In the mid 1950s and early 1960s,
the three major programming languages for computers were COBOL, Fortran and
Basic. Of these three, Basic, a group of general-purpose, high-level
programming languages and an acronym from Beginner's
All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code, was developed in 1964 in the USA.
Visual Basic (VB) 1.0 was introduced as a misnomer more than two decades ago,
in early 1991, as a drag and drop design for creating a user interface (UI) by one
Alan Cooper. Interestingly, VB did not include a programming language. Microsoft,
the budding IT colossus of that era, immediately noted its potential when used
with its then operative Windows 3.0, and hooked up with Cooper to create a programming
language using the extant Basic language so that VB could be brought back into
the mainstream and released as such in May 1991.
Facing teething troubles, Visual
Basic 1.0 was released as a "Disk Operating System” (DOS) in September
1992 as VB 2.0, a user-friendly programming development with a notable increase
in speed. Each passing year saw an upgrade, with VB 6.0 released in 1998 exclusively
for 32-bit versions of Windows, with the ability to create web-based
applications. VB 6.0 was dropped by Microsoft in 2008 as a prelude to
Microsoft’s new application, VB.NET.
According to Microsoft, its .NET
Framework was designed to run primarily on Microsoft Windows. Using VB, it consists
of two parts, a class library and the Common Language Runtime (CLR) application.
Amongst its many properties, this framework provides ‘language interoperability,’
technical jargon that means that each language can use code written in other
languages across several programming languages. What is unique to CLR is that
its programs can be run in a software environment, as against a hardware
environment, an application that facilitates provision of services such as
security and memory management.
Image courtesy http://symbiosysnews.blogspot.in
Integral to Microsoft's .NET
platform, VB.Net compiles and runs using the .NET Framework. Microsoft reveals
that its new features include inheritance, method overloading, structured
exception handling, and more. These capabilities make it easier than ever to
create .NET applications, including Windows applications, web services, and web
applications. VB.NET is an object-oriented computer programming language, evolving
from the classic VB implemented on the .NET Framework. Microsoft provides two
main editions of Integrated Development Environments (IDEs- yet another
advanced software application) for developing in its commercial software Visual
Basic: Microsoft Visual Studio 2012 and freeware Visual Basic Express Edition
2012. VB.NET features characteristics like scrolling, forms inheritance, inheritance-based
polymorphism, the set up to build secure assemblies, and a host of other cyber
applications.
In the mid 1950s and early 1960s,
the three major programming languages for computers were COBOL, Fortran and
Basic. Of these three, Basic, a group of general-purpose, high-level
programming languages and an acronym from Beginner's
All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code, was developed in 1964 in the USA.
Visual Basic (VB) 1.0 was introduced as a misnomer more than two decades ago,
in early 1991, as a drag and drop design for creating a user interface (UI) by one
Alan Cooper. Interestingly, VB did not include a programming language. Microsoft,
the budding IT colossus of that era, immediately noted its potential when used
with its then operative Windows 3.0, and hooked up with Cooper to create a programming
language using the extant Basic language so that VB could be brought back into
the mainstream and released as such in May 1991.
Facing teething troubles, Visual
Basic 1.0 was released as a "Disk Operating System” (DOS) in September
1992 as VB 2.0, a user-friendly programming development with a notable increase
in speed. Each passing year saw an upgrade, with VB 6.0 released in 1998 exclusively
for 32-bit versions of Windows, with the ability to create web-based
applications. VB 6.0 was dropped by Microsoft in 2008 as a prelude to
Microsoft’s new application, VB.NET.
According to Microsoft, its .NET
Framework was designed to run primarily on Microsoft Windows. Using VB, it consists
of two parts, a class library and the Common Language Runtime (CLR) application.
Amongst its many properties, this framework provides ‘language interoperability,’
technical jargon that means that each language can use code written in other
languages across several programming languages. What is unique to CLR is that
its programs can be run in a software environment, as against a hardware
environment, an application that facilitates provision of services such as
security and memory management.
Integral to Microsoft's .NET
platform, VB.Net compiles and runs using the .NET Framework. Microsoft reveals
that its new features include inheritance, method overloading, structured
exception handling, and more. These capabilities make it easier than ever to
create .NET applications, including Windows applications, web services, and web
applications. VB.NET is an object-oriented computer programming language, evolving
from the classic VB implemented on the .NET Framework. Microsoft provides two
main editions of Integrated Development Environments (IDEs- yet another
advanced software application) for developing in its commercial software Visual
Basic: Microsoft Visual Studio 2012 and freeware Visual Basic Express Edition
2012. VB.NET features characteristics like scrolling, forms inheritance, inheritance-based
polymorphism, the set up to build secure assemblies, and a host of other cyber
applications.
