Flight school in Canadia

Daniel Grollimund (the Wise) once said that "we can relate so much of life to piloting an airplane because a pilot has to have a very firm grasp on reality."

My work up here in Canada involves flying straight and narrow lines along the ground for miles and miles while flying 100-200' above the ground. it's a challenge keeping the plane in that position and within a 60' wide corridor in winds, up and down big hills, and for extended amounts of time. I've taken in a lot of basic skills and techniques that are required in order to do my job well, and i cannot but see also how these simple principles can apply to my life too.

So here's some flight lessons i've learned throughout my flying experiences up here in Nunavut. I am particularly interested in how these observations of flying an airplane relate so closely to life as I see it.


Lessons on living and flying the line

-To stay on takes constant, but not undivided attention

-Getting started is stressful, and full of slip-ups.

-Only after a lot of practice does staying on course become second-nature

-Even after it becomes second-nature, you slip up every now and then without the intention to, either because a moment of negligence or because you misinterpret what side of 'perfect' you are.

-It's important to jump right back on without dwelling on the slip-up and to reassure and re-grace yourself afterward

-Learn how going over mountains is going to affect your course.

-Learn to look ahead to remind yourself of where you're going after passing over the mountains.

-Learn that the flats are just as easy to fall off-course on because it's the place of boredom and layed-back attitude.

-Going a long time without making big mistakes just takes a lot of patient endurance

-When you slip off-line, gracefully and patiently and forgivingly get back on - then forget about it, lest it is a snare to your concentration for the course ahead.

-Give your efforts to God, draw your strength from Him, and let Him be the judge of your efforts and results, not man.

-After cresting a mountain, relax and give yourself lots of 'nose-down' time to recover energy.

-When fog and rain cover you and you can't see and get disoriented, fly up to the safe arms of higher skies.

-Repetition and patient endurance with doing it right are disciplines, but they yield encouraging, constant improvement.

-Once achieving a new point of fluency, that is an accomplishment to be proud of!