Sometimes I wonder: what if our proverbial knowledge about ‘flying solo’ is completely off?
And what if safety—of ourselves and others—goes far beyond what’s being taught?
I got curious and asked a handful of pilots what their practices, habits, and perspectives are on flying. I asked them what they did. How they prepare before a flight. And what the meaning of all these for those who don’t fly and just want to live a more meaningful life.
Paula Williams, who flies F16 jets—which are precursor models for some of the Top Gun planes—shared what she knows about flying that she didn’t know in her early days of flying solo.
Previously: “When whales exhale at 220 miles per hour”
In this episode:
“The very nice lady at the Hill Air Force Base Tower said …”
“There are four F-16s that are going to come over the mountains, pass through your altitude on your left hand side, and land at Hill Air Force Base. Don't change your course or speed. Just keep doing what you're doing.”
“There is no way I could have gotten out of the way. I'm in this little 172, which is like the the Ford Pinto of the sky.”
“And these F-16s are coming over the mountain.”
“So I didn't hear them until they are right on top of me.”
“Then they pass through my altitude, and you see the bellies of these F-16s.”
“Just diving almost straight down to Hill Air Force Base.”
“Four of them just … zoom, Zoom, ZOOM.”
“I was just … half scared and half just amazed.”
