AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 45

As we go through life, we all have mountains
to climb. I realize now that initially I was
following my childhood friend, Larry Leonard,
up his mountain as we went through high
school. Larry is a great life-long friend of mine,
born just across the street from me, in July 1962.
He was an excellent athlete and self-confident
in everything he did. He was a state champion
swimmer and an acrobatic athlete, able to
perform amazing feats on the trampoline and
cliff diving off the rocky ledges of Lake Travis,
west of Austin. I was his tagalong. I was happy
to be in his company, but I never ascended to
his feats of physicality. I allowed myself to live
in his shadow.
When I was 16 years old, I decided to take
flying lessons and pursue my dream of becoming
a pilot. Each lesson gave me more confidence as
I overcame the challenges that Mother Nature
threw at me. I gained self-confidence in what
I was able to accomplish in an airplane and at
the thought of pleasing my instructor, Richard
Lovell. I was growing to be my own person. I
faced gusty winds or set out on a cross-country
flight, navigating visually from town to town.
Accomplishing those feats as a 17-year-old
started to increase my self-esteem. Aviation
became my mountain.
By the time I was 18, I earned my private
pilot certificate in the week before setting off
to college. I was no longer following Larry up
his mountain but now was climbing my own.
I joined the Reserve Officers Training Corps
(ROTC) at the University of Texas and took up
leadership roles during each of the four years
of college. At field training camp I became a
recognized leader and by my senior year in
college became the commander of the Cadet
Corps. My confidence in my abilities grew by
leaps and bounds and it was only because I
chose to pursue my own path and not follow
somebody else up their mountain.
Prior to every takeoff, pilots announce to
the tower that they are " ready for takeoff. " The
systems have been checked and the pilot is
mentally prepared for whatever control comes
next. Psychologists know that some children
benefit from equine therapy, interacting with
horses to help them break out of their shell and
gain self-confidence. I benefited from " aviation
therapy. " Aviation has influenced my life in so
many positive ways. I grew up shy and lacking
self-confidence, but aviation changed me for
the better.
Completing a challenging instrument
approach in bad weather or leading an Air
Force crew on international missions to austere
locations bolstered my self-confidence and
decisiveness. I came out of my shell to become
a " people person, " happily talking to anyone,
anywhere. Karin even remarked that I was now
the " social butterfly " of our marriage.
According to Maslow's well-known
" Hierarchy of Needs, " humans are motivated
by five needs: physiological
(food
and
clothing), safety (job
security), love and
belonging (friendship),
esteem (respect, status,
recognition), and selfactualization
(the desire
to become the most one
can be). My flying career fulfilled these needs. I
moved beyond my childhood friends and set out
on a career my fighter-pilot uncle had enjoyed. I
persevered from my days beginning as a bomber
navigator to realizing my dream of becoming an
Air Force pilot. I now belonged to a fraternity of
aviators, providing both friendship, recognition,
and respect. Once selected to be an Andrews
AFB Gulfstream pilot, I was surrounded by likeminded,
highly professional pilots, whose main
goal was the perfect execution of a smooth flight
in support of our very important passengers in
Washington, D.C. We wanted to be the best we
could possibly be.
Through aviation, I learned to make
decisions, some of which could have life-ordeath
consequences. I scared myself a few
times, but truly believe that I embody the slogan,
" What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger. " The
life lessons I learned through aviation made me
ready to take off into adulthood and a successful
military career.
No matter your role in life, find your
mountain and begin the climb.
David Dale
is a retired U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel,
previously serving as an instructor/evaluator
in both the KC-10 and Gulfstream G-V (military
C-37A). He is the author of an aviation memoir,
Ready For Takeoff: Stories from an Air Force
Pilot. He is currently a captain for Southwest
Airlines and lives in the Texas Hill Country.
AOPA PILOT / September 2024
45
Aviation has influenced my life in
so many positive ways. I grew up
shy and lacking self-confidence, but
aviation changed me for the better.
AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2024

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