Page 26 - Demo

24 • TWIN & TURBINE
October 2017
From the Flight Deck
by Kevin R. Dingman
Exit Strategy
When to set the brakes for the last time.
As John Glenn prepared for STS-95 at the age of 77, a cartoon appeared in the papers. The space shuttle was depicted in orbit with a turn signal blinking, presumably since launch. The condition being a reference to the quintessential indicator of forgetfulness due to aging.
We’ve all seen the turn-signal phenomenon in parents, siblings, friends and perhaps ourselves. At some point, our mental and physical dexterity declines, effective sleep cycles are elusive and the calendar becomes populated with reactive, rather than proactive, doctor appointments. When the forgetful old geezer we’re describing is ourselves, should we bail out the first time we miss a radio call, checklist item or a step-down fix, try to ignore the effects of aging, or modify our behavior and downsize as needed?
The Hubris of the Young
Age and treachery will always beat youth and exuberance.
– David Mamet
As I struggled through a passionate debate on the AirFacts Journal website about older pilots (www.airfactsjournal.com), the hubris of the young was frustrating, even infuriating. My frustration was compounded because the younger participants reminded me of the arrogance I displayed myself as a long-haired punk learning to fly in the 1970s (See The Van Ride, T&T March 2014). Their position on senior pilots centered on the age-old debate over age and reaction time versus experience. It was the same argument I had with my driver’s ed teacher in high school. Because of my youth, and therefore Bruce Lee-like reaction speed, I tried to convince my instructor that I could out-drive him despite his years of experience; just as the young pilot-participants on the website suggested of themselves versus old pilots. To paraphrase Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld: the youngsters didn’t know what they didn’t know, especially this one.
It was on the 10th day of May – 1884 – that I confessed to age by mounting spectacles for the first time, and in the same hour I renewed my youth, to outward appearance, by mounting a bicycle for the first time. The spectacles stayed on.
– Mark Twain