HOW NOT TO WRITE A PRESS RELEASE: SOUND VICARIOUS ADVICE
Press releases present facts, meant for journalists to publish them . Brands,
businesses and other organisations get an opportunity to reach their targeted audience through media. They tell the world about your event,
anything from an arts product launch to a new appointment or award.
The press release is losing importance with the new
social media and the digital revolution transforming media as last known, yet they can be very effective at securing positive media coverage
and are a great way to boost your profile and attract new customers or
audience members.
Press releases can be written by yourself,
someone within your company or an external supplier such as a PR agency
or freelancer, and there are many common mistakes people make when
drafting one. Here are some and how you can stop making them.
If
you read any news story online or in your local newspaper, you'll notice
everything is written in the third person – unless we're talking about
quotes from actual people, of course. There should never be any "We did
this" or "I think that" written in the body of a good press release –
you have to imagine that someone else is telling your story at all
times. A good tip is to pick up any newspaper and see how stories are
written; you'll notice everything that third person voice , as though
the journalist is telling the reader about someone or something else.
There isn't enough info
Don't
make the assumption that a journalist will know everything about you,
so make sure you include all the facts. Try to add a summary in your
first paragraph, including where your arts organisation is based, the
company name and the angle of the story. You wouldn't believe the amount
of times I've had to look up where a company is based on Google, just
so I can add it to their story on Creative Boom. Some journalists won't
be as patient, so make sure you add all the information.
Punctuation is poor
If
you're going to write a press release it's essential you use proper
punctuation throughout. Journalists are time and resource poor these
days, so make their job as easy and as hassle-free as possible by
providing 'ready to publish' copy. That way they don't have to waste too
much time double checking everything you've written. Supply
first-class copy; it will also gain you a solid reputation as someone
who is reliable and provides quality press releases at all times –
someone they'll want to publish stories for again in the future.
Its plagiarised
Copy
written specifically for your own arts website or company newsletter
will not work for a press release – it's likely to be written in the
first person, be too self-promotional and won't have a journalist in
mind. Don't be lazy by providing something that you've already used
internally. Start from scratch and write your news story specifically
for the newspaper, e-zine or magazine you'll be targeting. Aim to mimic
their own style of writing.
It's insipid and dispassionate
Once
you've established an angle for your story, you should always provide
one or two quotes from yourself or a spokesperson involved in the
performance, project or event. But whatever you do, don't let these
quotes go to waste. They are the only thing journalists can't change, so
make the most of them by throwing in some strong key messages. Sure,
the journalist might not use them, but don't repeat what has already
been said elsewhere in the press release – use quotes as an opportunity
to really sell yourself and your company. Keep them positive, upbeat and
to the point.
There are too many CAPS
Something that
really bugs journalists is the use of CAPS to emphasise certain names or
words throughout a press release. For example, "CREATIVE BOOM is an
online magazine for the creative industries" – it looks odd, a little
sneaky and means the journalist has to go back through the entire
release and change everything to lowercase. Avoid CAPS because you don't
need to highlight your company's name; it will be obvious.
It's too short
Short isn't always sweet. Although
you never want to waffle when drafting a press release, don't make the
mistake of not providing enough content. More than anything, a
journalist will want to get all the facts so make sure you include as
much information as possible. You can still be concise and stay on track
but don't forget to include every little detail. If in doubt, consider
the golden rule of Who, What, Where, When Why and How – ask yourself if
you've answered all these questions before sending the release.
It's too long
<![endif]-->“Quidquid
praecipies, esto brevis." The reader is interested in facts relevant to him or his business and not about your grandmother's bedtime stories. Stick to the point and add only tidbits that would interest the reader in general-like "share value rose 3.5 percent after the release..."
It's too promotional
When
you've completed your press release, sit back and read it through. Does
it scream "Please buy tickets to our show!?" or have you given a nice
rounded overview of what the production or performance is? Though press releases are promotional, they are not advertisements –
they are a presentation of facts, so keep it factual and be objective.
