One of my favorite books is Stranger to the Ground by Richard Bach and in the book, the introduction written by Gill Robb Wilson exemplifies the fascination of aviation in his philosophy of life matured.

It was stated, that for this book to be written; it first had to be flown. I couldn’t agree more because throughout the journey of the book you are strapped in the cockpit, as the co-pilot along for whatever adventures lie ahead.

Rarely, it is realized that in the achievement of just over 100 years of flight, what great strides have been taken to accomplish this feat of aviation.

Perhaps, during no other point in history has humankind had to call more deeply on resources of both of heart and mind than in any previous endeavor.

There is nothing in human nature which can prepare people for flight.  Hundreds of generations have been firmly rooted in instincts of earth-bound habits.

Everything surrounding flight had to be invented – the aircraft; the instruments; the engines; the navigation systems; the communications; the airports – everything.  Going beyond this, the founders and creators had to meld numerous scientific discoveries into workable solutions. Often these solutions were a series of compromises, lending themselves during this process to unprecedented experiments.

Take a moment right now and contemplate the magnitude of what aviation is. We have been surrounded by it for our entire lifetime, and some of us who are aviation professionals have an even more intimate association with it.  Just marvel at the depth of the spiritual and intellectual resources it took for this accomplishment, rather than solely at the altitudes and speeds achieved.

Aviation as a whole is a triumph of modern times; as reaching toward the stars is, as much as an extension of the human spirit, as it is a breakthrough in science.

Science is the servant
Spirit is the master

This is the message not only of the book but also in the philosophy of life matured.  It is the essence of passion, through the love of a pilot for their plane.

What are you thoughts on this philosophy? Please comment. As always I love to hear from my readers.  Thanks again for coming along for this ride, you make my work worthwhile.