“An engineer can explain how a system should work (in theory) but an operator has to know what the engineer knows and then has to know how the systems tie together to get the mission accomplished. If the systems break down the operator must make rapid decisions on fixing or working around the problem to keep the mission moving.” Gene …
1942 Instrument Flying Training
In a world of glass cockpits and flight control laws, a lot of the 1942 U.S. Instrument Flying Training manual no longer applies. But what does, is the real essence of instrument flying: Relax. Be smooth. Control pressures not movements. Understand attitude vs ‘history’ instruments.
Your Job Is
“If you want to fly as [traditional pilots] say they do, then go fly gliders, become test pilots, for all I care go to the moon. But flying for the airlines is not supposed to be an adventure. From takeoff to landing, the autopilots handle the controls. This is routine. In a Boeing as much as an Airbus. And they …
The Problem with Pilots
Finished reading an amazing book that was published last year— The Problem with Pilots: How Physicians, Engineers, and Airpower Enthusiasts Redefined Flight, by former USAF U2 instructor pilot and dean of their school of Advanced Air and Space Studies, Colonel Timothy P. Schultz, PhD. It covers the history of automation in aircraft, the replacement and extension of piloting skills into …
Only One Time
Living in the here and now can sound very hippy-dippy, but it’s also where all our power resides. And as pilots, we like power! “Remember then: there is only one time that is important— Now! It is the most important time because it is the only time when we have any power.” ~ Leo Tolstoy, What Men Live By. 1885.
Ride a Dragon
Jon Snow: “I don’t know how to ride a dragon.” Queen Daenerys Targaryen: “Nobody does until they ride a dragon.” Game of Thrones, season 8, episode 1. Ground school, chair flying, simulators — all are good. But sometimes it feels like you don’t really know how to fly untill you’ve riden the dragon. 🐉
Reasonable Rational Individuals
“Most accidents originate in actions committed by reasonable, rational individuals who were acting to achieve an assigned task in what they perceived to be a responsible and professional manner. They have probably committed these same unsafe acts before without negative consequences because the existing conditions at the time did not favour an interaction of the flawed decisions or deficiences present …
Olé Olé Olé!
An electrifying movie about the Rolling Stones recent South American tour has awesome concert footage, and some reflective thoughts from all the band members after 55+ years of working towards excellence and mastery: “At the start of a tour, it’s like being on a tightrope, that once you’ve set foot on it, that rope widens and becomes a bridge that …
A New TOPGUN Book
I was lucky enough to receive an advance promotional copy of a new book: TOPGUN: An American Story, written by Dan Pedersen, founder of the famed US Navy Fighter Weapons School. It’s a good read. Written with the smooth wisdom of an eighty-three-year-old, who is proud of Navy aviation and his dog-fighting days, but isn’t just writing for wide-eyed and …
The Capability of the Human Pilot
The North American X-15 was a hypersonic rocket-powered experimental aircraft flown by the USAF and NASA in the 1960’s. The X-15 holds the official world record for the highest speed ever recorded by a manned aircraft, set in October 1967 when test pilot William J. Knight at 102,100 feet flew Mach 6.70. Clearly it was a hot rod rocket ride, and obviously important to the advancement of high …