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Feature Article: Growing Up As A Pilot
It takes more than time to grow and mature as a pilot. Judgment
cannot be measured just by time but by the number of successful
decisions made weighed against the poor decisions. It would be
akin to a quarterbacks touchdown passes measured against interceptions.
At the present time I am flying with a pilot who has been flying
for 35 years. Even when his aircraft has been sitting in the
open for over five days, his preflight is so cursory that he
only check the fuel in the tank where the gauge is inoperative.
I arrive early to make sure that his preflight fits my much higher
standards.
He is planning to make a flight across Canada to Anchorage, Alaska.
I have agreed to help him plan the flight. He is planning a rather
casual flight with stops to smell the flowers along the way.
I feel that this approach offers him the best chance of success.
We he to be under any pressure his lack of judgment could get
him into serious weather difficulty. He has made mistakes in
judgment and wrecked an airplane in the recent past. Learning
to improve his judgment requires that he be exposed to those
conditions that require the making of good decisions. However,
he is so concerned about redoing past mistakes that he will not
allow himself to be taught how to deal successfully with adverse
conditions. This means that he is unwilling to continue to learn
about flying. It means his personal envelope will not be expanded.
It means that he does not know how to or even want to find ways
of seeking outside validation about what he hears from others
or even sees himself. The poor flight instructor has been a perpetuator
of as many misconceptions and bad habits in future pilots and
flight instructors. The worst of instruction seems to have a
persistence that confounds the truth. Mistaken ideas exist about
all flying procedures. There are 'holidays' in the knowledge
of even the best of us. I found one in mine just a few weeks
ago about fuel pumps in Cessnas.
Last Modified February 11, ©2026 TAGE.COM
