WORTH THE READ: CHARLIE GREGOIRE GUEST EDITORIAL
Our many RAF supporters have such vast and varied experience, and we’re capturing some of their words of wisdom to share with you. This month’s guest editorial is by Charlie Gregoire, the President/COO of Redbird Flight Simulations and an RAF Volunteer.
A few months ago, Clay Simmons wrote a Guest Editorial that I thought hit the nail on the head. If you missed it, I highly recommend that you read it now. Clay’s passion for aviation and his desire to provide others with the opportunity to join in this unique experience comes across very clearly. For me, reading it was a powerful reminder to not get so blinded by the “what” that you lose sight of the “why.” Simon Sinek would be proud.
So why do we do the things we do? That’s a broad and contemplative question that has kept behavioral psychologists, theologians and parents of toddlers scratching their heads since the dawn of time. I’m a naturally inquisitive person but this particular existential enigma is not one that I am qualified to opine on, so perhaps I should be more specific. Why do we, as proud supporters and volunteers of the RAF, do the things that we do in the name of the organization? While everyone’s personal motivations are unique, I feel confident in broadly asserting that for most, if not all of us, it comes down to one word. Community.
The RAF’s official mission statement says that it “…preserves, improves, and creates airstrips for recreational access.” That’s a very concise summation of the “what” but it doesn’t address the “why.” It’s easy to conflate those two things but they’re not the same. When British mountaineer George Mallory was asked why he wanted to climb Mt. Everest, he famously responded “because it’s there.” Mallory’s response illustrates a uniquely human desire to face a seemingly insurmountable challenge head on for no other purpose than to say that we could. Can the same be said about the work we do? Do we clear trees and mow grass just because it’s there to be cleared and mowed? Do we lobby bureaucrats because they are there to be lobbied? Of course not.
The RAF doesn’t preserve, improve and create airstrips just because they are there. We preserve them, we improve them, we create them in the earnest hopes that they will serve as gathering points, community hubs around which we can create shared experiences with those we love, and those we have yet to meet. Whether you’re a part of a group of pilots looking for a challenging and unique aviation experience, or you’re a loner in search of the most remote area of the world to contemplate the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything, we hope these special places that we toil over will provide for you.
It’s easy to think of the RAF as a steward of airstrips and while that’s true, it’s not the whole truth. Maintaining strips would be pointless if no one used them. So to be more complete we must also think of the RAF as a steward of the community it has inherited and participates in. Gathering, strengthening, encouraging a community of aviators is now and always has been at the heart of why we do what we do. It’s why I have and will continue to proudly support this fantastic foundation.
Recreational aviation didn’t start with us and as long as we continue to behave as true stewards, it won’t end with us. We must continue to carry on with our mission, to preserve, improve, and create airstrips and aviators. It’s our responsibility to ensure that these experiences we enjoy so completely are available and accessible to the pilots who come after us. In addition to ensuring access to strips, this means we must arm those pilots with the necessary tools, resources and training so that they may find and enjoy them safely.
Of course all this is just my opinion, but that’s what you get when you read a guest editorial. Do you disagree? Let me know in the comments below. I welcome open and honest conversation. That is, after all, the best way to build community.
P.S. If you are the aforementioned loner, the answer of course is 42. For the question…I’ll leave that to Douglas Adams to explain.
Charlie Gregoire is co-founder of Redbird Flight Simulations and currently serves as its President and Chief Operating Officer. As an avid aviator, Charlie has been flying airplanes (land and sea) for nearly 25 years, and has recently attained his CFI certificate. He lives in Austin, TX with his wife, Jamie, and their three daughters, with whom he shares his passion for flight.
Submitted November 27, 2024.
Charlie, well said! In landing at our vast array of airstrips around the country, I consider it a bonus when I fly over and see that someone else has already chosen to make the stop, park their plane and take in everything that airstrip has to offer. It may be an old RAF friend or someone that is one of the many silent and unknown aviators that are in orbit around our community that would welcome a handshake and a bit of two way conversation even if its not an overnight stay around the fire ring. The RAF, being a geographically diverse Community, these two way dialogues can be made harder, I have found that there are a lot of like minded potential RAF supporters that actually welcome someone to spend some time on the phone or flight line with them sharing our common values and interests. An important component of the RAF community is that is not just confined to formal gatherings but can be nurtured all year long with just a simple joining up for coffee or a phone call…We are all thankful and grateful this holiday season for family and friends,, Fly safe!
Thanks, Charlie, for your beautiful essay. The RAF as “a steward of the community” really says it all.
Your generous support and Redbird participation is, as Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart) famously said, “is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”
Spot on, Charlie! Well said!
Enjoyed this Charlie. I agree, too. The best thing about a strip is the people who go there with you or who are there when you land.
When you boil off the extraneous “stuff,” the “why” is what gets us out of bed and not the “what.” The what and how (and the work to accomplish them) grow from the why. The RAF’s unique community is indeed the “why” that sustains us. Grateful for the RAF and dedicated volunteers and supporters like Charlie this season and all the time!
Great perspective and insight Charlie. It’s the people and the places that make the RAF special. Both need each other to thrive.
So well said, Charlie! The RAF is fortunate to have people like you to count amongst our friends. Thank you.
Well written Charlie! If I didn’t belong to the community of aviation, my flying would have some underlying sadness to it. RAF fostering that community keeps it safe for all of us
Excellent editorial, Charlie! As you so eloquently state: gathering, strengthening, and encouraging the aviation community is at the heart of it. Thanks for your support and partnership with the RAF and congrats on the CFI. Go Redbird!