In short: Rod Machado tells how AOPA president Mark Baker greeted him for years as his hero, until Rod heard Mark give the line boy the very same greeting. It’s a quick, funny story with a serious point: humility matters in aviation.
Video: “My Hero Or Maybe Not!” by Rod Machado, from his YouTube channel.
What you’ll learn
- How Rod first met Mark Baker after he took over as AOPA president
- Why a compliment from someone you admire can stick with you for a long time
- The fuel receipt moment that put the compliment in perspective
- Why Rod uses the story to remind pilots to stay humble
A greeting worth remembering
Rod recalls first meeting Mark Baker shortly after Baker succeeded Phil Boyer as president of AOPA. Rod describes him as a gentleman and genuinely nice guy, and he made quite an impression with his opening line: he shook Rod’s hand and called him his hero.
Rod admits he was thrilled. He jokes that he can live for a month on a good compliment, and he happily shared the news at home. Over the years, Baker kept greeting him the same way whenever they crossed paths, and Rod did his best not to let it go to his head.
Then came the fuel receipt
Years later, at an event in San Antonio, Rod was chatting with Baker when the young man who had just fueled Baker’s T-6 walked up with the receipt. Baker looked up and greeted the line worker with exactly the same words he had been using on Rod for years.
Rod’s reaction is the heart of the story. He realized he was not the only hero in Mark Baker’s world, and probably not even one of a few. It’s a small, funny moment, and Rod tells it with plenty of self-deprecation.
Why humility belongs in the cockpit
The video is short, but Rod’s closing thought is clear: the experience made him appreciate how important it is to be humble in aviation. Pilots who stay humble are more open to learning, more willing to ask questions and less likely to believe their own press. Coming from someone with Rod’s long teaching career, it’s a reminder worth hearing, delivered with a smile.
Go deeper with Rod Machado
If you enjoy Rod’s storytelling, his book of aviation essays and humor is packed with more tales like this one, each with a lesson tucked inside. Learn more in Speaking of Flying.
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