Drama Queen

Okay, so the previous post was just a tad bit melodramatic, but it should make you think. As humans we tend to get used to, a.k.a. acclimate, to our environs and so it goes for flying. Some things that in the past would have definitely raised the heartrate become 'just another day at the office'. Maybe you've heard an old saw about flying: 'hours of boredom followed by seconds of terror'. I've rarely been bored flying, once in a while it has happened when I was highly fatigued. I've flown routinely the past few months in weather that just a year or two ago would have given me serious anxiety. It is partly way cool (I love being a proficient pilot), partly because I'm flying twin engine planes equipped with anti-ice equipment, and partly a wake-up call to not become complacent. And I'm NOT saying that I've been-there-done-that to all weather situations, just realizing that I have learned and progressed in experience. Breaking out of the clouds at 200' AGL at 110 knots at night with a ship that you must handfly to landing in 1/2 mile visibility is 'the big time'. There is still plenty of 'high pucker factor' weather for me to see. But I'm just a pilot guy, not a superhero, and flying down the glideslope really isn't too difficult IF you stay alert and focused on task, and not becoming complacent IS important. And regarding 'schedule pressure', the dispatchers at the company I work for aren't 'GO Nazis' at all. The few times I've delayed for weather they've been supportive of my decision, which is great and how it should be. And nobody 'from the company' called today demanding a retraction of yesterday's post. Being safe means keeping a proper perspective and keeping ownership of making the go/no-go call as PIC. Be objective; utilize facts; adhere to regulations and instrument procedures; and don't succumb to your own self-imposed want-to-keep-the-schedule pressure, get-home-tonight-itis, big-ego-I-can-do-it, or overly optimistic seeing-what-I-want-to-see-forecast weather. Always, always, always have a solid 'Plan B' that you WILL USE when needed. Having thought thru 'Plan C' is a good idea too. The planes I fly are small, and even the big jets won't venture forth in some conditions. Delays and cancellations are a regular, not abnormal, thing. Working for a company that doesn't pressure me is good, and standing firm on my delay/no-go call if ever I am pressured is a decision I've already made. The weather to a great extent is what determines how much 'work' a flight will be. Oh, but did I tell you, they actually pay me money to fly airplanes!