Flight Training - March/April 2020 - 54

ADVANCED PILOT SUCCESS STORY

DOUBTS ASIDE
CONQUERING FEARS AND TAKING CHARGE
BY KORRY FRANKE

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CHICAGO, ILLINOIS. "Let's go to San

Diego," I say to Kent, my first officer, after
he reads back the takeoff clearance for my
first flight as a United Airlines captain.
I advance the Boeing 737's thrust
levers, and the high-pitched whine of the
engines grows louder.
"Check thrust," I say.
"Thrust set, 98 percent."
A thick white runway stripe disappears
beneath us as the jet's nose springs across
seams in the pavement.
We race past 120 knots. Then 140.
"Vee-one," Kent calls. "Rotate."
I pull back on the yoke. The wheels
come off the ground.
And before I can say, "Gear up," time
stands still as an eerie-and strangely
familiar-feeling creeps over me like it had
14 years earlier.
HAGERSTOWN, MARYLAND. I've never

noticed the small slit in the vinyl seat
beside me. Then again, the 17-year-old-me
has also never seen that seat empty.
But it is now. I feel more alone than
ever before in my life.
My flight instructor walks away. Before
54  FLIGHT TRAINING MARCH/APRIL 2020

entering the nearby building, he turns to
give me a thumbs-up.
Using the back of my hand, I wipe
beads of sweat from my brow; the humidity inside the two-seat Cessna 150 is
stifling, even with the hinged side window
open.
And you'll sit in this oven until you're
absolutely ready, I tell myself. There's too
much at stake.
I sit silently, focusing on the steady
rhythm of my breathing and the subtle
sloshing of fuel in the wing tanks above
my head.
Who am I kidding? I'll never be completely ready. Just do it.
I grab the laminated checklist and
work through its items, then start the
engine and request permission to taxi.
I read back the clearance, clear the
area, and add far more power than necessary to begin moving. The airplane jerks
ahead as my shaky legs release the brakes.
At the runway's end, I complete the
predeparture engine check. Then I wait,
staring at the cockpit, searching for something I may have missed. Scared to take
the next step.


http://www.aopa.org/financemytraining

Flight Training - March/April 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Flight Training - March/April 2020

Contents
Flight Training - March/April 2020 - Intro
Flight Training - March/April 2020 - Cover1
Flight Training - March/April 2020 - Cover2
Flight Training - March/April 2020 - Contents
Flight Training - March/April 2020 - 2
Flight Training - March/April 2020 - 3
Flight Training - March/April 2020 - 4
Flight Training - March/April 2020 - 5
Flight Training - March/April 2020 - 6
Flight Training - March/April 2020 - 7
Flight Training - March/April 2020 - 8
Flight Training - March/April 2020 - 9
Flight Training - March/April 2020 - 10
Flight Training - March/April 2020 - 11
Flight Training - March/April 2020 - 12
Flight Training - March/April 2020 - 13
Flight Training - March/April 2020 - 14
Flight Training - March/April 2020 - 15
Flight Training - March/April 2020 - 16
Flight Training - March/April 2020 - 17
Flight Training - March/April 2020 - 18
Flight Training - March/April 2020 - 19
Flight Training - March/April 2020 - 20
Flight Training - March/April 2020 - 21
Flight Training - March/April 2020 - 22
Flight Training - March/April 2020 - 23
Flight Training - March/April 2020 - 24
Flight Training - March/April 2020 - 25
Flight Training - March/April 2020 - 26
Flight Training - March/April 2020 - 27
Flight Training - March/April 2020 - 28
Flight Training - March/April 2020 - 29
Flight Training - March/April 2020 - 30
Flight Training - March/April 2020 - 31
Flight Training - March/April 2020 - 32
Flight Training - March/April 2020 - 33
Flight Training - March/April 2020 - 34
Flight Training - March/April 2020 - 35
Flight Training - March/April 2020 - 36
Flight Training - March/April 2020 - 37
Flight Training - March/April 2020 - 38
Flight Training - March/April 2020 - 39
Flight Training - March/April 2020 - 40
Flight Training - March/April 2020 - 41
Flight Training - March/April 2020 - 42
Flight Training - March/April 2020 - 43
Flight Training - March/April 2020 - 44
Flight Training - March/April 2020 - 45
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Flight Training - March/April 2020 - 47
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Flight Training - March/April 2020 - 49
Flight Training - March/April 2020 - 50
Flight Training - March/April 2020 - 51
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Flight Training - March/April 2020 - 53
Flight Training - March/April 2020 - 54
Flight Training - March/April 2020 - 55
Flight Training - March/April 2020 - 56
Flight Training - March/April 2020 - 57
Flight Training - March/April 2020 - 58
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Flight Training - March/April 2020 - 60
Flight Training - March/April 2020 - 61
Flight Training - March/April 2020 - 62
Flight Training - March/April 2020 - 63
Flight Training - March/April 2020 - 64
Flight Training - March/April 2020 - Cover3
Flight Training - March/April 2020 - Cover4
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https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/ft_201712
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