At the Imagine Airport Day on June 7, an Atlantic Aviation hangar was turned into an inspiring general aviation career event. It featured aviation professionals and an impressive array of aircraft. Pilots flew in to speak one-on-one with youth alongside their planes and gave presentations during a program, which also featured remarks by Mayor Randy Rowse and Santa Barbara Airport Director Chris Hastert. With Montecito Motor Classic (MMC) as the event organizer, the event included many classic cars too.
The event was created by Dolores Johnson, who cofounded the MMC and was a general aviation professional for 44 years. Johnson is passionate about conveying to youth the multitude of interesting and exciting career opportunities in general aviation, many of which do not require a college degree. She began as a front-desk clerk at an FBO (fixed base operator), which led to a glamorous career in worldwide sales and to serving as airport commissioner here.
In crafting the event, Johnson sought to excite the next generation of aviators. “They don’t even know they want to be aviators,” Johnson related, “because they don’t know that these careers exist.” She sought to expose all ages, but especially the really young. Ask any pilot how old they were when they knew they wanted to be a pilot, Johnson related, and they will tell you that they were very young.
The President/CEO of AOPA (Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association), which has more than 300,000 members, flew in for the event in his 1945 P-51 Mustang, considered the most iconic World War II plane. The landing and takeoff by this seasoned pilot, Darren Pleasance, were thrilling events in themselves. Pleasance shared that he thinks aviation is one of the most exciting career fields, but that few kids know that this possibility even exists and that it is easy to enter.
In addition to airline jobs, Pleasance recounted, there are jobs in medevac, flight instruction, aerial firefighting, cargo, corporate jets, bush flying, powerline patrol, law enforcement, crop dusting, and search and rescue. On top of that are the emerging industries of drones, electric air taxis, and low-cost space flight.
As a teen, Pleasance would ride his bike to a small airport and offer to work for aircraft owners in exchange for a plane ride. He managed to get his commercial, instrument, and flight instructor ratings by age 18, enabling him to pay his way through college at UCSB. He feels fortunate to have discovered flying at a young age and lead an amazing life that has included being an Alaskan bush pilot, corporate jet pilot, and competition aerobatic pilot. Pleasance is also a former tech executive, having served at Google as managing director of global customer acquisitions and at Cisco leading its Acceleration Center.
He views such an event as pivotal in helping expose youth to the diverse and exciting career and life opportunities afforded by aviation. Since most youth don’t have direct access to anyone in the aviation field, such an event is essential “to connect inspiration and opportunity with the young individuals. There’s a saying that “you have to see it to be it’” and this event played a key role in helping kids see these opportunities.
Renowned pilot (and author) Tracey Curtis-Taylor arrived in her Boeing Stearman biplane. She shared that she was delighted to participate in an event that seeks to inspire youth to consider flying. Retracing the paths of pioneering women pilots in her biplane has provided her with a life of thrilling adventure and she encourages all young people “to give flying a go.” She acknowledges the challenge of paying for flying lessons and thus the importance of making youth aware of the many scholarships and support programs available.
S.B. Airport Director Chris Hastert hatched the idea to bring back an Airport Day, which the airport formerly hosted but hasn’t done since 2006. Before assuming his current position, Hastert was the general manager at the Santa Maria Public Airport District, where he co-created the Central Coast AirFest. That event showed him how impactful engaging the public with aviation can be, and he wanted to bring that same spirit to Santa Barbara. The career focus of this event, however, was novel, and Hastert was quick to give full credit to Johnson for the vision and execution.
Crucially important, the event presented scholarship information. Event Committee Member and S.B. Aviators Founder Taylor Jobe related that for youth not connected to the aviation community, a career in the field can seem inaccessible, but that an overwhelming number of scholarships exist.
The event sought to address the accessibility issue also through one-on-one conversations with professionals who rose through the ranks. Many people, like Johnson, start off in entry-level positions and move up the corporate ladder.
Also participating in the event was SafeLaunch, a local nonprofit founded by Janet Rowse and Ron Cuff, that seeks to prevent addiction through education on the science of the developing brain. A key component is its Flights Above Addiction program, which invites youth at aviation events across the country to paint on its Cessna 182 after a brief lesson about the science of addiction and a pledge to not use alcohol or other drugs before age 21. For the event, four Dos Pueblos High School students designed and painted a mural on the Cessna.
Alongside the aircraft at the event were nearly 20 classic and contemporary cars, with the owners on hand to chat with guests, and auto expert Monte Wilson doing interviews. Especially noteworthy were a 1955 Mercedes 300 Gullwing and a 1962 Ferrari 250GT Lusso.
The hope is to make this an annual event.
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