In the spring of 1944, Col. Don Blakeslee wanted P-51 Mustangs for his Fourth Fighter Group in England. But it would take weeks to transition the pilots from their huge radial-engine P-47 Thunderbolts into the sleek V-12-powered Mustangs. Blakeslee promised to have his pilots in combat within 24 hours of receiving the Mustangs – and he did. A few years ago, I asked him about that brash promise, and he brushed it off, saying an airplane is an airplane and if you can fly one fighter you can fly another. He actually had me believing I could have done it, too; one reason he was such a good leader.
But that was wartime, when exceptional risks were ordinary. And Blakeslee didn’t have to convince an insurance company, just a commanding general. For today’s pilots, the more complex an aircraft, the more training is required — initial and recurrent. Even with less complex aircraft, insurance companies can mandate far more initial and recurrent training than the FARs spell out. And when it comes to improving our safety record, that’s a good thing.