There's too much hype
Copy
that is littered with exclamation marks and wild claims about your
exhibition, event or service screams spam and will only end up in a
journalists spam folder. Avoid verbiage because it will
only read like an advertisement and that's something you'll want to
avoid.
SUMMARY
Those are just a few of the common mistakes people make
when writing a press release. If you've got any of your own top tips,
stories or ideas then please share them by commenting below. Positive inputs can help many other professionals to improve.
CREDIT: This article was first printed by guardian.co.uk on February 16, 2012.
My story is about the
Mirage 2000 fighter aircraft and flying in the early 1990s. My soft-spoken Base Commander was a man from the old school who would not look outside the Rule Book. I was the Air Force
Examiner on the Mirage 2000 aircraft and had devised holding patterns,
one-in-ten approaches, ILS stacks, etc., things never heard by fighter
pilots before. The book said I could fly in RVR of 1000 metres.
One day, it so happened that my Base Commander's boss at Command HQ, the
Senior Air Staff Officer (SASO), an Air Marshal, had come
down to visit the base and see how we conducted bad weather operations.
It was drizzling that morning and the weatherman said that we could soon expect zero/zero conditions. The Base
Commander shrugged his shoulders and looked rather apologetically at
the SASO. SASO looked at me and said, " Air Force Examiner.. ........
....Chicken?" I replied in a twang with a hint of an accusation, "It's
your published order, sir. Override it and we could go." "Done," he
said.
For those who don't know, the Mirage 2000 is the easiest
aircraft in the world to fly, but bloody demanding to operate in war,
given its multiple capabilities. The Indian Air Force took cognisance of
this fact and split the force into squadrons with specific roles. The
best aid available on board was the autopilot which could do anything,
well, almost. In fact, the very same autopilot is fitted on the Airbus
319 / 320s. I had devised and tested an autolanding system, which I
practised in a two-seater by night from the rear seat. Landings from the
rear seat at night were not easy-you needed practice to get the hang of
it. This was a drawback in the aircraft, in that the rear cockpit had a
camera screen that repeated what the front-seat pilot could see through
the Head Up Display (HUD) in the front cockpit by filming the HUD.
The display was far too bright to see anything at all and had to be
switched off. You had to approach the runway by looking through the side
panels and aligning yourself with the edge of the runway in the fore and aft plane and the Green on Amber on the AVASI in the vertical plane. When about 50
feet above the ground, you could see the runway lights coming under you, so getting back to
the centre line was easy. I would intentionally
fly head-down approaches at night, asking the front-seat pilot to take
over controls if my approach seemed hairy.
The Mirage 2000 is a tailless delta-wing
aircraft and faced a problem common to all delta-wing aircraft; the nose
of the aircraft had to be raised fairly high to generate the lift
required to come in to land at reasonably low speeds. In fact, the
Concorde also had this problem, solved ingeniously by deliberately
drooping the nose so that the pilot could see what was ahead. In the
Mirage 2000, you had to raise your seat fully and change the display on
the HUD to what is called the approach mode, which had a
landing-oriented but totally different set of symbols on display.
Landing after these two actions then became as easy as in the daytime.
Rain was a problem, because, even in a drizzle, forward visibility
reduced to zero! The Inertial Nav System generated a synthetic runway to project on the Head Up Display, but this was never to be used as the INS drifted with time. Today, with GPS and TACAN integration with the continuously refreshed Ring Laser INS, there is no problem in using the synthetic runway.
I got the SASO kitted up and into the rear seat quickly enough.
As we taxied out, the fog came in and visibility reduced to 30 metres. I
handed over controls to the SASO and asked him to taxi out. He coped
well because the taxi-tracks were 30 metres wide and he could see the
centreline and the grass beyond the taxi-track edges. As we moved further
away, visibility dropped to 10 metres and I had to take over controls
again. ATC piped in with a warning that RVR was 20 metres and dropping.
Without informing the SASO, I switched the ILS on and used the localiser
to get onto the runway centreline. I asked the SASO if he would like to
take off. He declined, saying, "I can't see anything." I insisted he
take off, saying that the aircraft was on the centreline and would stay
there for the 450 metres required for take off. In any case, I was there
to assist or take over if anything went awry. He agreed and the take
off was uneventful.
