit of dozens of committees, programs, and adult interventions are over. 

The world may have moved on from when a kid could bicycle to the airport, hang out, and annoy the FBO owner until they offered him a job, but maybe not. 

If you want to see who will be the driving force in the future of aviation, don't look to a kid who has been to a dozen free aviation intro programs run by the Pied Pipers of Flight. Look for the kid who shows up at the airport because they just want to be there and can't imagine being anywhere else. 

Look for the young person who has read every book on flying they can find. The kid who has been building aircraft models since they were five years old. 

Once you find these kids, my advice to encourage them is to open the airport gate for them and then leave them alone.