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Broken-Field Running

Getting there and back can mean abandoning Plan A for a new strategy. Situational awareness is key.

Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • The multi-day cross-country flight to view the solar eclipse underscored the reality that aviation plans rarely survive initial conditions, often requiring significant adaptation.
  • The journey served as a practical demonstration of essential pilot skills: aeronautical decision-making, operational flexibility, and proactive risk management in response to dynamic challenges.
  • Pilots must be prepared for "Plan B" scenarios, as encountered with weather-induced diversions, en-route changes, and navigating exceptionally busy airspace and ATC systems.
  • Despite numerous challenges and plan adjustments, the personal airplane proved its valuable utility in achieving a unique and adventurous travel goal.
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The idea that “no plan survives first contact with the enemy” is a modernized version of something a Prussian field marshal, Helmuth von Moltke, wrote in 1871. It’s appropriate in many activities, as long as we change “enemy” to something a bit softer, like “opposition.” In everyday use, it can refer to authority figures who are not on our side. Air traffic controllers, for instance. Events, too, like weather.

In early April, I flew my Debonair on a 2700-nm round trip over four days, from Florida to Maine and back, to view the April 8 eclipse. The eclipse itself was an amazing, epic experience in many ways (see this month’s Editor’s Log on page 2 for more deets).

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