We climbed out of all clouding by 9,000 feet. SASO started to throw the aircraft around, enjoying himself. Later, I took him down to 1,000 feet above ground level in a flattish and safe sector and, whilst still in cloud, showed him the ground mapping and safety modes of the
multimode radar. I showed him how to distinguish roads from rail tracks,
how to assess heights of hill features, what rivers and bridges looked
like, etc. He was more than impressed with the quality of the display
and what all could be achieved. Soon it was time to get back. I took
over controls and said, "See for yourself how this aircraft autolands,
sir."
I got in touch with our local radar and informed him we were doing an auto-ILS and requested back up. I started to slow the aircraft down from 450 to 200 knots, punched
the required buttons, raised my seat, selected auto-ILS and changed the
HUD to landing mode. I then showed SASO my hands and said, "I won't
touch controls unless required."The aircraft auto navigated to the
holding point and as my speed dropped below 225 knots, the "lower
undercarriage" command prompted me to lower the landing gear. The
aircraft had climbed to the stack safety height of 2,600 feet above sea
level by then and entered the holding pattern at 200 knots. Since we
were the only aircraft in the air, we exited the stack on our first
turnaround.
I informed ground radar of our exit and as we approached the ILS LOC
beam, the aircraft turned and captured the localiser. As mandated, I
called out LOC capture. I then reduced power to hit approach angle of
attack(ά) of 13° and
maintained it. Soon we were on glide path and the aircraft commenced
descent. Radar called out,"You're on glide path and centreline. RVR is
now zero in light drizzle. Wind is calm. Recheck wheels down and locked.
Acknowledge." The Mirage 2000 has a beep signal that is transmitted on
three frequencies at one time, when a button is pressed, but only if the
wheels were down and locked. This signal confirms to the ground
controllers that the wheels are actually down and locked. Radar, in
turn, acknowledged the signal and we were now on ATC frequency on our
second radio set. All this while we were in cloud. ATC called us and
said that all runway lights and the AVASI (Visual Slope Indicator) were
on. We would never see them.
I had selected Radioaltimeter visual warning to 20 feet. As the
aircraft silently descended through clouds, radar kept telling us, "On
glide, on centreline." My hands were visible to SASO, who said,"Can't
see a sausage outside." "Look at the Head Down Display, sir," I added.
It showed our glideslope. At 350 feet on radalt, I disconnected ILS
glideslope, its minima being 300 feet-not even a Cat I ILS. I kept the
last used glidepath on the autopilot and retained auto-centreline
control. We were aligned perfectly down the centreline. At 100 feet,
radar said, "Approaching our minima, on advisory if requested." I
responded, "Yes, please."
He continued,"On centreline, crossing threshold, height should be 30
feet." It was. As the radalt warning came at 20 feet, I throttled back
to idle and allowed the aircraft to sink, allowing the ά to
increase to 14°. Close to the ground, at 15 feet and less, the air
compressed under the large delta wings of the Mirage 2000 tends to
cushion its landing. Radar said, "Approaching touchdown." As we touched
down smoothly, the autopilot disconnected by default. I just stayed on
the ILS line and asked SASO,"Shall we do another one, sir?" He declined.
I gently brought the aircraft to a halt and asked for the follow-me
jeep. My engine noise and flashing lights were picked up by the follow-me jeep, and I put my 2000-watt landing lights on. This was reflected by
the orange stripes of the jeep and we followed him all the way home at a
sedate 10 kph. On the long stretch back, SASO waxed eloquent, totally
impressed with the aircraft (and the Indian Air Force Examiner?)
Today's Mirage 2000 has been upgraded radically so that the synthetic runway genuinely shows where the actual runway is. Auto-throttle has not been added.
Have you read Part 1, Charles Svoboda's story? Read that first, please.
Over 90% of today's tourists travel by air. Its so much faster that the time saved more than compensates for the extra cost. In truth, even that statement is not really true in today's modern conditions. The advent of no-frills low-fare airlines have made the cost of flying cheaper than by rail, road or sea.
That said, travelling by air has its own limitations. These are mostly weather related and, in the odd case, aircraft availability. Sometimes, it is a combination of the two, when your specific aircraft gets held up ay another airport because it has a snag that needs attention, or the prevailing weather does not permit flight.
