One of the most essential ingredients of flight is to safely land the airplane . When the rules of flight are written for safely handling an in flight emergency there were three essential actions discussed extract yourself and your passengers from the situation. We have already discussed two. They were Maintain Aircraft Control , and Analyze the Situation and Take Proper Action.. The third and, equally important action ,in an emergency is to Land the Airplane As Soon As Practical.
When we encounter a problem, it seems we sometimes remain in the quandary because we do not take the opportunity to land and get away from the challenge. We seem to inadvertently remain in the turmoil and fail to take actions that would extract us from the dangers surrounding the problem When I was in pilot training in the USAF, I remember having an excellent instructor who told us what we could anticipate incurring an emergency at some point in our career.when we were flying the jets in operational squadrons. He said our job was to learn from the experience of others. As an example we were learning to fly the T-38 Talon. The airplane has a service ceiling somewhere around 39,000 feet, a cruise speed of nearly 400 knots, and is capable of going supersonic. Some people have likened it to flying a supersonic sports car. He went on to provide the following example:
My instructor told me that someday I would be cruising at an altitude of 35,000 feet, in the clouds, with zero visibility outside the cockpit, and inadvertently fly into the top of a thunderstorm. A storm at that altitude is normally very violent. Updrafts, downdrafts, and lightening make for a very unstable environment. His point was that the first reaction in that situation is to turn around and head back to where you entered the storm because it was calm and peaceful. However, if you choose to turn around, you will extend your time in the storm as you turn. If , instead, you chose to move straight ahead and accept the challenge of the storm, you will get to calm air much faster on the other side and reduce your time in the turbulent environment.
It seems that the reaction to turn around to get back to where we felt comfortable in a calm situation is natural. The point is that sometimes it is better to fight directly through a challenge and get it behind us. When we do we are in a better position to land and get out of the emergency. The theory also works well in life.
James 1:2 " Dear brothers and sisters,* when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. 3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow."
Tyndale House Publishers. (2013). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Jas 1:2–3). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.