simplicity

Jackie Stewart on racing slow

By Dave English

“Monte Carlo should be driven smoothly and quietly … You’re doing it with gentleness, you’re being kind to your motor car, it’s being kind to you.  You’re great friends, you’re married, you’re having a fantastic affair, everything’s united, you’re not arguing with anyone, when you change gear there’s no rush to change gear.” The 1972 documentary by Roman Polanski about Formula One champion Sir Jackie Stewart Weekend of a Champion has been re-released after being hidden for 40 years. It’s on iTunes and Amazon pretty cheap. It offers an intimate snapshot of a very cool time in Grand Prix racing, … Continue reading Jackie Stewart on racing slow

Preflight like a Zen master drinking tea

By Dave English

It’s hard to do a good preflight. It’s hard to see all that is in front of us. One thing that may help is to preflight like a Zen master drinking tea. Quote is from Thich Nhat Hanh. Photo is Capt. Andy Alfiero and a KC-135R Stratotanker before flying a refueling mission over the Persian Gulf, Aug. 30, 2013. (USAF photo 130830-F-YL744-259)

The sky in my mind

By Dave English

(Quote is from a 15 March 2016 Rolling Stone interview.) Lots of science now adding to lots of personal testimonies that a little meditation every day reaps huge rewards in life. Better focus, better calm attention, less distracted. All this can make you a better pilot. So why don’t aren’t more people trying it?

The Secrets of the Wave Pilots

By Dave English

There is a wonderful long-read article in Sunday’s New York Times Magazine titled The Secrets of the Wave Pilots. It never mentions flying or airmanship, but it’s thought-provoking contemplative stuff for any aviator concerned about visual flying skills. And it’s an in-depth romp through animal navigation, GPS, modern brain science and almost lost ancient knowledge. The glue of the story is Alson Kelen, “potentially the world’s last-ever apprentice in the ancient art of wave-piloting”. That’s the science and art of navigating among the Marshall Islands with no modern tools. Once thought impossible, we know now that somehow it is possible, but … Continue reading The Secrets of the Wave Pilots