“Noting my hands gripping the control wheel as if it were a lifeline, Bob would say, ‘Loosen up. Use your fingertips. Remember, flying is a lot like playing the flute: if you try too hard, it doesn’t come out right.'”
So reminisced author Frank Kingston Smith in his 1982 book, Weekend Wings. Smith learned to fly in the 1950s, and many of the lessons he later recalled in his writing seem especially valid today. Most have less to do with the mechanics of flight than the human side-how he learned to forsake preconceived notions about flying and embrace simple lessons in his own human nature. In today’s environment, there seems to be more and more emphasis on programming systems and memorizing numbers, with less and less focus on allowing students to find the comfortable feel of smooth flying.
