In fall 1967, I was a Marine second lieutenant and completed my first solo in a Navy T-34. After a couple of times around the pattern, the instructor got out, slapped me on the helmet, and told me to make three touch-and-goes and come back to pick him up.
No More Happy Landings
Key Takeaways:
- The author recounts a diverse 50-year flying career, starting as a Marine pilot in 1967, serving in Vietnam, and subsequently undertaking various roles from civilian airline and relief work globally to flight instruction.
- He began experiencing a gradual cognitive decline, manifesting as memory lapses and procedural difficulties, leading to safety incidents such as forgetting crucial items, violating airspace, and missing tower instructions.
- Following an FAA intervention prompted by these incidents and his own admission of "losing a step," he voluntarily surrendered his extensive pilot certificates, concluding his long and accomplished career with a poignant final solo flight.
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