claycookiemonster
Well Known Member
Brian Shul, pilot and photographer of the SR-71. Author of "Sled Driver"
Interestingly, before the SR-71 made him famous, he stopped by my USAF Pilot training base to give a lecture on Safety based on his experiences in Viet Nam. The salient point of his lecture still rings true with me today.
He said what if, prior to stepping to your next flight, someone came to you and said, "Hey, just to let you know, your engine is going to fail right at the far end of the runway on take-off today." If, as a result of that knowledge, you did anything different, you were taking chances every day. Because nobody is ever going to tell you that.
I also wanted to tell everyone on this Forum, that you all are amazing pilots. While humans seem to always look up, to the person with a bigger income or larger engine, it's important to remember that there is a WHOLE WORLD of people who are looking up at us. To the vast majority of the human race, even being able to pilot an airplane verges on miraculous. That you may have actually built that plane with your own two hands is beyond belief.
Sure, look up and revere those who have accomplished great feats, but never forget that you have done the same.
Interestingly, before the SR-71 made him famous, he stopped by my USAF Pilot training base to give a lecture on Safety based on his experiences in Viet Nam. The salient point of his lecture still rings true with me today.
He said what if, prior to stepping to your next flight, someone came to you and said, "Hey, just to let you know, your engine is going to fail right at the far end of the runway on take-off today." If, as a result of that knowledge, you did anything different, you were taking chances every day. Because nobody is ever going to tell you that.
I also wanted to tell everyone on this Forum, that you all are amazing pilots. While humans seem to always look up, to the person with a bigger income or larger engine, it's important to remember that there is a WHOLE WORLD of people who are looking up at us. To the vast majority of the human race, even being able to pilot an airplane verges on miraculous. That you may have actually built that plane with your own two hands is beyond belief.
Sure, look up and revere those who have accomplished great feats, but never forget that you have done the same.