The author, a lifelong flying enthusiast, began his piloting journey with sailplanes, developing a unique landing technique that later proved problematic for power aircraft.
During a night landing exercise at a large airport, the author critically misjudged his height due to a learned "shortcut" in visual judgment, resulting in a severe, bouncing "arrival" instead of a smooth landing.
He realized this shortcut—relying on peripheral vision to gauge height—was effective on smaller fields but disastrous on the wider runways of a major airport.
The experience deeply impressed upon him the lesson that shortcuts, born from poor discipline, often precede and lead to disaster, both in aviation and in life.
(April 2011) IT WAS NOT A BIG MISTAKE. I ended up with damage only to my pride and my reputation. But, I took a shortcut, and I learned about flying from that.
I grew up on World War I flying books left in my bedroom bookcase by previous generations. I listened to Dad tell of his Stearman lessons from early 1941. I was mad about flying and desperate to get started.
CREATE A FREE ACCOUNT
Sign up to keep reading
Create a free account to continue. Already a member? Sign in below.
