There’s an old aviation joke that gets passed down often. It usually surfaces during the required night flight that every student must take during training. Night flights are stressful in a single engine plane. During the day, if you lose an engine, you’ve been trained to identify suitable fields within gliding distance for an emergency landing. But on a dark night with little moonlight, it’s impossible to distinguish an open field from a grove of trees.
Invariably, the student quizzes the flight instructor on the procedure for a lost engine at night. The conversation usually goes something like this:
Student: “What do I do if I lose the engine on the night flight?”
Instructor: “If there are no runways or interstates within gliding distance, maneuver away from the lit spaces, which are cities and towns, and fly toward a dark area.
Student: “But how do I know whether I’m headed toward an open field or a bunch of trees?”
Instructor: “As you get closer to the ground, turn on your landing light.”
Student: “And then what?”
Instructor: “If you don’t like what you see, turn it back off…”
Most of the time, it takes a few moments for the joke to sink in. The instructor’s smirk usually accelerates the realization, which is: turn the light back off because you don’t want to see what is about to happen.
But the flip side to this kidding around, is a wise piece of advice that is often relayed for a true emergency:
Never stop flying the plane, no matter what.
All may seem lost, but you still must fly the plane, even if it’s all the way down to the crash. Why? Because until you hit the ground, you still have some control, and you may be able to minimize impact somehow, even if you don’t have a nice open field to land in.
A prime example is Captain “Sully” Sullenberger’s response on US Airways Flight 1549. With both engines out over one of the largest cities on earth and no chance of making it back to the airport, a lesser person might have thrown his hands in the air and thought, why bother? But Sully flew the plane. He flew it all the way to the point of impact and didn’t lose a single soul.
Never stop flying the plane; never give up.
Of course, this is about influencing the outcome of what you can control, while letting go of what you can’t. And it has been written more eloquently than me in the Serenity Prayer. But the last line of that prayer is the kicker: having the wisdom to know the difference. May we always be able to tell.
And for all those items outside your control, just turn the landing light off and let go.
Hi Hilary. Would be honored for you to post a link. Thanks for reading.
This was really a good one! As a writer of inspirational stories as well I truly enjoyed finding your blog as you do offer a different twist to things that is interesting. So thank you for sharing….Would you mind if I posted the link to your blog on my blog? I am sure my readers will enjoy your writing. So let me know if it's ok with you.
FANGA!
Hillary
Always good to see a navy and road trip buddy here, Jeff. I think you'll like the upcoming post for this week. Stay tuned.
Ahhhhh(relaxing). Thats what I need to do daily with the hustle and bustle of 3 toddlers running through the house. "Turn out the landing light" How many injuries will result? I'll keep ya posted. Very motivational Chris. Look forward to reading everything you write.
Glad something I wrote has helped you in some way, Ruth.
Your posts ring true to me. Courage and wisdom are not solely about heroism and brilliance but also about moving steadily forward despite fear and uncertainty, adjusting our course and chipping away at obstacles. We may need to turn off our headlights for an instant to focus on the space between the trees that is our safe landing. I'm thinking about something you wrote in an earlier post which has been my truth during a rough patch: "Action calms us even as it moves us forward."
Thanks, Tony. Your new website is looking great.
Hi Veronica,
Glad it was timely and you plan on "letting go."
Flying towards your goals is easy but the most difficult part is to keep your engines running and balancing your flight. Thank You, Terrans
That's the hard part, Isn't it? Knowing, when to let go and when to stay in control. It's letting go and see if we are put back in control with new choices. The definition of Insanity comes to mind. Great post. Thanks for your wisdom.
Your blog came "just in time." A smart, simple concept that we can quickly lose sight of, the relaxing when you can't control is trickiest for me. Will take your words forward, needed that this week, Thank you 🙂