[ccarter]

Now that the PPL is finally done and I’m sauntering out to the airport at will to take those long awaited flights (see Builder Turning Pilot Part “Won” on this site), I’ve been able to make a few observations about what it’s like to be in command of an aircraft. It’s not hanger flying for sure. But, the hanger flying did help as the training progressed. That has been mostly a “mental” exercise which is kind of the point to this little post.

My mentor used to say, “A contract is only as good as a man”. I’ve never forgotten that. Continuing that line of thought lately I’ve considered, “The aircraft is only as safe as the pilot”. I’ve noticed how I have a temptation to rifle through my preflight check list at times motivated by the “excitement” of getting to “take her up again”. Heck, I’ve even had the thought go through my mind, “I just did this the other day. I built this plane. I know it’s safe. I can just do a quick walk around…. right?” Notwithstanding I’ve discovered numerous loose screws and a few loose wheel pant bolts in my walk a-rounds in the past. 140 hours of Hobbs time is more than enough time to loosen those fasteners and that is exactly the type of stuff we’re looking for in a preflight. It’s like a golf swing. There seems to be something about us that is challenging when trying to do the same thing in the same way every time. It requires mental focus. 9 times out of 10 you don’t find anything. It’s that 1 time that I’m interested in.

I find there is a similar temptation starting the engine and setting up the cockpit for the mission, however short it may be. Do I really need that sectional because the 496 is awesome. Should I scribble down those VOR freqs. because they’re just “backup” NAV strategies anyway. I mean, after all, “What could go wrong?” (wink wink) . How about making that all important “fuel” decision because I would rather not have an extra stop or pay that price for low lead.

These are character decisions and part of a mental dialogue we keep as pilots, male and female. Routine and habit can facilitate degrees of complacency. Piloting an aircraft is a dynamic and fluid activity and always will be. The prep and the rules “increase” our statistical odds that x will always equal y, where x=take offs and y=landings.

These numbers are invisible to us if we let down mentally and quantifiable which affords a certain amount of predictability of the future. It is precisely why the NTSB exists. They don’t want to record you and I in their book but they will because it may help someone else stay out of the book. So, I try to keep that in mind.

I’m taking the “WindDancer” to OSH in a few weeks. My second “pilgrimage” but first time to fly in and I get to do it in my own plane, humoursly referred to as the “right of passage”. I’ve read and re-read the NOTAMS. They’re actually very straight forward but I take them very seriously as we all do. It takes something special to pilot an aircraft, even the small single engine category most of us fly.

In a way, I’ve rediscovered America in the last three years building and flying the RV. And I’m not talking about the geography, I’m talking about her people. Maybe it’s because “life” can be on the line when we fly. Pilots know that and meet that character challenge head on. It does something to refine the brain and strengthen the heart. I feel I’ve once again found the people I knew as a child growing up. These are the types of guys and gals my mom and dad had around as their friends, and that is a pretty good feeling.

“To face challenges in life is human, it’s how we deal with them that make us men.”

See you at Osh…

 

[BuckWynd]

Pilots know that and meet that character challenge head on. It does something to refine the brain and strengthen the heart. I feel I?ve once again found the people I knew as a child growing up. These are the types of guys and gals my mom and dad had around as their friends, and that is a pretty good feeling.

Chris,

Good words. Early in my flying career, I realized that becoming a pilot (and hanging around with pilots) would forever change my ideas about adventure, character, situational awareness, personal achievement, and responsibility. These days, during the rare times when I?m in a social group of non-pilots, I feel lonely because there?s no hangar-talk, and little understanding of the magnificence of what is essentially our hobby.

Nobody else in the room has made the earth rotate around them with a small pressure of their wrist. Nobody else has made the sun rise in the west. Or blasted out the top of an overcast into the smooth, clear air above. Or appreciated the magic of a well-flown ILS and seeing the runway appear out of the murk straight ahead. No one else has known the pride of locating that far-away destination using nothing but a compass, a map, and pilotage. Or made a smooth crosswind landing in challenging conditions. Or made a perfect formation rejoin. Or camped under the wing of an airplane they built with their own two hands. Or viewed fireworks from above. Or seen the summit of a perilous mountain, closeup, from the comfort of an upholstered seat. Or any of the other thousands of sights and experiences we can have, just for fun.

Cherish all of it. It really is a magical lifestyle.

And with it, of course, comes the huge responsibilities. It sounds like you are accepting these responsibilities well. Keep thinking about them every time you fly. Confronting complacency, staying sharp, and managing external and internal pressures are our toughest challenges in aviation. We've got most of the technical stuff figured out.