“For once you have tasted flight, you will walk the Earth with your eyes turned skywards; for there you have been and there you will long to return…” -Leonardo da Vinci
As a child I would often sit and gaze at the sky, watching and pondering with great curiosity the mysteries of the sky above me. I would watch the planes and helicopters in the sky, see the contrails of the jets thousands of feet above me and dream of what it would be like to be inside of one of them. I saw shapes and wonders in the clouds above and around me and marveled at the great wonders that created the heavens above. At twelve I was at a point in my life where the sky was the only safe haven for me, and my thoughts were there always. I used to daydream about the clouds and the planes and the wonderful world above my head. Back then, daydreaming during the day was considered to indicate a problem with the mind and those around me decided to drug me to “correct” my condition. Thankfully, it didn’t work and I would spend the rest of my life remembering the solace those dreams provided.
Once I was old enough, I left for the Marine Corps as as soon as I could I started to learn to fly. I was terrified of flying it turns out, or more correctly terrified of heights. But nothing would stand in my way of what I considered would be the greatest achievement of my life – my pilot’s license. Anyone that knows me knows that I attack everything with a single minded passion. No second thoughts, no going back, no delay. Attack and advance an never retreat. I took the same attitude with my flying. I worked on the private, instrument, commercial and Flight instructor ratings and licenses like a man on a mission.
But as much as I enjoyed the art of flying and the art of teaching (yes, I feel teaching is actually an art) I realized that I enjoyed exposing others to flying as much as I liked the flying itself. Most of my friends know that I am very passionate about the things that I believe in doing. Most of my friend’s wifes will tell you the same thing as I generally try and involve my friends as much as possible. As I continued to fly, I remembered my days as a young boy and how the dreams of flight often consumed my waking moments and often my nights. While at the time it was a way for me to cope with things going on around me, it became a physical passion as well. I think I was around 13 or 14 when I took my first ever airplane ride in Canada. It was a small float plane from a small lake, and I was terrified but I was so excited that I think I had died and gone to heaven. Here I was, a young kid, actually flying in the cockpit of a plane, the world was now below me instead of above me!
As time progresses and my flying progressed, I started to look for ways to share my flying with others. I cannot tell you how many of my friends have been flying with me, but its a safe bet that it is almost all of them. I also cannot even begin to explain how much flying has affected my life. As a young 19 year old pilot and flight instructor I had the opportunity to work out of Oceanside Airport as an instructor. In that process, I began to meet people that would remain my friends years into the future. My flight instructor, Ed Fernett and his family are still very close friends of mine today. Another friend I met because they traveled to the US from Hong Kong so the father, Paul, could get his license. I met his son, Nick when he was 13 or 14 and I still get to fly with him all these years later when he comes to the US to visit. To me, aviation is not a hobby, it is a way of life. Everyone with whom I have contact I try to expose to the wonders of flying.
The other thing that aviation does for me is expands my boundaries. I have people that I care about all over the place and frankly, flying gives me the opportunity to go see them more often than I would have otherwise. I never think about driving until I have ruled out flying! I am one of the luckiest guys around, I am living my dream each time I get into the cockpit of the plane or helicopter to go flying.
A little later in life, I decided that I wanted to be more involved with mentoring and working with boys. Growing up, the Big Brothers program provided me with much needed positive male influence on my life, since all other male influence until that time had been less than positive. I learned about trust, commitment, friendship, integrity, honor and generosity from someone not even related to me…a stranger who choose to give of himself through the Big Brother program so that I would have the chance to have positive relationship with a good male role model. I grew up and joined the Big Brothers program of San Diego so that I could so the same in return. I also volunteer with the Boy Scouts as an Aviation Merit Badge Counselor (go figure). I volunteer for the EAA Young Eagles program where I provide flights for young people aged 8 to 18. And I also volunteer for Angel Flight, providing much needed air transportation for critical ill patients unable to travel any other way.
To me, life is about giving and this is most evident I think in my passion for flying. I have flown with hundreds of kids and friends over the years, and many of those kids still go flying with me today, only they are no longer kids, they are young adults building a life and family of their own. The great thing is that they remember the first or second time they ever flew with me. Another great aspect is that there are many of my friends and their kids that think nothing of going flying with me because they have done it so many times. They still enjoy it, but it has become a common occurrence for them, almost as common as the sight of my helicopter over my neighborhood!
My dreams fueled my passion for flying and now that I have the means to do so, I try to engage as many people as possible in that passion. I currently have multiple friends in some stage of getting their pilot’s license as a result of my friendship with them. Two of them are even husband and wife! In my mind, being a kid is about never having to worry about things in life. The worst thing a kid should have to worry about is his or her grades and maybe if its their turn to take out the trash. In my mind, kids should not have a care in the world. In addition, I think that childhood should be fun and exciting and filled with wonder. I do not have children, but I do have God children and most of them have been flying with me since they were very young. Any of my friends or neighbors that have kids have all gotten invitations from me to go flying. In fact, many of those kids have had their friends show up to go flying with us as well. Several times we have had birthday parties where the kids got to go flying as part of the party.
My goal is simple – to make memories for young people that will last their lifetime and in doing so, hopefully encourage them to do something for a young person someday that will give that person memories that will last a lifetime. Life is about people. Life is about dreams. Without either of those things, why wold life be worth living? What is the old saying about being important in the life of a child..? Its true, I have seen it first hand. I am who I am today as a result of someone feeling the same way and hopefully, long after I have left this earth, people will be telling their grandchildren or great grandchildren about their dreams and the flights they took with me that fueled those dreams!
I still dream and I would hope that you do do too! If you want to make a difference in the life of a child, please contact one of the organizations below. Hopefully someone was important to you as a child and you can take the time to return that gift.
And whatever you do, never stop dreaming!
Big Brothers and Big Sisters of San Diego
Hi – I am the author – Richard Sears. I have been a pilot and flight instructor for over 20 years!
If you live in the San Diego area and would like to arrange a free airplane or helicopter flight for your child (age 8 to 18) through the EAA Young Eagles please email me at richard@sears.net
Parents are more than welcome to ride along and get hooked!
