Condensed Wisdom

[Bob Llewellyn]

To which I have invented a very important and new acronym for all pilots....M.A.C. Marital Aviation Clearance. Absolutely imperative to avoid AIDS ( Aviation Induced Divorce Syndrome).

Or. a Big MAC if it's really important!!) Boy I'm Grateful.

How about: A Real Pilot is always aware of the full situation, and has an exit strategy?

 

 

[SDQDI]

How about the basic one.

 

What goes up must come down

 

 

[facthunter]

Pilot's must make the right decision without hesitation considering all the relevant factors and the correct emphasis on each.

 

How do you answer "Either THAT plane goes or I do?) Clue ... The correct answer is a win win. Nev

 

 

[Bandit12]

Facts are more useful than beliefs.

 

 

[Bob Llewellyn]

Facts are more useful than beliefs.

you believe that?

 

 

[facthunter]

You PROVE it. That IS a fact. Rather than HOPE it is.. IF you check that the tank is full then you don't have to believe what someone else told you. OF course if you use an engine I built, you would have to accept on trust or expectation, that I have tensioned all the bolts correctly amongst other things I should have done right.. Nev

 

 

[Bob Llewellyn]

You PROVE it. That IS a fact. Rather than HOPE it is.. IF you check that the tank is full then you don't have to believe what someone else told you. OF course if you use an engine I built, you would have to accept on trust or expectation, that I have tensioned all the bolts correctly amongst other things I should have done right.. Nev

scientific method in action! I had a deep philosophical argument this morning, so post 29's simplicity attracted my wordplay. That said, I have reservations about "prove", too.

I like checklists...

 

 

[facthunter]

I like checklists too, But simply reciting the correct responses and NOT noticing that there is a problem HAPPENS. Self discipline is the KEY. Boring but safe®.. Nev

 

 

[Bob Llewellyn]

I like checklists too, But simply reciting the correct responses and NOT noticing that there is a problem HAPPENS. Self discipline is the KEY. Boring but safe®.. Nev

I never check the undercarriage position indicators on ANY thruster... Boring lasts. Excitement can be nasty, brutish and short.

 

 

[facthunter]

Working as a pilot is about 99% boredom 1% terror. (Just joking). Nev

 

 

[Marty_d]

How about the first commandment for pilots:Maintain thy airspeed lest the Earth arise and smite thee.

DWF

I thought I recognised the quote and found it on the back of the certificate they gave me after my first solo (22nd June, 1991)... see attached. Some very good wisdom in there...

 

 

 

[DWF]

I'd rather be down here wishing I was up there

 

than up there wishing I was down here.

 

 

 

DWF

 

 

[kaz3g]

When you are flying, everything is all right or it is not all right.If it is all right there is no need to worry. If it is not all right one of two things will happen. Either you will crash or you will not crash.

If you do not crash there is no need to worry. If you do crash one of two things is certain. Either you will be injured or you will not be injured.

 

If you are not injured there is no need to worry. If you are injured one of two things is certain. Either you will recover or you will not recover.

 

If you recover there is no need to worry. If you don't recover you can't worry.

 

- Biggles' philosophy (W.E. Johns)

Hi Bandit

 

Is that a quote from one of the Biggles books? If so, which one please? I have a fair few of them but can't remember that bit.

 

I'm looking for Spitfire Parade if anyone comes across it.

 

Thanks

 

Kaz

 

 

[Marty_d]

Sounds like an Irish saying...

 

"In life, there are only two things to worry about—

 

Either you are well or you are sick.

 

If you are well, there is nothing to worry about,

 

But if you are sick, there are only two things to worry about—

 

Either you will get well or you will die.

 

If you get well, there is nothing to worry about,

 

But if you die, there are only two things to worry about—

 

Either you will go to heaven or hell.

 

If you go to heaven, there is nothing to worry about.

 

And if you go to hell, you’ll be so busy shaking hands with all your friends

 

You won’t have time to worry! "

 

 

[Old Koreelah]

Those go straight to the pool room. Keep them coming!

 

 

[Bandit12]

Hi BanditIs that a quote from one of the Biggles books? If so, which one please? I have a fair few of them but can't remember that bit.

 

I'm looking for Spitfire Parade if anyone comes across it.

 

Thanks

 

Kaz

Hey Kaz

 

It has been too many years since I read the book, and I don't have the original any more, but google seems to concur that it is Spitfire Parade. I have it as an ebook, but it isn't included there. As Marty says, it probably was lifted/tweaked from an earlier saying.

 

 

[Old Koreelah]

DLL : Remember, the definition of a pessimist is - an optimist with experience.

 

 

[M61A1]

My mate recently sent these that have been around a while.WISDOM FROM AIR FORCE TRAINING MANUALS

 

'It is generally inadvisable to eject directly over the area you just bombed.'

 

- US.Air Force Manual -

 

'Yea, Though I Fly Through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, I Shall Fear No Evil. For I am at 50,000 Feet and Climbing.'

 

- Sign over SR71 Wing Ops-

 

'You've never been lost until you've been lost at Mach 3.'

 

- Paul F. Crickmore (SR71 test pilot)-

 

'The only time you have too much fuel is when you're on fire.'

 

-Unknown Author-

 

'If the wings are travelling faster than the fuselage it has to be a helicopter -- and therefore, unsafe.'

