By Howard Deevers
Many years ago there was a TV series called SKY KING. “Skyler King” was an Arizona rancher in this series. Before TV it was also a radio drama once a week. Those of us old enough to remember SKY KING also remember the airplane he flew and the adventures that he got into every week. Kirby Grant played the part of Sky King. To many of us interested in aviation, the airplane was the star of the show.
The storyline was always much the same, some emergency required the help of Sky King and his airplane. The emergency changed each week, but we could always count on Sky making a flight in his plane, “The Song Bird.” The Sheriff of Grover, Arizona, (a fictitious city) would call Sky to assist in locating a lost person, or rescue someone, or assist in finding a criminal.
In the “flour story,” a man had robbed the local fair and gotten away with the cash in a black car on an Arizona highway. Remember that this was well before the Interstate Highway System that we have today. Sky “happened” to be flying in that area, and “happened” to have a bag of flour in the plane with him. He spots the black car on the highway and drops the bag of flour hitting the windshield of the car, and the car goes off of the road, and the sheriff captures the bad guy!
We thought that was so great at that time because we knew nothing about regulations or aviation, and we had no idea that such a thing was nearly impossible. The odds of dropping anything out of that tiny window of a flying twin engine airplane and actually hitting a moving car are about the same as you winning the lottery next week. Never mind regulations (see FAR 91.15, if it existed at the time of the filming of these shows).
It is little wonder why the public has such a distorted view of General Aviation. We never saw Sky King do a “pre-flight” or a “run up” prior to flying. It was always just hop into the plane, start up, and fly off of his dusty private airport. We never saw a headset in use, only the hand held mic. Film makers have not been realistic about General Aviation. Even the 007 films that did have flying parts were pretty wild. Film makers, with special effects, can make an impossible task look like an everyday walk in the park.
It is not all bad. Some TV programs have been realistic and kind to GA. In the Andy Griffith show, his Aunt Bea took flying lessons, and did a solo flight, showing that a senior citizen is not shut out of GA after all.
Today we have many computer things to help us if we are interested. YouTube and other programs have many examples of General Aviation and the value of being a pilot. The old days of Sky King are mostly behind us. There still are games with aviation that make impossible things look real and possible.
To keep up on regulations and safety we suggest you attend an ARIZONA PILOTS ASSICIATION safety seminar. Look for one near you, and “Don't forget to bring your wingman!”