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The Wandering Hearts of Pilots

Illustration by Robert Goyer
Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • Pilots, including the author, are rarely completely satisfied with their aircraft, always finding something "to be desired" or envisioning a "better" airplane.
  • This inherent dissatisfaction often manifests as a desire for more speed, range, or room, even in high-performing aircraft.
  • The author suggests this is a universal pilot trait, with even seemingly content pilots secretly aspiring to upgrade to a more capable or advanced aircraft.
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I’ve been lucky to have flown a lot of airplanes over the past 20 years, almost all of them belonging to other people. Some were high wings; some were low. Some were taildraggers; some were nose pushers. Some were brand new; some were downright decrepit. Some were fast; some were painfully slow. Some were pleasantly roomy; others were tiny. Some were technologically advanced; others were technologically challenged.

They were as different as different could be, but the one thing that they all, every single one of them, had in common—and this is a secret: they left something to be desired.

FLYING Staff

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