Posted on 05/23/2005 3:06:30 AM PDT by Conservatrix
Sounds more like your neighbor side swiped the teenager across the street.
Your first lessons deal with defensive maneuvers, and the repetitive drills of take-off/landing procedures, know as "touch and go". These are to help you accustom yourself to controlling your leap and fall from the sky.
You learn the airplanes ability to turn, and stall, and challenge yourself repeatedly, with practice for disaster.
Once that is sound, then you ca learn navigation, and long distance travel.
Every time you leave the ground, you are taught to have checked your gasoline for water, and your fuel levels should have been visibly checked, in the tanks.
You go through a pre-flight checklist that begins before you turn the key, scanning the instruments for anomalies, and is continued with an engine run-up, and systems check, before you even get on the runway.
The training teaches you to continually scan the sky, and your instruments. They both let you know your level of safety.
Every thing else, is hope... trust... and bliss!
Truer words were never spoken.
Huh? Our neighbor had his car parked in front of the house; teenager was cruising by and she reached down to get phone and "oops" she totally swiped the entire side of his car. Her fault - no ifs, ands, or buts and cops said so too.
That's more true than you know, and not just for fighter pilots. It's also why it takes so much training to become....and remain.....a mission-ready pilot in any of the military branches.
It's interesting to hear from a couple of folks who really know. Sometimes there's a lot of folks who think they know about a subject, so I went and checked out your profiles. Thank you both for your years of service to our country.
I meant to send you post #86 as well.
Understood. . .and thanks.
Thank you for your kind words, my friend.
Wonderful book. I have always had a warm place in my heart for the twin engine Mosquito since I first read that book.
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