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Select Airpoarts
one.” Note, I did not say a “master of none,” but a “master of one.” By this, I mean that the best pilots are true masters of the airplane that is their bread and butter, the airplane they fly the most. But, these stellar pilots will also have a breadth of experiences that are not related to their aircraft.
I’m convinced rebuilding a tractor and my 1968 Chevy truck many years ago helped me in aviation by broadening my mechanical aptitude. Additional ratings are an obvious way to expand your experiences, but so is getting a tailwheel endorsement, parachuting, upset recovery training, learn- ing to fly an underpowered airplane, and learning about powered paragliding. The point is, when the chips are down, you need a wide body of experience. Sometimes an outside event causes an abnormal situation, and sometimes it is induced by our stupidity. On my day with the panel black- out, my carelessness was the cause. (I have since moved my PopSocket holder on my King Air to a place where it cannot cause me grief again).
Stay tuned for more “Pilot Confessions” in future T &T issues.
Joe Casey is an FAA-DPE and an ATP, CFI, CFII (A/H), MEI, CFIG, CFIH, as well as a retired U.S. Army UH60 stan- dardization instruc-tor/examiner. An active instructor in the PA46 and King Air markets, he has accumulated 14,300-plus hours of flight time, with more than 5,200 dual-given as a flight instructor. Contact Joe at joe@flycasey.com or 903.721.9549.
14 • TWIN & TURBINE / March 2022
Covington