Teach Yourself
Former Concorde instructor Captain Mike Riley on how we teach ourselves to fly. We need good lessons, but ultimately it’s an inner game.
Photo from my flight in the Brooklands Concorde simulator. Quote in Mike’s The Concorde Stick and Rudder Book.
Aeroplane does all the work
This quote comes from Mike Riley’s little gem, The Concorde Stick and Rudder Book. You don’t fight an plane — you understand its ways and set the controls to let her fly well. Even, as it turns out, Concorde.
Mike Riley was a British Airways captain who instructed in the B707, VC10 and Concorde. He also instructed in light aircraft, and flew/trained/judged World Championship aerobatics.
Know what comes next
Know what comes next.
Captain Harry Linfield
Harry Linfield, Concorde captain & instructor, when I asked him in the Brooklands Concorde simulator what good pilots did well. He has instructed in RAF Jet Provosts, B707s, Concorde and after retiring, in piston Cessna’s. He told me whatever the speed, stay ahead of the aeroplane. And know what you are going to do next.
David Lama on managing risk
“Regardless of the outcome, any expedition still offers hundreds of experiences you can learn from.”
David Lama is an elite climber who has scored many ‘firsts’, but seems grounded in a deep understanding of risk, rationality and unforgiving reality. Both these quotes come from an article in this month’s Red Bulletin magazine that’s well worth the short read. Like pilots, mountaineers must understand the consequences of bad choices.
“In mountaineering, you constantly have to check your perceptions against reality. After all, a plan is only an idea. And an idea is a fleeting thing.”