Waves Around Me Flow (Reflections of a Pilot in Training)

Waves Around Me Flow (Reflections of a Pilot in Training) (Written by: Ron Brown)

 There are days that the rivers current pushes back against progress in what “I” perceive as my pathway. Like a salmon pushing with yearning up stream it is a battle leaving many wounded against the rocks of adversity.  But if we truly connect with the embryonic truth within where our life’s mission has been written before we took in our first breath, then there is true navigation. When desiring, nay longing for what we know is our purpose and goal – you can feel the flow of vibrational truth move around you.

When a plane flies into the wind it is only then that lift is achieved. I recall taking flying lessons back in 2000 and the great joy of learning of Bernoulli's Theorem which says that describes the relationship between velocity and the pressure exerted by a moving fluid (liquid or air). It states that as the velocity of a fluid increases, the pressure exerted by that fluid decreases. Thus lift is achieved.

How true that is for us in our lives.  For truly to be in the vibrational flow of universal truth we need to know we are heading in the right direction with action steps taking us into the wind.  Although there is great pressure coming at us, it is the perfect combination that provides the “lift needed” to “be in the flow”. 

Although I never completed my private pilot’s license, I learned so much about life from those flying lessons.  The first time I soloed and realized that my trusty instructor was not in the plane with me to grab hold and correct any error.  This was thrilling and scary at the same time. But like life, at some point you need to charge in the right direction against the wind to achieve lift.  Yes, there is pressure but that is truly where the result of lift happens. 

By the same token, if you try to take off in a cross wind without the right combination of corrective actions the result is flipping the plane over. Sometimes we know from the wind sock of our airport the true direction of timing.  Which runway will be safest and most effective for takeoff.   You cannot sit around planning your flight forever.  At some point you need to know the weather conditions, the winds aloft which will carry you on your journey.  

The next concept is to do a flight check of your aircraft.  It is the pilot’s responsibility to review each part of his plane to ensure that it is working properly, that there are no fluid leaks, that the fuel is tested.  Without this safety check, many a mission of flight would prove disastrous.  

I remember the joy of speaking with the tower and requesting permission to taxi to the runway.  Guided by the voice from on high can be great.  But I also remember one time when questioning the tower was wise.  A brand new air traffic controller was on his first day at North East Airport and gave me direction to taxi into passion on Runway 33 and hold.  (This means to move your aircraft into the center line of the active runway.) However, I saw another plane about to land on Runway 33 and I told the tower “Negative, No Joy” which means I would not comply.  Then the plan about to land came down and landed where I would have been on the runway.  I was told to take off and completed my flight and was instructed over the radio to call the tower when I landed.  

The instructor who was with me in the plane said I did nothing wrong and he wanted to listen in to that phone call. The controller wanted to speak to me directly to apologize to me for his error.  He said that he had been at another airport that is very busy and planes know when to land further down the runway when a plane is in position to hold.

Lesson here is ALWAYS learn to trust your gut based on what you have learned as it can save your life.  So when others tell you to taxi into position and hold, always look for the queues of your training to truly be safe.  Timing is truly everything.  Even a small delay can mean all the difference to success.

Another amazing principle is called “the slip.”  A slip is an aerodynamic state where an aircraft is moving somewhat sideways as well as forward relative to the oncoming airflow. In other words, for a conventional aircraft, the nose will not be pointing directly into the relative wind (in the side-to-side sense). A slip is also a piloting maneuver where the pilot deliberately puts the aircraft into a slip.

This is truly an amazing result of quickly bring you safely into a landing.  The first time I did “a slip” I felt such joy as I came down smoothly and safely going slightly off center which results in a quick but safe landing.  Sometimes you may be required to come in quickly and in a way that seems not straight ahead, but yet gets you to your destination more quickly.  Always know if you know how to do “a slip” it might be required to get you there at the perfect time.

But through all my experiences of flying it is the joy of the journey and experience that made it all worthwhile.  The last lesson I share with you is always go by “Visual Flight Rules” until you get your “Instrument Rating”.  What this means is you can only fly when the cloud cover is 10,000 feet and visibility is clear.  Why, well since you don’t have a pre-determined flight plan using only instruments telling you exactly where you should be regardless of clouds or weather – you shouldn’t fly in what you are not prepared to handle.  Know that conditions will be “10 x 10” 10,000 feet ceiling of clouds with 10 miles of visibility which is perfect flying conditions.  Timing is everything in life to BE Truly Well.