AOPA Pilot Magazine - August 2019 - 22

FLYING LIFE

The silver lining

BY NATALIE BINGHAM HOOVER

Everyday, heroes walk among us
ON SEPTEMBER 11, 2001, President George W. Bush
addressed a grieving nation: "Today, our nation
saw evil, the very worst of human nature, and we
responded with the best of America, with the daring
of our rescue workers, with the caring for strangers
and neighbors who came to give blood and help in
any way they could." Whenever something awful happens-a natural disaster or act of terror-there is a
tendency to feel demoralized about our world, about
the way human lives can be swept away in an instant
by a weather system or malicious act of violence.
But, invariably, after the sensational news stories
have died down, a different kind of story emerges.
Call it the silver lining, call it grace, call it the power
of human goodness having the last word-I always
have to remind myself to wait for it. In the aftermath
of some of our darkest times, people show up to help

In aviation, we have our own version of heroism,
when people in the aviation community show up
for each other-in big and small ways.

NATALIE BINGHAM
HOOVER is an FAA
designated pilot
examiner and a
corporate pilot with
a type rating in the
Beechjet.

22 | AOPA PILOT August 2019

each other in beautiful and inspiring ways. It's the
volunteer food drive in the wake of a hurricane, or a
Charleston, South Carolina, bridge filled with people
of different races linked arm in arm after a hateful act
that threatened to make us lose our faith.
In aviation, we have our own version of heroism,
when people in the aviation community show up
for each other-in big and small ways, in ways that
remind us we are not alone. I experienced this kindness personally one rainy night several years ago. I
had taken off from the Olive Branch, Mississippi, airport earlier in the day for a long cross-country with
a student. The plan was to fly three hours south to
Destin, Florida, for a late lunch. But by the time we
tried to get back home, thunderstorms were blocking our route. We ended up landing at Pontotoc
County Airport (22M) to wait for the storms to pass.
Pontotoc, Mississippi, is not the sort of place where
an FBO stays open past 5 p.m. It is, however, the sort
of place where people are friendly and, luckily for us,
willing to help a stranger.
As we taxied in, a truck pulled up beside us on the
ramp. The driver, Aubie Pearman, had been hosting

his child's birthday party when he looked out his living room window and saw an unfamiliar airplane
land. He didn't know who we were, but he knew
someone might need help, so he hopped in his truck
and drove over. Ten minutes later, my student and I
were being served a slice of Big Bird birthday cake by
Aubie's wife. They fed us and kept us dry, then drove
us back to the airport when the storm passed and it
was safe to go home. It may seem a small thing, but
a family invited two strangers into their home that
night. It's an act of kindness I have never forgotten.
I was giving a checkride recently and heard
another story similar to mine. My checkride applicant, Jack Householder, had been flying a rented
Cessna 172 when one of the engine's cylinders failed-
night, IMC, you get the idea. Scary stuff. His engine
limped along, making reduced power as he steadily
lost about 400 feet per minute. Jack immediately
called ATC and requested vectors to the nearest airport. With the help of that controller, he was able to
break out of the clouds with enough time to make a
safe approach and landing.
Taxiing to the ramp, in the dark, with light rain
spattering his windshield, Jack was grateful to be safe
but dreading the prospect of a cold night spent in his
airplane at a rural airport that was already closed.
If he were a local, he could have called someone for
help. But Jack had traveled up from Florida, so family and friends were several hours away. Minutes
later, the airport manager came riding up in his car,
saying he heard someone might need some help. He
had received a phone call from a worried air traffic
controller. That controller didn't have to make the
call, and that airport manager didn't have to leave
the comfort of his home on a cold, rainy night-but
they did.
I suspect stories like mine and Jack's are not that
rare. They will never make the nightly news, but I
think these are the kinds of stories we need to hear
more often. Everyday heroes walk among us. No matter what community you call home, whether New
York City, the aviation community, or a group of Little
League parents, let's keep an eye out for a chance to
show up for someone on their bad days; for a chance
to show someone that people care, for a chance to be
a part of the silver lining.
AOPA
myaviation101.com

http://www.myaviation101.com

AOPA Pilot Magazine - August 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - August 2019