Perry’s Ponderings – December 2021

First of all, congratulations are the order of the day, as EFC’s very own Bill Dimmer had an article published in the COPA Flight Nov 2021 issue! Way to go Bill, hope we get to read more articles from you. More good news in the aviation world, as reported by AOPA on Nov 15, with many U.S. regional airlines adding bonuses & incentives. Names like Air Wisconsin, CommutAir, Mesa Airlines, & others are offering new-hire bonuses of $15,000-$30,000! Here is hoping that Canadian Airlines continue this trend, as pilots have always been (in my mind @ least) underpaid, considering their responsibilities, the costs of obtaining various licenses & endorsements to fly commercially, time away from family, & the ongoing time to stay current! I continue to look for flying related articles & have started reading the online newsletter, The Patrician which is put out monthly by the Victoria Flying Club. My advice this month is to get the checklist for the plane you fly @ EFC, laminate it, & you have a study tool to stay current. Look to download or buy a POH for the plane you fly as well, great reference material for those days not spent flying. Future articles I want to delve into some of my flying mistakes that I have made over the years, & how EGO can get in the way & why it needs to be left on the ground, flying should always be about ability, training, retention & meshing all together to have mistake free flying. As well, the need to stay ahead of the airplane, & how 1 or 2 seconds on my 1st solo cross country flight, ended up as just a minor mistake, but could have been much worse, but thanks to my 1st instructor & his advice to “always fly the plane”, then correct the mistake, & not the other way around. Finally speaking of EGO comes this bit of aviation history. On Oct7,1980 West German car dealer Jaromir Wagner became the 1st person to cross the Atlantic Ocean on the wing of an airplane. Wagner stopped four times during his trip from Glessen, West Germany, to Goose Bay, Labrador! It begs the question of why, but that is a discussion for another day.