Technically, I did fly this weekend. Unfortunately I wasn't at the controls. On Friday I boarded a commercial flight to spend the weekend with family in NJ. As I had suspected, being a passenger isn't quite the same now that I know a bit more about what's going on in the cockpit and with air traffic.
First of all, let me say that these guys really know their stuff. Angles of pitch, yaw and roll were consistently flawless. I guess practice really does make perfect. Either that or they have really great autopilot software running.
While I've always known that the skies above NYC were crowded, I have a completely new appreciation for how difficult and potentially dangerous landing an aircraft in the area must be. I mean, keeping track of and looking for nearby planes is something I definitely pay extreme attention to even here in Cville, especially when the tower makes an announcement. Believe it or not, it's not so easy to spot one. There are dozens if not hundreds more planes in the air above the city that never sleeps.
At night, you would think the task is a bit easier since flight beacons help illuminate position. But the metropolitan night sky is littered with millions of twinkling man-made objects that easily hide a plane's flashers and lamps. I'm surprised (as well as both impressed and thankful) that there aren't more mid-air collisions.
When you really stop and think about it, we all take so much about air travel for granted. Statistically, it's much safer than driving. The machines are sometimes more than twenty years old. Coordinating the entire sequence of events is a ballet with the highest of risks performed routinely with very little observable fuss or muss in all types of weather, sometimes even with blindfolds on. The show always goes on. The industry and people behind it all deserve many pats on the back. Perhaps not the executives, but I think you get my point.
As an aside ... my proud American DNA tells me that I should respectfully remind everyone that we pioneered both this technology and industry [insert cheesy smileyface].
When talking to my folks about my flying lessons this weekend they were both concerned about my renting planes to fly up for future visits. I tried to explain, and think I was partially successful, that there is a significant amount of training necessary before that happens. It's not like getting a driver's license and surely not like driving a car. Even at an accelerated pace, I'm likely looking at several more months. Patience is a difficult, if not necessary, virtue to practice in this case. I hope to schedule a lesson before this coming Sunday so I don't fall too far behind. Plus I'm excited to get my "kit" including texts, flight simulator software and shiny new headset.
The above is a view from my old stomping grounds less than a block from the house where I grew up. I really can't explain how much I'm looking forward to greeting skyscrapers from more of an eye-to-eye level next Spring. Their majesty has been part of my personal mythos since I was born. How often do you get to climb Mt. Olympus and have a chat with the locals?
First of all, let me say that these guys really know their stuff. Angles of pitch, yaw and roll were consistently flawless. I guess practice really does make perfect. Either that or they have really great autopilot software running.
While I've always known that the skies above NYC were crowded, I have a completely new appreciation for how difficult and potentially dangerous landing an aircraft in the area must be. I mean, keeping track of and looking for nearby planes is something I definitely pay extreme attention to even here in Cville, especially when the tower makes an announcement. Believe it or not, it's not so easy to spot one. There are dozens if not hundreds more planes in the air above the city that never sleeps.
At night, you would think the task is a bit easier since flight beacons help illuminate position. But the metropolitan night sky is littered with millions of twinkling man-made objects that easily hide a plane's flashers and lamps. I'm surprised (as well as both impressed and thankful) that there aren't more mid-air collisions.
When you really stop and think about it, we all take so much about air travel for granted. Statistically, it's much safer than driving. The machines are sometimes more than twenty years old. Coordinating the entire sequence of events is a ballet with the highest of risks performed routinely with very little observable fuss or muss in all types of weather, sometimes even with blindfolds on. The show always goes on. The industry and people behind it all deserve many pats on the back. Perhaps not the executives, but I think you get my point.
As an aside ... my proud American DNA tells me that I should respectfully remind everyone that we pioneered both this technology and industry [insert cheesy smileyface].
When talking to my folks about my flying lessons this weekend they were both concerned about my renting planes to fly up for future visits. I tried to explain, and think I was partially successful, that there is a significant amount of training necessary before that happens. It's not like getting a driver's license and surely not like driving a car. Even at an accelerated pace, I'm likely looking at several more months. Patience is a difficult, if not necessary, virtue to practice in this case. I hope to schedule a lesson before this coming Sunday so I don't fall too far behind. Plus I'm excited to get my "kit" including texts, flight simulator software and shiny new headset.
The above is a view from my old stomping grounds less than a block from the house where I grew up. I really can't explain how much I'm looking forward to greeting skyscrapers from more of an eye-to-eye level next Spring. Their majesty has been part of my personal mythos since I was born. How often do you get to climb Mt. Olympus and have a chat with the locals?
No comments:
Post a Comment