Pilots quotes

Our transatlantic flight

Our transatlantic flight, by Sir John Alcock and Sir Arthur Whitten Brown
Our transatlantic flight, by Sir John Alcock and Sir Arthur Whitten Brown

The book “Our Transatlantic Flight” recounts the historic flight that was made in 1919 from Newfoundland to Ireland. There was a price of £ 10,000 for the successful first direct non-stop eastbound flight across the Atlantic.

The plane was assembled in Newfoundland and the visitors did not hesitate to approach and touch the plane: Brown writes: “Although we had no problem as long as the crowd was just looking, we had to watch to avoid small damages. Testing the firmness of fabric with the tip of an umbrella was a favorite pastime of spectators […]. “(P.61)

The flight was not easy. First the take-off where Brown writes: “Several times I held my breath, from fear that our under-carriage would hit a roof or a tree-top. I am convinced that only Alcock’s clever piloting saved us from such an early disaster. » (p.73)

Without proper instruments to fly in clouds, they were relying on a « revolution-counter » to establish the climbing or the falling rate. « A sudden increase in revolutions would indicate that the plane was diving; a sudden loss of revs  would show that she was climbing dangerously steeply. » (p.176)

Shaken by the turbulence during the flight and flying in clouds without all the appropriate instruments, they became disoriented:  « The airspeed indicator failed to register, and bad bumps prevented me from holding to our course. From side to side rocked the machine, and it was hard to know in what position we really were. A spin was the inevitable result. From an altitude of 4,000 feet we twirled rapidly downward.[…]. « Apart from the changing levels marked by aneroid, only the fact that our bodies were pressed tightly against the seats indicated that we were falling. How and at what angle we were falling, we knew not. Alcock tried to centralise the controls, but failed because we had lost all sense of what was central. I searched in every direction for an external sign, and saw nothing but opaque nebulousness. » (p.88)

« It was a tense moment for us, and when at last we emerged from the fog we were close down over the water at an extremely dangerous angle. The white-capped waves were rolling along too close to be comfortable, but a quick glimpse of the horizon enabled me to regain control of the machine. » (p.40).

After twelve hours of flying, the glass of a gauge outside the cockpit became obscured by clotted snow. Brown had to deal with it, while Alcock was flying. «  The only way to reach it was by climbing out of the cockpit and kneeling on top of the fuselage, while holding a strut for the maintenance of balance. […] The violent rush of air, which tended to push me backward, was another discomfort. […] Until the storm ended, a repetition of this performance, at fairly frequent intervals, continued to be necessary. » (p.94)

In their forced search for warmer air, they descended from 11,000 to 1,000 feet and in the warmer air the ailerons began to operate again. As they continued their descent below 1,000 feet above the ocean, they were still surrounded by fog. They had to do some serious low altitude flying : « Alcock was feeling his way downward gently and alertly, not knowing whether the cloud extended to the ocean, nor at what moment the machine’s undercarriage might touch the waves. He had loosened his safety belt, and was ready to abandon ship if we hit the water […]. » (p.96)

The pilots landed in Ireland and won the promised £ 10,000 prize. Even with great planning, the pilots had to count on luck to succeed in their endeavour. We remember the winners, but less so the competitors who, with the same planning, were less fortunate. When the engines fail in flight, the best preparation cannot prevent a descent towards the sea.

Robert Piché aux commandes du destin.

(Robert Piché is this Canadian pilot from Quebec who successfully glided to the Azores in 2001 with an Air Transat Airbus A-330 that had lost all its power. All the passengers were saved.) Here, I try a translation of the French quotes.

Book cover: Robert Piché aux commandes du destin.
Book cover: Robert Piché aux commandes du destin.

In a senior leadership summer course at Royal Military College St-Jean in 1969: “You shine your shoes twelve times a day only to see a guy step on them because they apparently aren’t clean enough?” It wasn’t for me! I hated being humiliated. “(P.36)

On his first flights in snowstorms and high winds: “If that is aviation, if that’s the way it works, I have no problem with that! I feel like I’m going to be very happy there. He had chosen the right career. “(P.71)

“When Robert Piché was a beginner at Air Gaspé, chief pilot Mike Viens gave him a piece of advice that stuck in his head:“ If you ever find yourself in an emergency situation, young man, make a decision. If this is not the right decision, take another. But above all, don’t just sit there and do nothing. When you’re the captain, you have to act. ” “(P.81)

If Quebec pilots are well recognized internationally, it is a lot because of our four seasons. You learn to work in all possible weather conditions. “(P.84)

In Fort Lauderdale, the approach must be abandoned because thunderstorms are blocking the path. The captain asks Robert Piché to contact the control tower to inform them of the situation, but there is no response due to too much air traffic. The captain suddenly veers the plane towards the sea: “You will call back the control tower afterwards and you will put them in front of the fait accompli, concluded the experienced pilot.” The landing went smoothly. “This man had just shown Robert Piché what a true captain is: the only master after God. The one who makes the decisions, the one who leads the show, the only boss on board. “(P.88)

Back cover of the book: Robert Piché aux commandes du destin.
Back cover of the book: Robert Piché aux commandes du destin.

Quitting drinking is one thing, but changing your lifestyle is the real challenge of sobriety. As with the collector, you have to give up old habits, and especially reorganize your social network, because very often the bond of friendship is united by consumption. The difficulty for alcoholics or drug addicts is to successfully abandon their friends and all the activities that revolved around substance use, hence the large number of relapses. Me, I had to do it at fifty years old, which in itself is a challenge. The later the change occurs, the more difficult it is to adapt. And I had to face an additional challenge: since I’m popular, everyone wants to celebrate with me! Now that I don’t drink anymore, everyone wants to buy me a drink! The ironies of life are many! “(P.263)

Title : Robert Piché aux commandes du destin.

Author : Pierre Cayouette

Edition : Libre Expression

© 2010

ISBN : 978-2-7648-0512-1

Capt. Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger

(Mr. Sullenberger is the pilot who, in 2009, skillfully glided US Airways Flight 1549 onto the Hudson River, saving the lives of all the passengers aboard).

Highest Duty - Capt. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger
Highest Duty – Capt. Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger

Everyone’s reputation is made on a daily basis. There are little incremental things – worthwhile efforts – moments you were helpful to others – and after a lifetime, they can add up to something. You can feel as if you lived and it mattered.

When [my daughter] Kelly was very young, she once asked me “What is the best job in the world?” My answer to her was this: “It’s the job you would do even if you didn’t have to.”

We need to try to do the right thing every time, to perform at our best, because we never know which moment in our lives we’ll be judged on.

I’ve told [my daughters] Kate and Kelly that each of us has the responsibility to prepare ourselves well. I want them to invest in themselves, to never stop learning, either professionally or personally. At the end of their lives, like all of us, I expect they might ask themselves a simple question: Did I make a difference? My wish for them is that the answer to that question will be yes.”

“Either you manage the situation, or the situation will manage you”.

On today’s perception of the pilot, Mr Sullenberger writes: “The problem today is that pilots are viewed differently. Over the years, we’ve lost a good deal of respect from our management, our fellow employees, and the general public. The whole concept of being a pilot has been diminished, and I worry that safety can be compromised as a result. People used to say that airline pilots were one step below astronauts. Now the joke is: We’re one step above bus drivers, but bus drivers have better pensions.

Book title: Highest Duty
Authors: Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger (with Jeffrey Zaslow)
Edition: Harper
©2009
ISBN: 978-0-06-192468-2

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