Over the years, I have come to greatly appreciate the power of my communities. Aviation is a great example of that and is a community I am proud to be a part of.
The beautiful part of a strong community is its ability to bring people together over a shared passion, activity, or experience. Regardless of what else is going on, those within a strong community can always connect and bond over their shared experiences.
I am lucky enough to have people around me whom I greatly trust. Years of shared experiences, mentorship, victories, and setbacks have gifted me strong bonds that I know I can count on, regardless of how my opinions may differ from those around me.
If anything, my communities have helped me maintain strong connections with others despite how our opinions may differ. By engaging with others through shared experiences, I have developed mutual respect for a range of people in various stages of life, with unique experiences, and with valuable opinions. My communities have helped me find people who solve problems effectively, who respect everyone as individuals, and who are honest and respectful.
By finding these communities, I have also found people who I know will stand with me in difficult situations. No matter how challenging a situation I find myself in, I trust that I can find a space to be myself, to rest and relax and destress with people and in places where I don’t need to worry about judgment.
I have found that being able to rely on people in this way is critically important in the aviation industry. I have stood with colleagues through deaths, unsatisfactory checkrides, and lost medicals. I started flying at the onset of the Coronavirus pandemic as pilots wondered about the future of their jobs. And I know that my mentors, who have years more experience than I do, have equally supported their colleagues through a wide range of difficult situations.
It is heartwarming to know that, through it all, there is a strong and vibrant community of pilots, cabin crew, ground handlers, ticket agents, and enthusiasts who are so quick to reach out and support one another. In many cases, my close connections have been of significant help getting through tough times.
These sentiments apply to a wide range of people I know. I have encountered few other industries – and hobbies – where people of such varying personal beliefs, social situations, and worldviews have put it all aside to support one another. To me, this is all the more proof that I can trust the people around me with whatever I might bring.
This, of course, is fundamentally a very logical conclusion. After all, for each flight, aviation professionals are quite literally trusting their fellow crew members with their own lives. This is due in large part to how highly-standardized aviation is in the first place. Fundamentally, this standardization provides the basis – the shared language, the common experience – that allows aviation professionals and enthusiasts to relate so well to each other. After all, if we can manage the same situations together, who’s to say that we can’t share much more?
I am thrilled for my future in the aviation industry, no matter where it takes me. In just a few short years, I have found a group of wonderful people I trust and rely on daily. I am highly optimistic as I consider how I will continue to grow and evolve as my career continues, and I am looking forward to how my community will continue to expand and deepen.
