By Zinnia Kilkenny, IAC 437244
ZK: The Super Decathlon that contributed to your podium finish is Bessie; how did you arrive at the name?
LM: Before we even picked Bessie up and flew her home across the country (Pennsylvania to California), the wife and I were talking about a name. One thing stood out while just looking at pictures and talking about her: She was a different color than most planes with generic and boring white paint schemes, and she was old-school - a taildragger made of tubes and fabric. That sure sounds like Bessie Coleman - the first black woman to get a pilots’ certificate back in 1921.
The side benefit of that name has turned out to be bringing a name of accomplishment to students. Before the pandemic shut schools down, I occasionally went to high schools and gave career day talks. I’d tell the students about all kinds of jobs in aviation, not just piloting. Of course, you need to tell them how to get there, so I discuss pathways and how to make it happen no matter your family's means. I would show a brief video of Bessie and me performing aerobatics to get the kids all amped up. I then explain who Bessie Coleman was and what it must have taken to break those barriers. I then mention my immigrant father that came to the USA from Cuba at age ten and did not speak English, but by the time he retired as a Naval Aviator, he was a US Navy captain and had a Ph.D. in physics.
I then challenge the kids to make the careers they want to have. It is utterly amazing to see young ladies discover that they can be pilots, or mechanics, or air traffic controllers. Bessie becomes a conversation for breaking racial and gender boundary stereotypes. I make it clear that no matter what they want to become: mechanic, avionics tech, ATC, pilot, dispatcher, aircraft painter, and so on, it will take hard work, but the reward is a career they can be proud of and not just a job. If Bessie Coleman can do it, they have NO excuses.
ZK: Instilling an appreciation and motivating others to action are some of the rewards in aerobatics. Who has mentored you toward your first competition?
LM: The first, and probably most significant, is Susan Bell (IAC Ch. 26 president). We bought Bessie in May of 2018. Over the summer, I played around with basic aerobatics and became comfortable with the plane. I took some lessons with Mark King in Santa Paula at CP Aviation. I felt like I was sloppy and undisciplined. I thought I might learn what I was doing wrong and get better if I tried a competition. So, one week before the November 2018 Foxy Figures in Lancaster, California, I emailed Susan. I told her I had never seen an aerobatic box, had never been to a competition and had no idea what Aresti was. She was relentlessly encouraging, taught me what a sequence was, and inspired me just to show up and fly my best.
The whole weekend seemed chaotic and foreign. However, Susan kept tabs on me and kept me going in the correct direction. Considering I had never seen an aerobatic box, I thought I did well and came out second overall in Primary yes!, which was also last place in Primary!
Without a cornucopia of encouragement from Susan, I would not have gone to my first contest. Without her helping set me up with some chapter practice days and some more coaching flights, I would not have grown and gained the good habits and practice routine that I have now.
ZK: Competition preparation, practical, and lessons learned are defined differently for everyone. What and how has it been for you?
LM: It has been a three-year evolution. I have done seven competitions, three at Primary level and four at Sportsman. My first three were very frustrating; why wasn’t I scoring better? Why are people with less flight time doing better? Why don’t I get the rhythm of the competition? A plethora of solid people helped me realize that it really does come down to aerobatic practice and coaching. Outside flying and previous flying creates a fluffy logbook of crap time that counts for zip when it comes to pulling off a well-scoring Hammerhead! The longer I am in aviation, the more I realize how little I know.
Given two restrictions on my resources--free time and spare money--I am unable to practice and compete more often. But that is probably a good thing; participating in two-three competitions a year keeps it fun. Coaching and tons of practice indeed produce a better and more consistent competitor. However, I want to keep this fun. I want to do well and improve and win Sportsman, but in a balanced manner. So in many ways, part of what I have learned is that I do not need to do EVERYTHING at maximum effort at the sacrifice of other things (say, time with my wife).
I have gone from thrashing around the air and doing a limited number of maneuvers very poorly and with zero precision to feeling comfortable with all the maneuvers that Bessie can perform and execute with a modicum of precision.
My biggest takeaway from the last three years is that I will (may) not be able to practice as much as some other competitors or as much as I want, but I can learn to be comfortable with my flying and recognize my mistakes as I make them. If I can repeat what I did this year, I will be happy.
ZK: What in aerobatics has brought you the most happiness?
LM: Belly laughs! Everyone brings a smile to people, some when they walk in the room and some when they walk out of the room. I like being the guy that makes people smile. Tell them a joke, be positive, upbeat and offer some encouragement. Aside from my stunning good looks and Adonis-like body, I want people to smile when my name comes up and to have a fond memory of a story told or a well-timed joke.
Secondly, it has been great to see other people flying Bessie in contests and earning awards because of it. Some of these were planned, and some were last-minute substitutes when people needed a plane or were going to sit on the sidelines. It is nice to be able to help these other great people. It is a bit of a distraction from my game, but it brings me joy to see other people happy.
Chapter: 26
Occupation: Airline Pilot, Captain in a B-737 for United Airlines, and part-time arm candy for my wife, Cynthia
