Many years ago, I was blessed to be in the United States Air Force pilot training program. It was a dream come true for this young farm boy. As a very young man I had learned to fly because a former WW II pilot lived on the farm behind the one where I grew up. He took me on my first airplane ride and I was hooked. As money allowed, I began training to be a pilot shortly after that first experience . The more I flew the more I wanted to learn. The initial training was in small airplanes although the ultimate goal was to fly jets.
Many important lessons were learned in those pilot training days about gaining proficiency in the air and later also in life. Flying helped me learn to think ahead. Flying also made me aware that I needed to prepare for the future. Life passes quickly and we need to be ready for the next event in life.
The second big reason to think ahead is simply to be prepared for those emergency situations which arise when they are least expected. One of the first assignments from our Air Force instructors was to memorize three rules that apply encountering emergencies either airborne or in daily life. Over the next few days my intent is to share some actions you also might take when an emergency presents itself.
The first action in an emergency while flying in an airplane is to Maintain Aircraft Control. In the next article, I will explain how that might apply to you.