With autopilot, autothrottles, flight directors, GPS off — are you practised enough? Really ready? Comfortable? Many experts aren’t sure we are. The accident data is worrying. One test-pilot and astronaut with 60-years of flying experience has spoken out about the adverse side effects of automation. He’s noted that Apollo astronauts practised every procedure with and without automation. “We felt comfortable in …
If You Think Adventure is Dangerous . . .
“If you think adventure is dangerous, try routine. It’s lethal.” Paulo Coelho If you fly a lot it can become routine. And so a whole new danger-zone has to be faced. Preflights, cruise checks, yawn.
Fingerspitzengefühl
Fingerspitzengefühl is a German word. (As if you hadn’t already guessed!) It literally means “finger tips feeling”. As such it applies directly to holding the stick or yoke. The student pilot ‘death grip’ is really not helpful. You can’t make smooth gentle control inputs if you’re holding on too tight. And you can’t feel the aircraft talking to you. One …
Morning Checklist
My boys are 6 and 4. School mornings can be … challenging. So this weekend I nailed a checklist in each of their rooms: It worked great! They were actually excited to check off items as they were completed. Of course, how long will this diligence last? How long before the checklist is ignored? It takes us all a while to …
Are You in Control?
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi is a professor of psychology, quoted here from his book Flow. SaveSave
We Should Not Feel . . .
“We should not feel embarrassed by our difficulties, only by our failure to grow anything beautiful from them.” Alain de Botton The Consolations of Philosophy (2000).
You Can’t Tame the Wave
You can’t tame the wave. All you can do is become part of it. Sebastian Steudtner, big-wave surfer. Article in The Red Bulletin, June 2018. We don’t ‘conquer the sky’. We fly in the air. Beginners think of beating gravity; but the best blend with the weather, groove with gravity, one with the wing. (Original sailplane photo CC0 Public …
The Sky, Like the Sea, is Selective
The sea is selective… slow at recognition of effort and aptitude, but fast at sinking the unfit. Felix Riesenberg The sky and the sea share uncaring ways. Beautiful, but deadly. Rewarding the worthy only with temporary treasures. Original photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash. SaveSave
What You Pay Attention To
Pay attention to the right things, and you’re a pilot. Really pay attention, and I’ll be a better pilot.
