How do I start this editorial without seemingly being self-serving? I’ll take a chance and simply go for it. By now, most know that 50 years ago, on August 15, 1973, I soloed my first aircraft, a Cessna C-150. That day started a long aviation career despite a few bumps along the way. From trying my hand as a CFI to hauling skydivers, the road eventually led me to ag aviation, and I couldn’t be more grateful.
I am sure you have read recently on AgAir Update’s Facebook page and in an AgAir Update eEdition that I have been nominated to be inducted into the Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame. Unlike my induction into the National Agricultural Aviation Hall of Fame in 2017 in Jackson, Mississippi, where inductees are selected based on merit by the NAAHOF Board of Directors, the Georgia Hall of Fame relies on votes for induction. The most votes out of the ten nominees will be inducted.
The names of the nominees are posted on the Georgia Aviation HOF website, https://www.gaaviationhalloffame.com, where anyone can vote.
In my opinion, the National Agricultural Aviation Hall of Fame board does this process correctly. A discrete board of directors decides to induct a nominee based on merit and their contribution to the national agricultural aviation industry. Once inducted, the person is enshrined in the National Ag Aviation Hall of Fame. The HOF is currently located at the National Agricultural Aviation Museum in Jackson, MS. Before the end of the year, the Hall of Fame will support its website and be accessible to anyone anywhere with an internet connection. The evolution from photos hanging on the wall, only viewable in Mississippi, to an electronic kiosk, still only viewable in Mississippi, to what will be the NAAHOF website, is a step in the right direction. Members of the National Agricultural Aviation Hall of Fame should be highlighted.
Celebrating this debut of the Hall of Fame on the internet for all to access, AgAir Update is running a feature each month on a NAAHOF inductee. We did this in years past and are restarting the article series.
I would consider it an honor to be inducted into the Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame in my home state. I appreciate you taking the time to vote if you think it is deserving.
Until next month, Keep Turning…
