In today’s business environment of linking in, hopping on calls and staying connected, learning to unplug is perhaps one of the biggest challenges working professionals face. Wherever there is Wi-Fi, there is business.
However, a number of Baton Rouge business professionals have found a way to unplug and relax, even during business hours. Their secret is in the sky. Miles above Baton Rouge, a handful of businessmen and women double as pilots flying for fun, for practice and to escape the only way they know how: by going up.
Business Report recently spoke with four Baton Rouge professionals—Gwen Corbett, an endodontist at Root Canal Specialists of Baton Rouge; attorney and Metro Councilman Trae Welch; Charles Bombet, financial adviser at Bombet Company; and Derr McElwee, owner of Professional Siding and Windows—to learn more about their planes and passion for flying.
“For me it is a feeling of freedom,” says Corbett, who earned her pilot’s license in 2006 after taking lessons at Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport. “It is a beautiful way to see the world and enjoy life.”
Welch, who earned his pilot’s license at 17, makes it a point to fly at least once a week, either for practice or maybe for a quick trip to Marksville for lunch.
“With a small airplane, one of the worst things you can do is not fly,” says Welch, who also serves as a local airport commissioner. “To me it is just a way to decompress a lot of times, even if it is just to go up and get more proficient.”
Bombet says the skies are the only place where he can completely clear his mind of the demands that come with his responsibilities as a business owner and financial adviser.
“It is the only thing that I do where nothing else enters my mind,” Bombet says. “I’m not thinking about business. There is nothing worrying me. I am totally focused and enjoying the flying.”
Bombet says he also makes it a point to fly at least once a week and uses his small aircraft for business trips to Dallas, Austin and Houston. When he’s not taking off on business, he’s flying to Florida or Gulf Shores or some of his favorite destinations in the Smokey Mountains and Asheville, North Carolina.
For McElwee, the Bahamas are a favorite destination. He’s also found a way to blend his passion for flying with his business.
“As far as combining the two, when I work on people’s houses, a lot of times I’ll talk about [flying] and I’ll take them to see their house from the air,” McElwee says.
Read more about all four professionals and recreational pilots in the full feature. Send your comments to editors@businessreport.com.
