Grass roots way to expand the aviation community

[nwawingman]

I wanted to share with you a short story about how I got back into flying about six years ago. Anyway here is my story.

I have been going to the same gym now for the past 15 years or so. It is a very large gym with many members. About six years ago I happened to notice a Flying magazine on the magazine rack left by someone. As I read those magazines I started wondering why I stopped taking flying lessons some 20 years earlier. I guess you could say that one magazine sparked a passion that had laid dormant for 20 years. That little magazine was the spark that started a burning passion for aviation in my life. In the past 6 years my life has been forever changed by learning the true joy of what aviation has to offer. Over the course of these past six years I have learned to fly, built and test flown my own Sonex airplane, attended AirVenture 6 times, and flew my wife and I to AirVenture for the first time last year in the airplane I built in my garage. It is just crazy to think that one little magazine could start this chain of events that could have such a dramatic impact on one persons life.

So the past few years now I have made it point to take my own aviation magazine to the gym to read while on the treadmill. If it's not one that I need to keep, I will leave with hopes that it may be the spark needed to ignite the flame of aviation passion in someone as it did in me.

My wife always makes fun of me when I notice that the magazines have been moved from one place to another. Well this past Saturday we noticed all the aviation magazines I had been leaving had been neatly lined up on there own row by someone. We both laughed now that I have my own aviation section on the rack.

I think it would be great if we could start a grass root effort among other EAA members to start sharing aviation related magazines at there local gym, barber shop, hair salon, pace of employment, doctors office, and any other place where people have time to read. It is amazing the impact one little magazine can have on a persons life!

Proud to be an EAA Member!

[mike.smith]

Whenever I fly commercial I usually take the opportunity to catch up on my various flying magazines. When I finish one I make sure my home address is no longer on the cover, then I leave it in the seat pocket. If I finish more than one magazine I spread them around to other seat pockets. No telling if anyone got the same experience as you, but I'm always hopeful. :)