Page 26 - March21T

Don’t Be Ashamed
Many of us fly because our heart is in aviation and we love airplanes, being physically present and having control of the adventure. And if control is the reason, isn’t that enough? Why do we climb into a deep-sea submers- ible, blast into space, or fly above the earth instead of sending a pilotless ve- hicle or simply observing from a video screen? Because we enjoy being in the driver’s seat at the controls, becoming the architect, facilitator and witness to the voyage. To be responsible for
how it goes. We need not be ashamed, and our motives need not be cryptic or esoteric – maybe only a bit ethereal since we experience sights and emo- tions unavailable to wingless humans. Even those that fall into the profit- ability or shoe and shampoo retention categories as a reason to fly GA must concede that control and achievement are indeed the reasons which resonate most honestly and faithfully. We have a connection with our airplanes out of both desire and necessity.
There is a fine line
separating a relaxed
and easy atmosphere in
the cockpit from a lax
one where distractions
can result in critical
failures. Professionalism
may be described as
knowing the difference
between the two.
– Dr. John K. Lauber, NTSB
I flew the Duke to Mackinac Island, Michigan, a while back just for the day. As I was installing the chocks, a very nice King Air pulled into a parking spot near me. A group of six passengers climbed out, followed by a senior pilot (i.e., grey, like me) wearing a uniform with four stripes – the Captain. He was followed by a younger pilot wearing three stripes – the First Officer. Sound carries on a quiet ramp, and I couldn’t help but eavesdrop on the conversation between the passengers and crew. At first, I thought it was a chartered flight. Their routine was polished and the
pilots were very respectful and subser- vient to the passengers. The group was headed to the Grand Hotel for three days and the crew was to pick them up on Friday. The crew unloaded their own bags and secured the plane – they would wait on the island in case of a schedule change. While waiting for our “taxi” (a horse-drawn carriage) in the terminal lounge, I continued to eavesdrop. One of the ladies said to another, “Say again?” Well, you and I know what group of people most often use that terminology instead of “huh,” “what,” or “pardon me.” Holy cow, I thought. She’s a pilot, it’s her plane, and she hired a professional crew. I can only speculate on the reason. I know that I’ve wished for a crew a few times when my passengers were allowed to imbibe, stay up late and sleep in while I remained clearheaded, rested and awoke early to plan for the return trip. Piloting uses up a lot of brain cells.
A Subliminal Component of Piloting
Her arrangement made me realize how much of our thought process is absorbed by the task of flying an air- plane. If you only have a few days to unwind and enjoy the destination, re- moving the flying task from your brain can make a difference. Most people don’t know that we aviators think about flying constantly. One dimension of OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder) is perfection, but aviation perfection- ists skirt this diagnosis using the ex- planation of safety and necessity. For example, we have a sense of things in flight supplemental to the physical task of flying – things that are a subliminal component of piloting. Whether pres- surized or unpressurized, we can smell our environment, we can hear the air and the airplane, we feel changes in temperature and pressure and perhaps most notable, through our mind’s eye, we can see hundreds, even thousands of miles across multiple weather sys- tems and terrain. When a layperson sees a flash of lightning, they think of wind, rain and thunderstorm. A pilot, whether in flight or on the ground, will think the same but with a global, or at least a continental, perspective. And with perhaps a deeper measure of fear, understanding and respect.
Short N Numbers
24 • TWIN & TURBINE / March 2021