beginners mind

Am I a good pilot?

By Dave English

I think I’m a good pilot. Above average, anyway. For sure. Over 17,000 hours, 5 type ratings, published scientific research into pilot behavior, on and on. I work at it, every flight. Well, most every flight. But a paper recently published in Psychological Science: Journal of the Association for Psychological Science (I’m not a nerd, but I am a subscriber) has me worried. It’s titled When knowledge knows no bounds: Self-perceived expertise predicts claims of impossible knowledge. The authors found that “people overclaim [knowledge] to the extent that they perceive their personal expertise favorably.” People that think they are experts, … Continue reading Am I a good pilot?

Ageless aviator wisdom

By Dave English

AOPA Pilot magazine magazine has a great article by Dave Hirschman in the April edition about the Mavericks, four Florida pilots who fly formation aerobatics together. They are mostly in their mid-70’s. With long backgrounds in all kinds of flying. Ageless aviators with wisdom to spare: Just like artists or musicians, we’re constantly striving to master our craft, to try new things, to improve. Bob Gandt, 75, US Navy, Pan Am & Delta. I still get a rush of adrenaline whenever we fly. Ron Keilin, 78, thirty-five years of airshow aerobatic experience. No two flights are exactly the same. And … Continue reading Ageless aviator wisdom

Quote

Harrison Ford on flying

I love training. I love taking on new challenges. Like short strips and crosswinds and tail-wheel airplanes. Confined spaces in helicopters. I like to challenge myself. Always make sure I don’t over challenge myself.

Great freedom, great responsibility. I think it’s the mix of the two of them that I really enjoy most of all. Freedom without the responsibility is just maybe not so engaging.

Up here I don’t think about much except flying. What my duties and responsibilities are. Everything else just kinda falls away. That’s very restful for me.

~ Harrison Ford, speaking while flying in the 2009 short film ‘Just Another Pilot’ by Steve Stafford (free on YouTube).

Link

Dale Masters on flying and understanding

This sport can be terribly frustrating at all levels, but after we pay our inevitable dues, it becomes more than worth the effort. Less experienced pilots must be patient and persistent, and continue to try different variations of method. After a few long thermal flight we begin to develop a sense of what is about to happen, and what to do about it. Then, after a few hundred flights, we begin to gain an intuitive sense of how to perform little miracles, almost on demand. To avenge the disappointment of short flights when the old-timers are trumpeting how good the soaring is, preserve, be as sensitive as possible to all forms of information, and use your imagination.

And never assume you really understand.

~ Dale Masters, 12,000 hours in gliders, from his book Soaring: Beyond the Basics.

Soaring: Beyond the Basics
Soaring: Beyond the Basics, by Dale Masters