 

- Fixed Wing Pilot-

 

'Without ammunition, the Air Force is just an expensive flying club.'

 

-Unknown Author-

 

'Tracers work both ways.'

 

- Army Ordnance Manual-

 

'If you hear me yell;"Eject, Eject, Eject!", the last two will be echoes.'

 

If you stop to ask "Why?", you'll be talking to yourself, because by then you'll be the pilot.'

 

-Pre-flight Briefing from a Canadian F104 Pilot-

 

Never trade luck for skill.'

 

-Author Unknown-

 

The three most common expressions (or famous last words) in military aviation are:

 

'Did you feel that?' 'What's that noise?' and 'Oh S...!'

 

-Authors Unknown-

 

LOVE THIS ONE

 

'Airspeed, altitude and brains. Two are always needed to successfully complete the flight.'

 

-Basic Flight Training Manual-

 

'Flying the airplane is more important than radioing your plight to a person on the ground incapable of understanding or doing anything about it.'

 

- Emergency Checklist-

 

'The Piper Cub is the safest airplane in the world; it can just barely kill you.'

 

- Attributed to Max Stanley (Northrop test pilot) -

 

'You know that your landing gear is up and locked when it takes full power to taxi to the terminal.' -

 

Lead-in Fighter Training Manual -

#6 , I think is a variation of a quote from Lord Trenchard- "Without armament the AirForce is just unscheduled airline".

Have just remembered - When flying, try to stay in the middle of the sky, do not go near the edges.

 

 

[Akromaster]

Trouble is, even though people like Dafydd can compress a lifetime's experience on one topic into a few paragraphs, many probably don't have the patience to read even that. Perhaps we need to refine that wisdom even more; smelt it down to the essence.

Little OT...

 

I'd admit I'm probably one who this wisdom is lost. The message is lost in the volume of content I'm afraid.

 

We had an email drafted to be sent to staff by our internal communications people. The email was instructional and informational so quite long so before we sent it, we offered a prize towards the end of the email. Suffice to say that no one collected.

 

..back to topic

 

Ak

 

 

[Yenn]

When you wake up in the morning and find you are still alive, you know it is the start of another good day.

 

 

[Old Koreelah]

DLL : Remember, the definition of a pessimist is - an optimist with experience.

When you wake up in the morning and find you are still alive, you know it is the start of another good day.

...especially if you live in paradise. Where's paradise? Anywhere you have good food and water, can speak out against injustice, criticise the govmint and walk the streets without being shot at. And we Aussies still complain.

 

 

[Dafydd Llewellyn]

Aeroplanes fly because of the principles involved; helicopters fly in spite of them . . .

 

 

[Old Koreelah]

Little OT...I'd admit I'm probably one who this wisdom is lost. The message is lost in the volume of content I'm afraid.

 

We had an email drafted to be sent to staff by our internal communications people. The email was instructional and informational so quite long so before we sent it, we offered a prize towards the end of the email. Suffice to say that no one collected...Ak

So, either we get their attention by being brief and entertaining, or bury bribes in the long message. Brevity is next to godliness.

 

 

[kaz3g]

http://www.michaelclark.name/jokes/lists/1920_regulations_for_operation_of_aircraft.shtml

[eightyknots]

A good one - and one of the more plagiarised comments.It's largely attributed to Henry Ford, he's supposed to have said it to William Bushnell Stout, the designer of the Ford Trimotor aeroplane, though other sources say it was a Stout original. Following a lot of simplification and addition of lightness the Ford Trimotor became the first successful production all-metal aeroplane.

 

Others claim the saying was first uttered by a designer called Gordon Hooton who worked for Stout before Stout sold his Company to Henry Ford.

 

The saying was adopted by Colin Chapman as the design philosophy for Lotus Cars and was also prominently displayed on the wall of Ed Heinemann's office throughout his long career with Douglas Aircraft Company. Heinemann was the designer of 20 something fighters including the A4 Skyhawk and the F-3. As a project leader Heinemann was highly respected for the wise way in which he treated his team (from the A4 Assoc website) -

 

"Following are some key rules Ed said he tried to adhere to when dealing with people. They give you a measure of the man!

 

Tell people what is expected of them.

 

Tell them in advance about changes that will affect them.

 

Let those working for you know how they are getting along.

 

Give credit where credit is due, especially for extra effort or performance. Do it while it's hot. Don't wait.

 

Make the best use of each person's ability.

 

Strive to keep ahead of schedule.

 

Don't waste time.

 

If you're the boss, give guidance, direction, and most important, decisive answers to questions.

 

Make sure people know where to go to get answers.

 

Beware of office politicians.

 

If you want to pick a man for a difficult job, pick one who has already thought out the problem or is capable of doing so quickly.

 

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

 

A great many people think they are thinking when they are really rearranging their prejudices. Beware of these.

 

Respect the specialists -- those who are masters of a particular phase of an operation. But be wary of allowing them to make big decisions.

 

Avoid lengthy committee meetings.

 

Avoid paralysis by analysis.

 

Plan ahead."

 

The famous author and wartime reconnaissance pilot Antoine de Saint-Exupery had his own eloquent version on the same theme -

 

"A designer knows he has achieved perfection not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away."

 

.

This is a quote from Henry Ford (which I like):

 

"When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it..."