Lighthawk Gives Pilots a Reason to Cherish Their Perspective

Lighthawk’s annual meeting provides an opportunity to catch up on why the View From Above remains a critical aspect of aviation—and wildlife and environmental conservation efforts.

Julie Boatman

Monday, September 26, 2022 at 06:09 PM ET

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The view from above Greenland helped the author understand more immediately how the perspective from a GA aircraft—operating efficiently and in the near future burning sustainable aviation fuel—can assist us in shepherding conservation efforts around the world. [Julie Boatman]

Key Takeaways:

Lighthawk, a conservation organization, leverages volunteer pilots to provide unique aerial perspectives crucial for understanding and monitoring environmental changes.
The article emphasizes that seeing landscapes from above (e.g., receding ice caps, changing deltas) is essential for recognizing incremental environmental impacts that may go unnoticed from the ground.
Examples like SFO's sustainability initiatives, the Everglades Foundation's monitoring efforts, and observations from a round-the-world flight demonstrate how aviation contributes to environmental awareness and conservation efforts.

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Lighthawk hosted its annual fly-in and meeting in Dulles, Virginia, last weekend, with events at the Westin Washington Dulles and the National Air & Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. Through past work we’ve collaborated on, the organization invited me to present and attend both the weekend sessions and the banquet dinner.

At FLYING, we continue to bring our readers stories about how to become a pilot, what to fly, and how to expand our horizons flying ourselves over this marvelous land.