From The Editor

To The Editor

Received this letter below from our friend in Austria:

Hello
it has been a long time since my last contact with BOAF, the last convention I attended has been in Toronto, 2005. This also had been my last flight, as a passenger. I am "earthbound", just traveling with my camping car. That does not mean I forgot the Bird. Looking at the website- thanks a lot for this great work - and looking at fotos brings back a lot of memories. My first AA International Convention had been Montreal 1985. I had been sober for 3 years at this time and thought I was the only alcoholic pilot in Germany ( or in the airline business), when I heard about BOAF. My first BOAF convention had been in Washigton,1986, What a relief to find out I am not alone! And I am often thinking about the fellow pilots I got to know, the friends I made, the talks we had and the good times enjoying the fellowship at conventions and privately. This were important parts for my sobriety. And I tried to carry the message, got part of starting a EAP within my company, reported "how it works" in USA to my pilots union and started a nest in Frankfurt, Germany which I gave up after 6 months, because there was "no need". There is no nest until today, German pilots want professionals, not "drunks". Until the time to my retirement and knew only 2 other colleagues who were in AA, one of them I could encourage to come to the ATL convention many years ago. Pilots without our fellowship don't know what they miss!
The reason I am writing now: Last week I got a call from a guy who identified himself as a captain with an Asian company. He had been in treatment in ATL and told me that the ATL Birds held meetings in that treatment center. That is where he got the message about the birds. When he said he is Austrian he got my phone number from one of the members. We met in Vienna and had a 3hrs talk. I am so grateful that I had this opportunity, I just have my regular meetings here, German and Englisch language. I really miss birds meetings and it so so great that you ATL guys bring the message to treatment centers. I just wanted to give you a feedback, it works, international.
And now the " technical" part: I am still a solo bird in Vienna, Austria. I am glad to be a contact here.I have a change in my phone number : +43 664 9312210. You can also give my e-mail address. And I have a request: would it be possible to list the solo contacts alphabetically according to the countries, or within USA to the states. e.g in my case: Austria, Vienna Helmut J....It would be easier to find but I know it is a lot of work for the first time. Presently it just shows the names and then the the location.

All the best, greetings from oversees,
Helmut

From the Grapevine

"Once during a period of weekend piloting, I flew a light plane into the clouds over some hilly terrain and got lost.  The plane was without blind-flight instruments and I was without training in blind flying, and therefore in moment-to-moment peril of a fatal tailspin.  I tried to climb out of the cloudbank but couldn't make it; it was too high.  To try to get under it might wind me up in a pile of burning junk on a hillside, or in a power line.  Whether I went up, or down, or stayed where I was, my life was in great danger.  I was a clammy, sweaty scared.
"Though not at that time religiously inclined, I prayed.  Then I put the nose toward the ground and held it on a steep glide, peering ahead into the murk.  Presently I saw a farmhouse immediately ahead.  I held a wing on it, circling, and saw a small pasture where a crash landing could be made.  Gliding in for the landing, scarcely ten feet off the ground, I could see under the cloud structure.  The farmhouse was high on a hillside; below was clear air over a long valley.  I flew on.  In a quarter of an hour I was safely landed at my destination airport, limp with gratitude and wonder.  A power greater than myself had, in response to my prayer, restored me to safety!  This happened seven years before I came into AA.
"I did not hang onto this spiritual insight.  After a day or two of awed reflection I forgot it, resumed my usual ways and usual drinking, which was progressing toward a climax.  Seven years later, again fogged in, with all courses of action blocked in alcoholic impasse, I met some people who had "come to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity."  Remembering then my deliverance from the cloud-shrouded hills, it was easier than it might otherwise have been to believe as they did."

The AA Grapevine, 1954

Is God Your "Co" Pilot?

     Like many pilots, I first got interested in flying airplanes by reading books as a youngster and watching flying movies late into the night when in grade school and high school.  One movie that really stood out for me was "God is my Copilot".  I really enjoyed that one and I have since then read the book by Colonel Robert L. Scott at least three times.

     As my drinking started and my alcoholism progressed I would never pass up the opportunity to watch these old movies when they would come on late night television.  Many times I sat there and fantasized that I was General Frank Savage taking over and whipping into shape a squadron of B-17 pilots like Gregory Peck did in "12 O'Clock High". 

     I truly was suffering from delusions of grandeur, a true character defect if there ever is one.  As my recovery progressed I realized that if I was ever to be truly sober I would have to "deflate my ego" to the extent that I could finally address these defects and get my life more on a realistic, even keel.  It took several years and I continue to confront an ego that will get the better of me if I allow it.

