Are today's pilots big girls blouses ?
A friends 80 year old mother asked if I would take her up for a flight around Perth and Angus today, I was a bit dubious as there was quite a few dark grey arsed clouds and some vertical development and I thought it may be a bit of a bumpy ride for an elderly lady, After a full safety brief and an apology in advance that it may be bumpy especially over the glens we set off. As expected it was bumpy and at times I felt a little uncomfortable leading to the white knuckle death grip on the yoke and the "feet in the concrete" rudder work. Over the higher hills I pointed out some of the more sheer drops and mountain tops to which she knowingly nodded at the names and let slip her regular mountains hikes were to those very same points which impressed me as the extend of my physical activity involves pulling the plane out the hangar. Upon landing I was just about to remark on the rough ride when she caught me of guard with "I thought you said it was going to be bumpy today?" I said it was and she looked with an air of dismissiveness then went on to talk about her younger days flying gliders out of RMC Condor.
I kept my mouth shut after that.