The author developed a passion for flying early, starting with sailplanes, whose unique landing techniques later created challenges when transitioning to power planes.
During night landings in a power plane, the author took a dangerous "shortcut," relying on peripheral vision to judge height instead of direct observation.
This shortcut led to a severe, misjudged landing and taught him a crucial lesson about the dangers of poor discipline and taking shortcuts in both aviation and life.
(April 2011) IT WAS NOT A BIG MISTAKE. I ended up with damage only to my pride and my reputation. But, I took a shortcut, and I learned about flying from that.
I grew up on World War I flying books left in my bedroom bookcase by previous generations. I listened to Dad tell of his Stearman lessons from early 1941. I was mad about flying and desperate to get started.
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