Redefining Airmanship

[turbojet28]

Hello,

I just got finished reading the book "Redefining Airmanship" by USAF Col. Tony Kern. I would just like to share a few thoughts. I thought this book was outstanding. If you haven't read it before, I highly recommend reading it. The book will walk you through what it is that gives an aviator excellent (at least in the opinion of the author, and I agree) airmanship, skill, and proficiency. This book will walk you through the consequences of practicing poor discipline and cutting corners. It gives you real-life examples of how it is critical to be disciplined and practice good airmanship. It makes you think many times "man, I have really been tempted to behave that way while flying an airplane."

This book really has given me motivation to seek to be a professional aviator at all levels, on the ground or in the air. It was great motivation to seek to personally improve myself and to evaluate and asess the risks associated with decisons, lack of discipline in flying operations, and the flight enviornment in general.

I was really compelled by MikeD's story of his prof's daughters. That could bring a tear to your eye. That along with many, many circumstances just like the incident about which the thread MikeD's post is in was started, and my reading of "Redefining Airmanship" have inspired me to ask myself "is it really worth it to try and impress myself and others by bending the rules and being a 'hot shot'?"

I am glad I have read this book as a young aviator; it has inspired me to make a life-long commitment to knowledgeable, safe flying operations, respecting the risk associated with the decisons we make while at the controls of these machines. I invite you all to make the same commitment if you haven't already done so. I think we owe it to ourselves, our passengers, and the people whom we fly over.

[Doug Taylor]

Excellent synopsis!

I saw a good example of where being a 'hot shot pilot' leads to yesterday, live at the Veterans Day Fly-In when a 'hot shot' pilot, trying to impress the crowd, killed himself and damned near killed his passenger.

[Lima_Charlie]

Speaking of good books... Anyone have any other aviation related personal favorites?

[FlyChicaga]

My personal favorite is "North Star Over My Shoulder" by Bob Buck. Blows Fate is the Hunter out of the water in my opinion. I've read it a few times, and probably will read it again in the near future.

[Nick]

I will second the fact that North Star Over My Shoulder is an excellent book. All of Bob Buck's books are great in my opinion.

[Mustang17c]

I just finished Nort Star.....Amazing book

[MQAAord]

I actually cried at the end of "Skygods" where he told the story of the last Pan Am flight to return to MIA.

I read it in the summer of 2001, and I remember thinking "damn, if than can happen to a great carrier like PanAm, it can happen to anybody. 20 years from now am I going to be working for AA as I know it?"

Funny how things turn out.




Edit to add:

North Star is a GREAT read, as is a book by Ed Dover called "The Long Way Home".

[RedBelly]

[ QUOTE ]
I saw a good example of where being a 'hot shot pilot' leads to yesterday, live at the Veterans Day Fly-In when a 'hot shot' pilot, trying to impress the crowd, killed himself and damned near killed his passenger.

[/ QUOTE ]

Doug, your comment is way out of line. If you choose to run a public website and represent yourself as a Professional Delta Air Lines pilot, then you have the responsibility to refrain from such comments when the accident investigation is still underway.

Just my opinion.

[MikeD]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I saw a good example of where being a 'hot shot pilot' leads to yesterday, live at the Veterans Day Fly-In when a 'hot shot' pilot, trying to impress the crowd, killed himself and damned near killed his passenger.

[/ QUOTE ]

Doug, your comment is way out of line. If you choose to run a public website and represent yourself as a Professional Delta Air Lines pilot, then you have the responsibility to refrain from such comments when the accident investigation is still underway.

Just my opinion.

[/ QUOTE ]

Heck, investigation almost not needed on this one; though there will be for fomality. Pilot was known to hot dog the performance of his Super Cub according to his own CAF compadres. Many witnesses to the accident. Some accidents require complex investigation processes, others are fairly open and shut. The key is learning from the mistakes and misfortunes of others and applying them to your own flying.

Sad thing is, we're not finding new ways to kill outselves in planes. Like the thread about the girl that died trying to fly home with (self-stated) "get-home-itis" on a lousy night with WX and no instrument rating. Not a mission that *had* to be accomplished, period-dot. And the result was predictable.

[Dave_Hall]

Flights of Passage, Fate is the Hunter are among my favorite stories. Yeager and Boyd are the two best biographies I've ever read.

[MikeD]

My Secret War, by Rick Drury

[Lima_Charlie]

[ QUOTE ]
My Secret War, by Rick Drury

[/ QUOTE ]

Feel like sharing a short "book report" on this one??

[I_WANNA_BE_ATP]

I'm half way through Stick and Rudder and I am learning so much about basic principles of flight, I almost feel like I was asleep during my PPL.

[ QUOTE ]
I actually cried at the end of "Skygods" where he told the story of the last Pan Am flight to return to MIA.


[/ QUOTE ]

Amber I just finished that book yesterday. I made a post about it a few days ago and got no replies. That was truly an awesome book. I wonder if Rob Martinside is still flying for Delta. Any info on him Doug?

[seagull]

My Secret War is an excellent book. Rick Drury just retired with us, was an LCA on the MD11. Flew with him several times. Definitely a hard charger on layovers, knew how to have a good time, etc.