In the book Gift of Wings, Richard Bach writes about the people who look up to the sky to watch airplanes, people who slow down when driving past airports. He says, “If you act this way, it’s possible that in flight you’ll find much to learn of yourself and of the path of your life on this planet.” Of course, …
Category: Airmanship Quotes
Drink the Wild Air
“Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, Drink the wild air‘s salubrity.” Ralph Waldo Emerson preface of ‘Considerations by the Way’ published in ‘The Conduct of Life’,(1860, revised 1876).
Zero/Zero, Charles D. Svovoda
“At last I understood what true professionalism is. Being a pilot isn’t all seat-of-the-pants flying and glory. It’s self-discipline, practice, study, analysis and preparation. It’s precision. If you can’t keep the gauges where you want them with everything free and easy, how can you keep them there when everything goes wrong?” Charles D. Svoboda Flying magazine, November 1976. Old editions …
Jimmy Chin on Managing Fear
Jimmy Chin is one of the best mountain climbers alive. He knows fear. And how to manage it: The full quote, from Outside magazine 19 October 2015: Fear is always there, it’s a survival instinct. You just need to know how to manage it. It’s about sorting out perceived risk from real risk, and then being as rational as possible with …
TWA Flight Safety
“The most important wings on a plane are on the pilot.” TWA Flight Safety publication.
You Must Set Yourself on Fire
“You must set yourself on fire.” It’s not easy, it’s not fun, and it will hurt at times. But fuel the fire. It’s worth it.
Roger Cruickshank on the Perfect Flight
Roger Cruickshank is a front-line RAF Typhoon pilot. The Queen’s version of Top Gun‘s ‘best of the best, tip of the spear’. He has intercepted 22 different Russian aircraft, including the Tu-95 Bear, Tu-160 Blackjack, Il-78 Midas, Su-34 Fullback, Mig-31 Foxhound and An-26 Curl. Before this posting he was a RAF flight instructor and Olympic skier. So when he talks about making …
Not Paid to Fly
“The best thing you learn when flying in Alaska is when to say ‘no.’ When I started, the owner told me that she doesn’t pay us to fly; she pays us to turn around. If you’re smart, that sticks with you.” Patrick Dugan K2 bush pilot and Extra 300 aerobatic competitor Quoted in the March 2017 edition of EAA’s Sport Aviation …
Happy Dog
There’s lots of reasons I tell myself why I like being a pilot. But it might just be the joy of a dog in a car, sticking his head out the window. Oh, and if you’re not fully focused on only landing when landing — you’re doing it wrong!
The Plane Doesn’t Know
“Flying is a great equalizer. The plane doesn’t know or care about your gender as a pilot … You just have to perform.” Lt. Col. Christine Mau, USAF. The plane also doesn’t know or care if you’re tired, or if you were going to study more tomorrow, or if you’re in a hurry. Quote is in a nice article, Meet …