An Appreciation of National Aviation Day

As a writer, I need to have a creative mind, but in no way do I equate what I do to those who innovate. So I am constantly fascinated by true creatives, the ones who have the ability to look at X and automatically think Y.

Or, in reality, think, "Why?"

I am being quite serious when I say I sometimes think about what went through people’s minds when they created something, at any level. What was the person thinking when they looked at a small stick, a piece of hard candy, and said “I’m going to combine these two and call it a lollipop?” Or the person who decided it would be a great idea to put a piece of cotton in a bottle of aspirin. Or why the cook for British statesman John Montagu decided one day in the 1700s to slap some meat between two slices of bread, ushering in the sandwich.

So when I look to the sky, whether it’s an old bi-plane or a Dreamliner, I am amazed, overwhelmed and in awe wondering, “What were the Wright Brothers thinking a century ago?”

Today, August 19, is National Aviation Day, and while nobody is suggesting we call in sick to work to celebrate like it’s Cinco De Mayo or something, it is nonetheless a significant day.

In 1939, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued the first proclamation designating Aug. 19 as National Aviation Day – Orville Wright’s birthday – and that was when aviation was still in its infancy. Who could have envisioned then what we see now?

Put aside, for a moment, the cloudy skies from rising airfares and an abundance of ancillary fees and vice-grip seats. Do you remember your first flight? I know I do, 43 years ago, Eastern Airlines to Kansas City, Mo. to visit relatives.

It was, and remains, an inspiring experience. And anyone who has ever flown has the same kind of story.

Airline travel is still the safest way to travel. No matter where you are going. Think about that. From a short flight on a North Carolina beach to travel to the International Space Station in less than 100 years.

Incredible.

So take a moment out of your day to pay tribute to aviation. It can be a maddening, patience-draining, uncomfortable, pain-in-the-ass experience at times, but can you think of anything cooler than flight?

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