A Life-Changing Choice

Fifth-place winner — EAA’s Pilot Your Own Adventure contest, supported by Flight Outfitters

STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY

BY CHRISTOPHER GAYMAN

I THINK MY story may have sparked from a different origin than most. When I was 5 years old, I had an unfortunate accident that resulted in me losing my foot. I don’t remember much from the event, but there are two flashes of memory that I can still see vividly in my head nearly 30 years later: when I was being placed in the back of Hershey Medical Center’s Life Lion helicopter and waking up for a short time during the flight to the Philadelphia Children’s Hospital. Needless to say, it was not a great way to experience my first flight;

If I was asked to point a finger at the moment in time when aviation became my life, it would be that one. It may have only been a minute as that helicopter passed overhead and landed softly in the backyard, but that was the moment.

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After a traumatic accident, you have two choices for your life. One, you can let the emotions and the challenges of your injuries get the better of you. Or two, you can embrace the situation and not let it stop you from doing whatever it is you want to do in life. My parents didn’t even consider the first choice as an option. From the day of the accident, they instilled in me that I could do whatever I wanted. I just had to set my mind to it.

As a child, I was always interested in aviation. It probably stemmed from my father who was/is a private pilot but had to give up his hobby when I entered the picture. As I recovered, my family actively looked for ways to make sure I knew I could make the best of the situation. Knowing my love for aviation, they located a local company at the Lancaster Airport, Dutch Country Helicopters. The company was owned by a gentleman whose name was Charles “Charlie” Hollinger. I concede that I do not know his story beyond his name. The interesting thing was, Charlie was also an amputee. If I recall correctly, he was missing both of his legs.

At that time, we lived in a development on a small patch of property, probably not even an acre. I remember

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ADVERTISING MANAGER: Sue Anderson the house had a red-painted wood deck overlooking the backyard that was mostly surrounded by trees. It was a sunny day, and my parents had strategically positioned me outside on the deck. I can still remember seeing the bubble of that Bell 47 helicopter as it appeared over the treetops and passed low over our house. The helicopter circled a few times before making an approach and landing in our backyard. Two words could have probably described my reaction: mind blown. It was Charlie, and that was the day he became part of my story. Charlie came that day and didn’t charge my parents anything for the visit. He came to show me what he had accomplished, even with his disability. He wanted me to know I could do it, too.

This is the saddest part of this story — he wanted to take me for a ride, but I was too shy and overwhelmed by the situation and elected not to go. I did get to ride with him a few years later after meeting him again at a fair where he was giving rides.

If I was asked to point a finger at the moment in time when aviation became my life, it would be that one. It may have only been a minute as that helicopter passed overhead and landed softly in the backyard, but that was the moment.

Fast-forward. As I grew older, I had RC airplanes, and I would ride my bicycle to the flying field and happily enjoyed flying my balsa wood airplanes. In high school, for career day, I shadowed a flight instructor. After graduating high school, I attended a four-year bachelor’s program at Pennsylvania College of Technology for aviation maintenance and became an A&P mechanic. While in college, I started helicopter instruction, running my financially poor college self out of funds quickly.

I pivoted and completed a fixed-wing certificate with a good friend, Scott Welch. Over the next few years, I ticked the box of a few more ratings: instrument and commercial. Then I added an inspection authorization to my A&P certificate. My heart was still with that Bell 47 floating into my younger self’s backyard. I also wanted to finish my helicopter rating.