I sat down, shut up, and listened....

[9 lives]

I was luck enough today to have been invited to an "old guys" lunch, by a pilot friend. He is a well respected Canadian test pilot, and so are his lunch mates. I had met most of them in decades past. But, it was again very humbling to sit with a group of retired deHavilland test pilots, whose experience I will never come close to equalling.

There is a total variation of pilot experience "out there", from the student pilots I meet, and post with here, to the veterans, who have survived it all. These guys are the veterans. Today I sat and chatted with the original 1947 test pilot for the DHC-2 Beaver, who was a WW2 pilot. He's flown every DHC aircraft since, and still flies these days, well into his 90's. A very nice fellow, who respectfully listened to the few things I could say about piloting.

In some ways, I'm still a student pilot, and today, I was reminded to be humble about it!

I'm going to start 2015 with a renewed appreciation for age and wisdom, and safe flying!

[semmern]

Awesome! We ordinary mortals are not worthy.

Happy new year :)

[B19]

Why didn't you invite us? That sounds like a great lunch.


I've worked on a lot of Beavers and Otters never got to fly one. Really like that plane. They have changed most of the otters here into turbo props. Sure miss the sound of the radials!!!!

I second the Happy New Year

[Gertrude the Wombat]

I got to fly a Beaver for a few minutes - we'd chartered one somewhere in BC because that worked out cheaper for five of us than buying five tickets on their scheduled run. So I sat in the front and the pilot chucked the control column across to me (somewhat to the alarm of my family in the back).

[Jan Olieslagers]

There's a nice lesson in humility, thank you very much! For myself I have been long time convinced that I will never in this life achieve as much as a pilot as you have, Jim. We all have some people "better" than us, and some "less" - measuring by whatever standards.

[paco]

Aah, the Beaver - I remember it well. I was privileged to get over 900 hours on it in Europe and Canada. I would love a chat with that test pilot!

In 2003 I was in a similar position to you when I was hired by Remote Helicopters in Slave Lake. They got me in to reduce the insurance age! But I learned so much just by listening.

Phil