First time I observed my husband aerating beer, I thought it wasn't smart - air is the enemy, you know. Since then, I've found out it is good for mead, too, but the cider makers I talk to don't do it. Then again, a lot of cider makers don't pitch yeast and instead rely on what is naturally on the skins, so aerating makes absolutely no sense to them. So I don't aerate when I pitch yeast. It will start going when it starts going. Besides, when you bite into an apple and set it down and it starts browning because it has been exposed to air and people don't care for that, why would you do it to cider?