It’s magic. It’s science. It’s amazing. And even if we don’t understand exactly how it works, we can still take the controls and successfully guide an airplane into the sky to experience the wonder of flight for ourselves.
Satisfaction deferred is still satisfying
There is a piece of me that is very glad I maintained my role in the right seat as a CFI. The success of my students feels like a success for me, too. And that’s a pretty darned good feeling.
Look up
Sometimes is pays to look up. There may be a special, highly detailed story connected to what flies overhead. And it’s at least possible that somebody reading this article will realize they, and I, have logged time in the very same airplane, somewhere in America.
The curious appeal of fantasy
There is a place in this world for fantasy. Yet if any of us yearn for real adventure or if we want to travel in space and visit distant interstellar bodies, that opportunity exists in real life. General aviation may be the best doorway to that life, as it has been for many decades now.
An open hangar door, a new life
Having been present at her first day in an aircraft hangar and being trusted to serve as her first CFI for that familiarization flight, it’s been my honor to watch this girl grow from a dreamer to a doer.
Draw a line and respect it
In extreme cases I can lose as much as 50% of my field of vision. That’s not good for collision avoidance. It might make it impossible for me to read a gauge or change to a specific radio frequency. In short, it puts me in an unsafe condition. And that’s enough for me to pull the plug on a career that I’ve loved so deeply for all these years.
The future can surprise us
Fifty years of technological advancement will result in a world you and I won’t recognize. Our children and grandchildren will believe that relocating to Mars is a viable option. They’ll ride in autonomous cars to a place where an autonomous aircraft will transport them to the launch facility — a scenario we could easily disregard as being ridiculous.
Customer service is a verb
Finding success isn’t all that complicated, especially in a service-oriented industry. It’s not easy, but the path to success isn’t well hidden. It’s right out in plain sight. Start with a smile and a willingness to help. Run with that. Profits will follow.
Red light, green light, white light
You can request unique training opportunities from ATC. Things like light gun signals. If you’re a CFI you should expose your students in a controlled environment. If you’re an experienced pilot on your flight review, ask for something challenging. It might just make your life a whole lot more comfortable later on…when you least expect it.