Show and tell

Here is a rhetorical question. Have you noticed that when a school acquires a fleet of busses they all too often cancel, or declare a late start, school when the weather goes bad? It has been some 60 years since I attended public school but I cannot ever remember school being delayed or canceled due to weather. But of course, in those days we walked to grade school and later provided our own transportation to high school. At that time there were few school buses. Acquire a fleet of busses then school gets canceled. Humm.

Monday and Tuesday this week led by Principal Jeff Gross our enterprising McCook High School put together a program to introduce senior students to local businesses and activities that might bode well for their future. Think jobs, professions and activities that individuals might pursue in their quickly approaching adult lives. Interestingly some 77 individuals volunteered to conduct three-hour sessions that the students could elect to attend. The list was long and interesting for the students to choose and sign up they did.

Then Nebraska weather reared its ugly head and Monday’s entire program was prudently canceled. Hopefully, the Tuesday program will go as scheduled. No matter the school administrators and volunteers that put the program together are to be applauded. All the persons in the community that stepped forward to present their business and activity deserve an “atta boy” for their efforts.

For some reason, your old columnist was chosen to shed light on how aviation serves our community and how our youth might be attracted to a career in aviation. For me it was a chance to tell young persons what your local airport does each day. What jobs are out there, hidden behind a security fence, that they might aspire them to toil to secure their future.

I planned a first stop in a privately owned hangar where Dave Fulkerson, Chuck Trail and I were to explain how each of us got our start in aviation. The Trail’s both learned to fly while attending high school here in McCook. Following high school, Chuck went to the Navy and became a Naval Aviator commanding a HU2K helicopter flying plane guard for an aircraft carrier. Think Gulf of Tonkin during the Vietnam War. I did college at the Air Force Academy then trained to be an Air Force Pilot. That led to a 21-year career in military aviation. Following I returned to McCook to take over the family farm and as a sideline taught persons to fly at our local airport. That led to a stint in corporate aviation and evermore flight instruction.

Terri Gray, the gracious, manager of our airline terminal was then to show the group the inner workings of our local airline terminal serving Boutique Air as well as how TSA screens passengers for the safety of the traveling public.

Next stop our fuel office where visiting corporate pilots have a well-appointed lounge for their comfort while they await their passengers to conduct the business that brought them to McCook. There are courtesy cars for their use and facilities to check weather and do flight planning. It too is where Fulkerson holds forth to plan his flight student’s lessons and critique their progress after training flights.

Then on to LifeSave, the local air ambulance operation that we are so fortunate to have stationed here at McCook. Their twin-engine “air ambulance”, a King Air 90, which is admirably equipped to sustain patients’ lives as they travel to facilities providing specialized care beyond the capabilities of our local fine medical establishments. When not airborne the pilots and medical crews have a nice facility to work, eat and rest while awaiting their often short notice to transport patients.

Next stop the “big hangar” where the air ambulance is kept between trips, all sorts of transient aircraft are protected from the elements during their stay at our airport. Also housed there are Red Willow Aviation’s spray planes which supply multi-million dollar services to our ag community each year.

The last stop J&S Aviation, Jeff Williams and his team of certified Airframe and Powerplant mechanics. Everything from engine overhauls and exchanges, airframe repairs and rebuilds to major high tech electronics installations. Jeff also hires and supervises a team of young persons that refuel aircraft, tend to tie-downs and keep the facilities spic and span. Part-time jobs are available and will work in a high schooler’s schedule.

Altogether well in excess of 30 local jobs for which our local youth can aspire. Thank you, City of McCook for enabling our local airport to be the economic engine that it truly is.

That is how I saw it.

Dick Trail