Automation will soon make flying possible in what we pilots call zero/zero conditions. An official definition of zero/zero exists: "atmospheric conditions that reduce cloud ceiling and visibility to zero." Current Instrument Landing Systems-ILS- have become so advanced that today's airliners require a Runway visual range (RVR) of 46 metres. The ILS transmits two beams, the Localiser (LOC) along the runway centre line and the Glidepath, along the aircraft's descent path. Both are displayed on one instrument, and the pilot has only to keep them centred to come down safely. Runway visual range (RVR), in aviation terms,
is the distance over which a pilot of an aircraft on the centreline of
the runway can see the runway surface markings delineating the runway or
identifying its centre line. RVR is normally expressed in metres. In the US, which has to be different, it is expressed in feet. RVR is used as one of the main criteria for minima on instrument approaches.
Category III is subdivided into three sections:
Category III A – A precision instrument approach and landing with:
a) a decision height lower than 100 feet (30 m) above touchdown zone elevation, or no decision height (alert height); and
b) a runway visual range not less than 200 meters (660 ft).
Category III B – A precision instrument approach and landing with:
a) a decision height lower than 50 feet (15 m) above touchdown zone elevation, or no decision height (alert height); and
b) a runway visual range less than 200 meters (660 ft) but not less
than 75 meters (246 ft). Autopilot is used until taxi-speed. In the
United States, FAA criteria for CAT III B runway visual range allows
readings as low as 150 ft (46 m).
Category III C – A precision instrument approach and landing
with no decision height and no runway visual range limitations. This
category is not yet in operation anywhere in the world, as it requires
guidance to taxi in zero visibility as well. "Category III C" is not
mentioned in EU-OPS. Category III B is currently the best available
system.
The main reason for the delay in using Cat IIIC ILS is its prohibitive cost. It might be required for only 6-8 days in a year! So why spend so much?
Autolanding
The Airbus 380 and Boeing 777 have zero/zero capability as well as an autolanding system. An auto landing process is achieved by an autopilot together with the ILS. As the name suggests, the ILS
directs where the plane goes and the autopilot ensures that it does so.The auto landing procedure is executed
automatically but the Captain may still have to intervene to check that the speed
is as desired when the flaps are selected from 0 degrees to landing position.
At 50 feet, the autopilot flares the
airplane, a term to describe how it would raise the nose slightly to
prepare for a soft landing. The computer would call out aurally the
heights every 10 feet and then at around 25 feet, the throttles are
closed. At this point, the airplane should sit onto the runway gently
and roll along the centreline until it comes to a complete stop by the
auto brakes with the pilot aiding it further with reverse thrust. If the Captain is unable to see the taxiway
because the visibility has further reduced, he may request a ‘Follow Me’
vehicle to guide the pilot to its parking bay.
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This is a true story narrated by a copilot about professionalism and I have used it to set up the base for my story about flying in zero-zero weather.
It happened sometime in 1965, in Germany. I was a copilot,
so I knew, everything there was to know about flying, and I was frustrated by
pilots like my aircraft commander. He was one of those by-the-numbers types, no
class, no imagination, no “feel” for flying.
You have to be
able to feel an airplane. So what if your altitude is a little off, or if the
glideslope indicator is off a hair? If it feels okay then it is okay. That’s
what I believed. Every time he let me make an approach, even in VFR conditions,
he demanded perfection.
Not the
slightest deviation was permitted. “If you can’t do it when there is no
pressure, you surely can’t do it when the pucker factor increases,” he would
say. When he shot an approach, it was as if all the instruments were frozen –
perfection, but no class.
Then came that
routine flight from the Azores to Germany on our C-124 Globemaster. The weather
was okay; halfway to the European mainland, the weather started getting bad. I
kept getting updates by HF radio. Our destination, a fighter base, went
zero/zero. Our two alternates followed shortly thereafter. All of France was
down. We held for two hours, and the weather got worse. Somewhere I heard a
fighter pilot declare an emergency because of minimum fuel. He shot two
approaches and saw nothing. On the third try, he flamed out and had to eject.
We made a
precision radar approach; there was nothing but fuzzy fog at minimums. I
started to sweat a little. I turned on the instrument lights. When I looked out
to where the wings should be, I couldn’t even see the navigation lights 85 feet
from my eyes. I could barely make out a dull glow from the exhaust stacks of
the closest engine, and then only on climb power. When we reduced power to
maximum endurance, that friendly glow faded. The pilot asked the engineer where
we stood on fuel. The reply was, “I don’t know--- we’re so low that the book
says the gauges are unreliable below this point.” We didn’t carry parachutes,
so we couldn’t follow the fighter pilot’s example. We would land or crash with
the airplane.
