Wit & Wisdom from FighterPilots.Net fighter jocks (see also "Glossary")
BLOCK 1 submitted by Les "Buck" Earls, WWII P-38/P-51. Member "Gunfighter Flight 93 "Daedalians"
"It
is generally inadvisable to eject directly over the area you just bombed."
-
"Bravery
is being the only one who knows you're afraid."
- David Hackworth
"Though
I Fly Through the
"There are more planes in the ocean than submarines in
the sky." From an old carrier sailor
it's probably a helicopter -- and therefore, unsafe."
you always have enough power left to get you to the scene of
the crash."
"Without ammunition,
the USAF would be just another expensive flying club."
"What is the similarity between air traffic controllers and pilots?
If a pilot screws up, the pilot dies;
If ATC screws up, .... The pilot dies."
"Never trade luck for skill."
The three most common expressions (or
famous last words) in aviation are:
"Why is it doing that?",
"Where are we?"
And "Oh S...!"
"Weather forecasts are horoscopes with numbers."
"Airspeed, altitude and brains. Two are always needed to successfully
complete the flight."
"Mankind has a perfect record in aviation;
we never left one up there!"
"Flashlights are tubular metal containers kept in a flight bag for the
purpose of storing dead batteries."
"Flying the airplane is more important than radioing your plight to a
person on the ground incapable of understanding or doing anything about
it."
"The Piper Cub is the safest airplane in the world;
it can just barely kill you." -
Attributed to Max Stanley (Northrop test pilot)
"A pilot who doesn't have any fear probably isn't flying his plane to its
maximum." - Jon McBride,
astronaut
"If you're faced with a forced landing, fly the thing as far into the crash
as possible." Bob Hoover
(renowned aerobatic and test pilot)
"Never fly in the same cockpit with someone braver than you."
"There
is no reason to fly through a thunderstorm in peacetime."
- Sign over squadron ops desk at Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ, 1970
"If something hasn't broken on your helicopter, it's about to."
Courage
is being scared shitless ... but taking off anyway - Scrappy
Johnson, noted Philosopher (and combat pilot).
Basic Flying Rules:
"Try to stay in the middle of the air. Do not go near the edges of
it.
The edges of the air can be recognized by the appearance of
ground, buildings, sea, trees and interstellar space.
It is much more difficult to fly there."
"You know that your landing gear is up and locked when it takes full power
to taxi to the terminal."
As the test pilot climbs out of the experimental aircraft,
having torn off the wings and tail in the crash landing,
the crash truck arrives, the rescuer sees a bloodied pilot
and asks "What happened?".
The pilot's reply: "I don't know, I just got here myself!"
Attributed to Ray Crandell (Lockheed test pilot)
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