     One way I have found that helps me is allow my higher power to be more active in my life.  And so now here comes my point:  In the movies I am always in control of everything.   There is only room for God to be my "co-pilot".  In recovery, I have to make more room in my life for him than that.  So that is why I say to pilots who are new or years into the program that: 

        "if God is your copilot, it's time to switch seats".

Scott H.
December 2008

A MECHANICAL APPROACH TO THE 12 STEPS

Step 1:  I had an "Old Clunker" of an airplane parked at the airport. I had just  about given up on it but decided to make a wholehearted attempt to restore it.

Step 2:  I couldn't fix it, but I came to believe someone could.

Step 3:  I turned the plane over to an A & P mechanic.

Step 4:  I took an inventory of all that was wrong with the "Old Clunker."

Step 5:  I shared the inventory with the mechanic.

Step 6:  I helped take off the old parts.

Step  7: I let the mechanic handle the rest.

Step 8:  We made a list of all the parts that were needed and got together and went over them.

Step 9:  I admitted I hadn't checked the oil and fluids properly, or fixed the other things that were going wrong. It was my responsibility to take care of the plane, and I had not. I wanted to help, but being unfamiliar with the process, I allowed the mechanic to fix things. The airplane turned out beautifully!

Step 10:  I check the oil, fluids, tires etc. more regularly, and when I don't the engine doesn't hum.

Step 11: I call on the mechanic whenever there is trouble, asking him to fix the plane.

Step 12:  That mechanic and I have become such close friends that we decided to take a trip across the country, and we stopped to help all that needed it along the way.

To all the Birds of a Feather and their Families: From a Pilot’s Wife

November, 2024

When faced with the challenging issue of addiction and the profound impact it can have on the loved ones and family members of those affected, it can often feel daunting and overwhelming to know where to turn for support and guidance. Addiction can place immense strain on relationships and daily life, leaving pilots and their families unsure of how to navigate this difficult situation.

When a personal issue like addiction arises, it is crucial to have access to resources and a supportive community that can provide the assistance and understanding needed to begin the journey towards healing and recovery. My husband and I first found the original BOAF website after the treatment facility while we were trying to figure out our next steps. Being able to find an aviation community with a similar, unique situation was an invaluable part of the process of this new world we found ourselves in.

Hearing about Birds of a Feather was a term I was unfamiliar with, and I wanted to know more about this organization and the positive impact it had on my pilot. What I found is that I was blown away by the support of this organization and the tremendous welcoming and pillar it has become in our lives. After attending one of two annual seminars for the national program for pilots with substance abuse, I learned about a small group that was recently launched as BOAF Al-Anon. Becoming a family support volunteer for the national program and taking part weekly in the BOAF Al-Anon group has been a crucial part of my experience and gaining the knowledge to show the support in my own family’s recovery journey as well as others.

What I have come to learn is that addiction truly is a family disease; it affects not only the individual suffering from substance abuse but every member of the family as well. BOAF Al-Anon has been a huge part of my journey of understanding this disease, and I cannot thank the BOAF Al-Anon group enough for the profound support it has shown me.

When I heard that the BOAF website needed to undergo a redesign, I was excited to become part of the process of rebuilding it. I believe that the BOAF organization plays a vital role in providing pilots with a space to connect, learn, and uplift one another during challenging times and continued sobriety. What better way to be part of and give back than to help in rebuilding the platform and to convey that message of support for others.

The opportunity to work on this project to revamp the BOAF website has been truly humbling and inspiring, and I will be forever grateful for this experience. To work with such an amazing group of individuals with the mission to provide a supportive space across the globe for pilots to find a community during times of personal struggle is incredibly meaningful. I must say that this has been an incredible part of my own healing process, and the BOAF community has been so welcoming for me to take part in it.

Although the website may have a different look and feel, the core values of the organization remains the same, and through this redesign, the mission of BOAF will shine even brighter. While Scott H. deserves so much credit for his eighteen years of dedication towards keeping the original site moving forward, there was much effort to preserve and transfer the content of his work onto the updated version. He did all the hard work, and defiantly wanted to make sure to take care of “His Baby”.

One never knows where life's path will lead, and a year ago, I could never have imagined the journey and the invaluable role that HIMS, BOAF and BOAF Al-Anon have played in our family's lives. I will be forever grateful for this experience, and I will cherish the meetings with the website team as core memories of my own healing journey, as you truly have no idea how much they have meant to my personal experience and understanding of addiction as a family disease.anya Kroge

Sincerely,

Tanya K.

Updated 11-6-24