How one man’s story exemplifies AOPA’s great notion
by Mark Baker
AOPA President & CEO
In October 1951, a young congressman from Illinois embarked on an around-the-world flight in a single-engine Beechcraft Bonanza. He wanted to talk with people in different countries about their feelings amid the turmoil of a world still recovering from war.
U.S. Rep. Peter F. Mack of Springfield, Illinois, was just 34 years old and had limited experience in flying across oceans and continents, but he was a passionate aviator and wanted to answer a challenge from a friend: talk to ordinary people, find out what was concerning them. His friend said, “the top brass only talk to the top brass of other countries; they never get down to the level of the people themselves. Why don’t you fly to some of these countries and talk to the people?”
A World War II flight instructor, Mack accepted the challenge and accomplished his goal in 113 days. The trip severely taxed him physically and emotionally. He learned a lot about himself, aviation, and his fellow man from the experience.
I read about this man and his extraordinary flight in the Smithsonian magazine recently and the story of this young aviator resonated with me. Mack’s flight and the conclusion that, because he did not capitalize on it for political gain, he was “a workhorse, not a show horse.” For me, that phrase exemplifies general aviation and the work of your association. Why? Because amid all the discourse and drama, general aviation goes about its business—AOPA does its work—quietly and efficiently. The recent victory of the FAA reauthorization bill, in which GA has its first dedicated title, basically a subsection of the main purpose of the bill, illustrates how GA transcends partisan politics. Aviation is unifying; all political leanings recognize its importance to our country, to our people, to our economy.
According to the Smithsonian story, after the flight, Mack didn’t make a big deal out of it, writing only two stories about the flight, giving a few talks, and downplaying his challenges during the long flight. He flew 33,000 miles and visited 45 cities in 35 countries. I had never heard the story before, and it made me think of your association. At AOPA, we don’t spend a lot of time bragging about what we do and what we accomplish, because we are too busy doing it! Mack’s flight was a big deal, and what we do for aviation is a big deal, too.
General aviation can be a unifying force. As Mack learned on his flight, and as I learn from traveling to meet members across the country, aviation serves everyone. When I travel to general aviation airports large and small, I meet real people who may be very different from me, but who are also very much the same. While we may have local skirmishes, for example, where airports face challenges, by and large we are able to bring everyone together to support aviation and what it brings to our country. I’d like to borrow the words of the author of the Smithsonian piece, and what he said about that young congressman. It’s how I think about GA and the work we do: “His…quest stands for a simple but powerful notion: the potential each person has to make the world a better place.”
Each of us has the opportunity and potential to promote, defend, and protect our freedom to fly. Never underestimate the power of your passion to create change. In this highly charged political atmosphere, help me and your association keep general aviation viable and a place where we are all equal in the sky.
By the way, the author of the Smithsonian story about Mack is Paul Glenshaw, who co-wrote the documentary The Lafayette Escadrille, the story of American pilots who volunteered to fly and fight for the French in World War I. Mack’s Bonanza, which he called Friendship Flame: The Abraham Lincoln Goodwill Tour, is on display at the National Air & Space Museum in Washington, D.C. Remember Lincoln, too, came from Springfield, Illinois. There are remarkable stories and remarkable people everywhere.
Blue skies!
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EDITOR’S NOTE: Mark Baker holds a commercial pilot certificate with single- and multiengine land and seaplane ratings and a rotorcraft rating.