The pilot then
asked me which of the two nearby fighter bases had the widest runway. I looked
it up and we declared an emergency as we headed for that field. The pilot then
began his briefing.
“This will be
for real. No missed approach. We’ll make an ILS and get precision radar to keep
us honest. Copilot, we’ll use half flaps. That’ll put the approach speed a
little higher, but the pitch angle will be almost level, requiring less
attitude change in the flare.”
Why hadn’t I
thought of that? Where was my “feel” and “class” now?
The briefing
continued, “I’ll lock on the gauges. You get ready to take over and complete
the landing if you see the runway – that way there will be less room for
trouble with me trying to transition from instruments to visual with only a
second or two before touchdown.” Hey, he’s even going to take advantage of his
copilot, I thought. He’s not so stupid, after all.
“Until we get
the runway, you call off every 100 feet above touchdown; until we get down to
100 feet, use the pressure altimeter. Then switch to the radar altimeter for
the last 100 feet, and call off every 25 feet. Keep me honest on the airspeed,
also. Engineer, when we touch down, I’ll cut the mixtures with the master
control lever, and you cut all of the mags. Are there any questions? Let’s go!”
All of a sudden, this unfeeling, by the numbers robot was making a lot of
sense. Maybe he really was a pilot and maybe I had something more to learn
about flying.
We made a
short procedure turn to save gas. Radar helped us to get to the outer marker.
Half a mile away, we performed the Before Landing Checklist; gear down, flaps
20 degrees. The course deviation indicator was locked in the middle, with the
glideslope indicator beginning its trip down from the top of the case. When the
GSI centered, the pilot called for a small power reduction, lowered the nose
slightly, and all of the instruments, except the altimeter, froze. My Lord,
that man had a feel for that airplane! He thought something, and the airplane,
all 135,000 pounds of it, did what he thought.
“Five hundred
feet,” I called out, “400 feet……..300 feet…….200 feet, MATS minimums….. …….100
feet, Air Force minimums; I’m switching to the radar altimeter ……..75 feet
nothing in sight……50 feet, still nothing….25 feet, airspeed 100 knots,”
The nose of
the aircraft rotated just a couple of degrees, and the airspeed started down.
The pilot then casually said, “Hang on, we’re landing.”
“Airspeed 90
knots….10 feet, here we go!”
The pilot
reached up and cut the mixtures with the master control lever, without taking
his eyes off the instruments. He told the engineer to cut all the mags to reduce
the chance of fire. CONTACT! I could barely feel it. As smooth a landing as I
have ever known, and I couldn’t even tell if we were on the runway, because we
could only see the occasional blur of a light streaking by.
“Copilot,
verify hydraulic boost is on, I’ll need it for brakes and steering.” I
complied.
“Hydraulic
boost pump is on, pressure is up.” The brakes came on slowly---we didn’t want
to skid this big beast now. I looked over at the pilot. He was still on the
instruments, steering to keep the course deviation indicator in the center, and
that is exactly where it stayed.
“Airspeed, 50
knots.” We might make it yet.
“Airspeed, 25
knots.” We’ll make it if we don’t run off a cliff. Then I heard a strange
sound. I could hear the whir of the gyros, the buzz of the inverters, and a low
frequency thumping. Nothing else. The thumping was my pulse, and I couldn’t
hear anyone breathing. We had made it! We were standing still!
The aircraft
commander was still all pilot. “After-landing checklist, get all those motors,
radar and unnecessary radios off while we still have batteries. Copilot, tell
them that we have arrived, to send a follow me truck out to the runway because
we can’t even see the edges.”
I left the VHF
on and thanked GCA for the approach. The guys in the tower didn’t believe we
were there. They had walked outside and couldn’t hear or see anything. We
assured them that we were there, somewhere on the localiser centreline, with
about half a mile showing on the DME.
Then I
remembered the story from Fate Is the Hunter.
When Gann was an airline copilot making a simple night range approach,
his captain kept lighting matches in front of his eyes. It scarred and
infuriated Gann. When they landed, the captain said that Gann was ready to
upgrade to captain. If he could handle a night-range approach with all of that
harassment, then he could handle anything.
At last I understood what true
professionalism is.
Being a pilot isn’t all
seat-of-the-pants flying and glory.
It’s self- discipline, practice, study,
analysis and preparation. It’s precision.
If you can’t keep the gauges where you
want them with everything free and easy, how can you keep them there when
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