By Gates L. Scott

These two father-son duos exemplify the future of our industry.

As I write this, I am sitting next to my son, 14 years of age and full of potential. A ripe age that displays the fine line between maturity and adolescence; this youthful, exuberant child is coming of age. Recently, we flew together from northeast Colorado to Erie Tri-County Airport outside of Denver. It was a short ride on a marginal VFR day, dodging thunderstorms on our way back toward the foothills. Not only was it a great feat for me to earn the privilege to fly as a licensed pilot, but now I get to share it with my son. He helps with dead reckoning, navigation, and changing radio frequencies. I can’t believe it—he’s actually flying with me!

My father was a great inspiration to me in aviation. Skip Scott was a Ford factory employed, race car driver in the 1960s, racing the GT 40 for the Sports Car Club of America at tracks like Spa Belgium and Watkins Glen. He was a Lear- and Falcon- rated pilot, and a true adventurer. He kept a P-51 in Coatesville, Penn., in which he swooped down making a low pass over our house one day, nipping the tops of some very tall, evergreen trees. A smell erupted in the cabin, reminding us of pine pillows that are only available in a Maine gift shop. His impression on me was everlasting.

Paternity is life’s fullest expression of masculinity and nowhere is the paternal influence as apparent as it is in aviation. Raising children is truly the central experience in human life and a father’s mentorship is extremely important to the growth and development of any child. Here, I want to introduce two teams of fathers and sons who are exemplary in the world of aviation. Just as my father was an incredible influence on my own career, these fathers have propelled their aviator sons into the future of our discipline.

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