Among the first ways I got into aviation was by writing articles for an online aviation news website. I vividly remember using my free periods in high school to quickly research and write articles then compile them onto a WordPress website with pictures and tags for publication.
Writing these articles did wonders for teaching me about aviation and igniting my passion for it. I also had the opportunity to meet aviation enthusiasts from around the world who joined together in their shared passion for flight. I got to meet pilots, spotters, analysts, and everything in between, all using their gifts to spread the joy of aviation.
I was also introduced to another method of exploring aviation: photography. To this day I have not started the wildly successful aviation Instagram page I once dreamed of, but I have found ways to engage with aviation in a new media. Most notably, I have found a calling, not in photography, but in video production. While Instagram has not panned out, I have tried my hand at creating a YouTube channel.
My online work is nothing extraordinary. I simply post videos out the window of commercial jets whenever I am taking off or landing. Sometimes I’ll manage to overlay ATC audio with my footage. It’s certainly not the most intricate channel out there, and I have no plans to film my personal flights for public consumption. However, I have found that, from the modest audience I have, plenty of my viewers are eager to share their experiences with me.
Many of the stories I hear recount the history of Chicago’s Midway International Airport, which I have passed through – and filmed – a number of times. Midway is considered a challenging airport among airline pilots. It has relatively short runways, just large enough for the Boeing 757, but even the pilots flying 737s and Airbus A320s there get a good workout. Midway covers an area of only one square mile and is bounded on all sides by a vibrant neighborhood on Chicago’s south side (which, by the way, is named for the airport).
Before the jet age, Midway was Chicago’s primary airport, and it was the world’s busiest for a time. When the jet age came around, the need for longer runways demanded Chicago’s main airport be moved outside the city. Midway had airline service on and off until Southwest became a permanent fixture.
Through my travels on the airline of LUV, I have heard plenty from former employees who worked for the likes of TWA and even Midway Airlines back in the day, and some have left me practical essays about their memories. Getting a glimpse back in time is a joy for the plane nut that I am, and interacting with viewers from all over the country has been a delight.
This is the essence of what I hope to achieve with aviation media production. I was fascinated by photography not because of the news associated with each picture but because of the stories and adventures I anticipated with each new photo. In writing an article about a foreign airline, I got to add pictures of big planes at big airports across the country and the world, and I got to imagine what it would be like to hop on the new flights just announced by a carrier I hadn’t flown on yet. Or I got to ponder upon a soon-to-close service that I never got to try.
The same is true with sharing my own flights. I delight in helping others relive fond memories from decades ago. I have even heard from people who do not enjoy the luxury of flight for one reason or another but who enjoy getting to live the experience in a new way. I have also been able to share new aspects of aviation with people who already love it, like sharing the Air Traffic Control audio that I am so accustomed.
I do, of course, have the opportunity to continue engaging with aviation in a way that isn’t work. I love what I do and am incredibly lucky to have an opportunity to fly airplanes for a living, but I also cherish the opportunity to engage with aviation for myself without expectations of success, nerves over my responsibilities, or exhaustion from my commitments. I get to remember why I fell in love with aviation and stay grounded in my goals and aspirations.
I don’t expect to become famous from YouTube anytime soon, if ever, and producing these videos is as much for myself more than anything else. At the end of the day, I just enjoy sharing my passion for aviation in a relaxed manner and hearing all the cool stories other people have to share. All that is worth it to me to spend the time and effort working on videos. Hopefully one day, I’ll have the opportunity to share a wider array of experiences and trips than just those I fly for work or family. Until then, I cannot wait to keep sharing my love of flight and hearing from all who join me.
