Thoughts from Oshkosh
Well, I’m back from an eleven-day hiatus in my blog posts. I spent last week at an extraordinary annual event called Oshkosh Airventure 2009. This is the largest air show and aviation exhibit in the nation. Most of you probably don’t know that I am a pilot with a life-long infatuation with airplanes and flying. I am retired from a career in the Air Force as a pilot. I now fly volunteer missions with the Civil Air Patrol and own a classic 1949 Beechcraft Bonanza airplane. I have been to Oshkosh, Wisconsin, for this spectacular event several times including the last three consecutive years.
One of the highlights this year at Oshkosh was a public interview of Captain “Sully” Sullenberger and First Officer Jeffrey Skiles, the pilots who landed the U.S. Airways Airbus A320 in the Hudson River after dozens of birds shut down their engines. Their second by second account of the ordeal was both chilling and thrilling. During the week, these pilots were guests at a charity auction sponsored by the event hosts, the Experimental Aircraft Association. Jeffrey Skiles donated the flight jacket and shoes he wore while in the chilly waters of the Hudson. A very benevolent member submitted the winning bid of $76,000 for the items. That action plus observing thousands of people arriving in multi-million dollar personal aircraft convinced me that a lot of people are immune to the recession we are experiencing. Yes, there are a bunch of extremely wealthy individuals out there.
I’m sure it won’t surprise you that my thoughts during the week swirled around my passion for funding more research into integrative cancer treatment. What if we could bring hundreds of thousands of people together at an event like Oshkosh Airventure–all with a mutual passion for winning the war on cancer? What if we could have auctions that would bring in $76,000 for a jacket and shoes? What if everyone left there with hope and excitement about winning the war? Just some thoughts. Thanks for tolerating my time away from this blog.