So much of my aviation inspiration comes from being immersed in it – at the office during the week and at air shows and fly-ins on weekends. This year, however, the pandemic has taken a lot of that away. I’ve found myself in a bit of a funk and searching for ways to keep the passion for aviation going. Recently I found a bit of inspiration in a highly unlikely location… the dentist office.

Many years ago when I was a brand-new mom I had a really bad tooth. I’d put off going to the dentist for… well, longer than I should have. I didn’t even have a dentist in town. So I picked one and went. I was told that I needed a root canal. They’d be happy to schedule one for me at the earliest possible availability, which turned out to be a month away. A month!

If you’ve ever had a bad tooth you know waiting a month is NOT an option. So I called another dentist and was impressed when they told me to go back to the first dentist, grab the x-rays and come to the office – no appointment needed! I appeared on their doorstep with x-rays in hand and awaited their verdict. The dentist looked them over and told me that the problem was a wisdom tooth. A root canal would be expensive and unnecessary – let’s just pull it! OK… how long was I going to have to wait for that? The dentist looked at me and smiled. “What are you doing tomorrow?”

Thus began my most long-standing health provider relationship. I’ve gotten to know several of the dentists in the practice over the years and they’re all great. Plus they give you coupons for free ice cream. No, I’m not kidding! But I haven’t even told you the best part. The best part is… the airplanes! You see, the man who founded the practice was a pilot. You could tell by the model planes and photos around the office that he was passionate about flying. Seeing airplanes everywhere made going to the dentist a little less awful.

Sadly, about 8 years after my first visit the founder died. He was killed in a plane crash in North Carolina. The accident happened in his plane but a friend of his was at the controls. The cause of the accident was fuel exhaustion. NTSB determined that there was fuel in two of the tanks, but for some reason the selector switch was on a tank that was empty.

I can only imagine how devastated his family must have been. But to her credit, his wife decided to keep the practice going. There aren’t as many model planes around as there used to be, but there are some. And it is still a great place filled with great people.

I was a bit hesitant to schedule my regular dentist appointment in the middle of a pandemic, but eventually I decided I ought to go ahead. The dentist who handled my cleaning was not one I had met before. He asked where I work and I told him I work for the airport authority. A few minutes later he surprised me asking about my job again. “I don’t want to make you talk about work if you don’t want to, but I’m really interested in aviation…” That was all I needed to hear. I LOVE to talk about work!

For the rest of the appointment we talked about airports and airplanes and flying. (Or at least we talked as much as it is possible to during a dentist appointment.) He’s never been to Airventure so I told him he MUST go. He’d like to learn to fly but he’s a little unsure about it. I recommended a discovery flight. He’s fascinated by military planes. I suggested several nearby museums.

I left the appointment with clean teeth and a renewed sense of enthusiasm. I was the happiest I’ve been in a while. Amazing what a little bit of avgeek conversation will do! And it just goes to show that you never know where or when that passion for aviation will pop up.