Anne McClain has faced down many fears, and is now going to be rewarded with sights that are literally out of this world. She’s been an Army combat helicopter pilot who deployed to Iraq, an instructor pilot and a test pilot. She is currently a NASA astronaut, in the pipeline to fly to Mars. Quote is from an interview …
Tag: training
Maya Angelou on Becoming a Great Pilot
At an airshow I admire the biplanes, the jets, the smoke and the sounds. But the persistence of the pilots to get this good is most amazing.
Mikaela Shiffrin on Winning Formula
“I still don’t think there is a winning formula. It’s really just working your butt off.” Mikaela Shiffrin She is the youngest slalom champion in Olympic alpine skiing history. She is also the current world champion in slalom. There is no magic formula for success. The winning formula involves hard work. And sounds a lot like the seven P’s: Proper Prior …
You’re Not in a Dangerous Situation Until
Scott Crossfield — fighter pilot, aeronautical engineer, first person to fly twice the speed of sound and X-15 chief engineering test pilot — quoted in the classic book X-15 Diary released this week. He is also quoted as saying: In all of this business there’s a requirement of intense concentration—if you can train yourself to be self-disciplined. If you close the …
Being a Good Stick is Not Enough
Being a “good stick” is not enough. Good pilots are thinking their way through the air as well as simply moving controls. What comes next in flight is absolutely as important as what is happening right now. Jack J. Pelton EAA CEO, Sport Aviation magazine, Nov 2016 “Being ahead of the plane” they call it. And if you can always …
Aerobatic Training?
“The real need is for a fully aerobatic training aeroplane to be provided so that airline pilots can practise real flying manoeuveres and recovery from unusual attitudes. … There are too many senior transport pilots flying who have just about forgotten how to fly an aeroplane.” The Chief Test Pilot of the UK Airworthiness Authority wrote this in the last …
Do Not Become Lazy
Automation complacency, and the need to stay proficient in manual flying are not new ideas. Fifty years ago the chief test pilot of the UK airworthiness authority warned us, in his (clearly) still relevant book Handling the Big Jets. The full quote, from page 316, is: “Do not become lazy in your professional lives. The autopilot is a great comfort, …
Brain Simulator
Simulators cost millions of dollars. But all of us can use our ‘brain simulators’ to become better pilots. Mélanie Astles is a five time French Aerobatic Champion and now is the first woman to compete in the Red Bull Air Races. Quote comes from an article in espnW.com by Tony Rehagen: For pilot Melanie Astles, to air is divine (15 October 2016).
Live the Warrior’s Life
In Greek mythology, Telamon is son of the king Aeacus of Aegina. He accompanied Jason as one of the Argonauts, and was present at the hunt for the Calydonian Boar. I don’t think he ever flew airplanes. But his words are forever true. It’s good to study aerodynamics, regulations and hydraulic systems. But study is never enough. We must also do. The preflight at 04:30. In the cold. …
Spaceman Mike Massimino
I just finished the great book Spaceman: An Astronaut’s Unlikely Journey to Unlock the Secrets of the Universe by Mike Massimino. (It came out earlier this month, hardcopy, kindle, iBooks.) It’s an easy engaging read, the personal story of his cool travels through colleges, companies, and on to two amazing Hubble rescue missions on the Space Shuttle. Best astronaut book …