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Life and Flying
by George Frebert
I was born very fortunate. We were poor and did not know it. We simply accepted
it as a way of life. Being poor did not suppress intelligence. I wanted to fly
as a small child and saved my money from my paper route to buy model airplanes. When I was fifteen, I talked the local FBO
into letting me mow the airport grass with
his old Fordson tractor with a sickle-bar. I also fueled airplanes and helped
the mechanic in the shop. I worked for flying time. He was poor as I was! George
Brinkerhoff was a tall and well-built German. When he spoke, it was with
authority. He was a master. When he put me through my first spin, I wanted to
jump out of the airplane! He was also patient. We liked each other. In the end I
could take that old Cub, line it up with a highway, pull the stick back, kick
the rudder and count the two turns out loud and come out right on the mark every
time. He would put the airplane in an unusual attitude and let go the stick,
throwing his hands into the air and yell, "It your airplane!" He scared me so
often it got to the point I was ready for him and no longer got scared. He even
did these antics close to the ground (very dangerous) when he felt I had the
skill to react in a nanosecond. Side slips were entered into 400 feet from the
runway and 500 ft. altitude. He taught me to slide that Cub down to the last two
feet, kick the rudder HARD and "plop" it down with a roll of 50 feet. "You just
might have to do that some day, George, to save your life" he said with a stern
look. He was a master at flying. He came from the age of
barnstormers who lived on the edge flying airplanes that you would not even
think of flying today.
He even went to the extent of telling me to put my head down between my knees. Then he took off and flew to God knows where. Then he gave me the airplane and
said, "take me home, George". I was flying my Alon to Sun-N-Fun a couple of
years ago and lost ALL my avionics. I could not transmit, and both VOR's died. No problem.
I continued to fly to my destination 200 miles away using my maps.
For those of you who fly today, you must remember that flying is indeed fun, but
is also unforgiving if you ever allow the airplane to get ahead of you. A pilot
who will panic in a situation will rarely survive. NEVER, NEVER, allow emotions
to overpower logic. All the modern avionics are nice and I love them. However, I
still use my map as a backup. The best moving map is the one OUTSIDE the
airplane. Your skills will sharpen and you can pick out an airport miles away on
a good day. Buried inside the cockpit and looking at a GPS will not train you in
keeping sharp eyes. Flying an airplane has to be as natural as walking. If you
have THINK about the input for a turn you are too late. If you are coming
through a slot into a crosswind landing and the airplane is bouncing like a cork
in a stormy sea and you begin to sweat, break it off! Our airport has this
condition and I take advanced students for rides through this slot with 20 knot
crosswinds. Yes, it scares the hell out of them. When we land, I show them the
palms of my hands. They are dry as a bone! You must FEEL the airplane and you
and the airplane become ONE! Don't fight the plane! Manage its flight and aim it
where you want to put it. It was designed to fly and it will, if you treat it
right. Please do not get the idea that I am a hot-shot pilot. I am not. In my
mind that is a very dangerous position to get into. Life is a CONTINUAL learning
process from the day we are born until the day we die. Any person who feels they
"Know all there is to know" should quit what they are doing and take up
something else in life. I was just lucky to be trained by the best of the best. Today, there are 300-hour instructors out there teaching people how to fly. That
scares the hell out of me!
I like this site because it is an exchange of information and I hope I can be of
some help to some of you. However, we must all remember that we are the "pilot
in command" when we invite someone to fly with us. We will be held responsible
for our own actions. If we trash out an airplane, admit it! It would advance the
knowledge of many low-time pilots if they would simply admit they are "nervous"
or "up tight" or "not totally comfortable" when landing their airplane. Yes,
every airplane has a set of numbers to go by as a guide. But they are only a
"guide" to keep you out of trouble. You must feel relaxed and secure as you come
in for a landing and set it down gently. If you cannot do that in EVERY weather
condition, get some more dual. Arrogance will not work. Egos are another danger. Don't blame the airplane for bad landings. Excuses for poor pilotage are a paved
road to an unhappy endings.
Life & flying is as good as you make it. We all have shortcomings.
However, they can be overcome with the right attitude.
My best to all.
George Frebert
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