First Angel Flight

Very cool Jack!

Hats off to you and all AF guys & gals who give back to those in need!

I hope to be able to do that someday as well.

Best Regards,
Todd

"jmk" wrote in news:1150119295.329485.190150
@c74g2000cwc.googlegroups.com:

Snipola
"You know," she said, "that's the first time since the accident six
years ago that I wasn't 'different.' I've got lots of friends at
school, and all that, but there, even with my friends, I'm, you know,
the burned one. At camp... well, we were all just *us*."
Snipola

Pardon me for borrowing this tale for my own purposes....

This story exemplifies the problem with society in which
those who are different for *ANY* reason are outcasted
and how some of those who are different make such an issue
of it that no-one ever accepts anybody.

A specific case in point. There's talk of Hillary running
for president. This Country is not ready for a woman President.
Nor is this Country is not ready for a black President. Why?
Because people will see them as a 'woman' President, or a
'black' President. When we see a person and say "they'd make
a good President" without regard to gender or race or any
other factor, then we are ready. BTW, some of our best
Presidents would never have been able to run today because
of their 'issues'.

Another specific example is how on applications for employment
there is a check box for race. Yet also on that same paper
is a statement that they do not discriminate. Does any one
else see the problem here? We're not supposed to base our
decisions on who's 'different' yet we want to know who is
'different'.

Yet another example was hurricane Katrina. When I saw the
pictures of the devestated neighborhoods, I said to myself,
"I feel sorry for those people". Then I realized 'those
people' were mostly black and knew that the media was about
to play the race card, which they did.

We should be proud of our differences and our limitations
and our advantages. We should never have to hide them for
fear of ridicule. We should look at another person and say,
"that's a fine human being", or "that's a lousy human being",
not because of what they are, but because of what they have
done.

I feel for this little girl because of the struggle she will
have for the rest of her life, but I also hold hope becuase
she has learned what 'humanity' should not be, and perhaps
she may be the one to make everyone realize what fools they
are.

I hope when grows up she becomes President.

And thank you all who volunteer for these flights.

Brian
--
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"Jack Allison" wrote in message
...

Snip Inspiring Story

Just for Jay B., two Marine F-18s landed as we were taxiing for departure
from Fresno. Sorry man, the camera was in the flight bag, in the back
seat. I didn't get to taxi close to the ANG ramp either or I'd have some
F-16 pix...well, as good as a $200 Cannon digital will do. :-) A pair of
T-38s took off as we getting established on a 6 mile final. Didn't see
them though, just thought "cool!" when the tower was informing another
plane about the departure.


Jack,

Trust me, there nothing higher on the "coolness" scale than what you did for
that little girl...

Well done sir.

Jay B

("Jay Beckman" wrote)
Trust me, there nothing higher on the "coolness" scale than what you did
for that little girl...

Well done sir.


Agreed!

...unless he could do his AF in one of those jets. :-)


Montblack

jmk wrote:

"You know," she said, "that's the first time since the accident six
years ago that I wasn't 'different.' I've got lots of friends at
school, and all that, but there, even with my friends, I'm, you know,
the burned one. At camp... well, we were all just *us*."

This exact point was brought up by the Angel Flight West folks. They
said that one of the biggest benefits of the burn camp is that the kids
get a chance to feel normal. I'd never really thought of that, despite
the perfect sense it makes. I sure know I'll be looking for this event
on the Angel Flight calendar next year.


--
Jack Allison
PP-ASEL-Instrument Airplane
Arrow N2104T

"When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the Earth
with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there
you will always long to return"
- Leonardo Da Vinci

(Remove the obvious from address to reply via e-mail)

Jay Beckman wrote:

Trust me, there nothing higher on the "coolness" scale than what you did for
that little girl...

Yeah, the Jet-A burning hardware was a little icing on the cake for this
former Air Force brat. If the final destination was out in the middle
of nowhere with nothing but spam cans on the ramp, it would have been
just fine. The smile we got and seeing this gal recognize a friend from
past years at camp was worth way more than the price of admission.


--
Jack Allison
PP-ASEL-Instrument Airplane
Arrow N2104T

"When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the Earth
with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there
you will always long to return"
- Leonardo Da Vinci

(Remove the obvious from address to reply via e-mail)

Jack Allison wrote:

This exact point was brought up by the Angel Flight West folks. They
said that one of the biggest benefits of the burn camp is that the kids
get a chance to feel normal. I'd never really thought of that, despite
the perfect sense it makes.

Quite some years ago there was a PBS story on a researcher who is
working on biomuscular control to help people who are paralized below
the waist actually walk (then even made a TV movie about his research).
One thing I still remember about the documentary was at the end they
interviewed a bunch of the research subjects. Usual questions,
including "Well, what's the biggest difference it has made in your
life?"

What I still remember was that, almost to a person, every one of them
said not the increased mobility, or the increased accessibility to
buildings... No, the biggest thing that virtually every one of them
listed as the number one change it had made to their lives: "It lets me
talk to people at their level, look them in the eye."

In other words, it makes them "not different."

Yes, most differences are to be cherished. But we all remember our
school days... we are social animals. As the Amish learned long ago,
"shunning" is one of the worst punishments we can inflict.

In article , Jack Allison wrote:
[snip]
While it felt good flying a 3.2 hour IFR x-c on a nice day, it was even
better that we were able to help get our passenger to camp. My wife
even made her some brownies to share with here friends. So, 3.4 hours
on Mr. Hobbs, 38.8 gallons of 100ll (I was running at 24/24 to see what
the fuel burn would be going "fast(er)"), a great day to fly, and last
but certainly not least, using the gift of flight in a very tangable
way...it doesn't get much better.

Nice write-up, Jack. Some of the most rewarding flying I've done has
been the 12 AF missions I did last year for AFNE. Once things settle
down here, I'm looking forward to signing up with AFW.


Morris