Connected

HANDS ON FLYING

Tracy Thurman thurmantracyt@gmail.com

The agricultural aviation community is a small one. We’re like a small town that just happens to be scattered out around the world. The operations we work for are simply the neighborhoods we live in. Like a small town, we pretty much know each other, or we are at least familiar with the names.

Like any small town, we come together to grieve over the loss of one of our own. We pitch in to lend a hand when there’s trouble or tragedy and we cheer for our neighbors and friends when weddings happen, babies are born or any occasion when the good Lord blesses them. That’s the best part.

And, like any small town we have our gossip and drama. Not much, but some. And some is enough. Of course, we often know when a guy is doing wrong, just as we know when he’s doing right. I keep imagining (remembering) an old woman leaning from a window with a scolding scowl, shaking an accusatory finger, “I’m gonna tell your momma I saw you smokin’!”

We tend to leave each other alone for the most part. In this industry we are folks who value independence and the fact that a man shoulders the responsibility for his own decisions and actions. Right, wrong, or otherwise. We’ll slap him on the back and shake his hand when he deserves it. We’ll let him learn a lesson, then help him back up if he falls; when he deserves it.

We have a solid support system contained in our common bonds. Friendships and professional relationships are more valuable than a flat, sixmile run at a gallon an acre, on a cool clear day with no wires.

The best reputation a man can have is for someone to say they never heard of him. No news is good news. Our world has gotten mighty small over the last several years. The Internet and social media have brought us together as though we all lived next door. By the time I go to work in the afternoon, I might already know how the day has progressed for the boys in Texas, Kansas, Arkansas, Florida, or anywhere else; even Australia or South America.

It’s good to be connected and have opportunities to get to know people we may not have otherwise had the chance to meet. There’s a lot of darn nice people in the ag aviation world and the agricultural sector as a whole. I have a lot of good friends out there I’ve never met face to face. Pilots I respect and admire even though I’ve never personally seen them fly. Operators who I would consider the finest in the business even though I’ve never been to their hangars. Maybe that’s taking a lot for granted. Maybe it’s not. We share an in depth commonality that gives us all a good understanding of what an ag pilot is, or at least should be.

Social media comes with an unlimited chance for misunderstandings and disagreements. When a person is typing out a statement, he is missing a lot of the natural means of communication we humans rely on in order to understand the what, why, and where, of what a person is saying. Capturing the ability to clearly communicate through the typewritten word, (even with “emojis”) is difficult for most people, downright impossible for others.

We’ve learned to take these things into consideration, most of the time. It’s been a learning curve for our society and particularly for folks who, like us, might be on the backside of social technology and emerging customs. And, by the way for the most part, is a fine enough place for me.

We have a presence in the world and we therefore have a presence on social media. I once heard a man say, “If you want to know what a man is made of, judge him not by his friends, but by his enemies.” We have plenty who oppose us and they troll social media sites for ammunition to use against us. Naturally, we want to avoid photos and videos that display the kind of flying or operating practices that could reflect negatively on the industry.

I think sometimes we definitely take the idea to an extreme when we start worrying about how someone “might” misconstrue what we’re doing. The fact is, we can’t worry ourselves over every detail or possible outcome of what some falsely educated, low intelligence person may or may not try to twist to suit their agenda. We simply have no control over them or what they might or might not do. We can, however, use common sense and a prudent approach to what we share and how we portray ourselves and others we are associated with. We sure don’t want to make it easy for them. We are a dynamic breed of aviator. There’s no slot or bin we can be placed in and be told to sit still and shut up. Ain’t gonna happen. And that’s just the way it is.

Sometimes we’ll come across something that appears to be a threat. There have been times when we’ve gotten a thorn in our side and instead of trying to heal the wound, we’ve managed to aggravate it until it festered, swelled up and caused us more grief than it was worth. Pluck the damn thing out, and let it heal. Leave it alone, don’t scratch it. It will go away before you know it.

The bottom line is, we all come from the same place. A place that smells like Av-Gas, Jet-A, pesticides, grease and sweat. We live and work in a little place called agricultural aviation that occupies some of the largest parcels of real estate on the planet. We’re all born with an odd DNA strand that ties us together and causes us to need a certain amount of adrenaline to survive. Our brothers test positive for toxic masculinity and our sisters all carry a rare type of feminine strength that has become an endangered trait among modern women. Together we move forward. All of us, in our little town around the world. Just watch out for Mrs. Carpenter, she’ll tattle on you in a heartbeat.

Fly well, and stay safe!