THOUGHTS ON FLYING

Thanks to Frank DeVore

1. Takeoffs are optional, but landings are mandatory.

2. If you push the stick forward, the houses get bigger.

3. If you pull the stick back they get smaller.

4. If you keep pulling back on the stick, they get bigger again.

5. Flying is not dangerous; crashing is dangerous.

6. It's better to be down here wishing you were up there, than up there wishing you were down here.

7. The propeller is just a big fan in front of the plane to keep the pilot cool. Want proof? Just make it stop and watch the pilot break out in a sweat.

8. It's best to keep the pointed end going forward as much as possible.

9. The only time you have too much fuel is when you're on fire.

10. Everyone already knows the definition of a good landing is one from which you can walk away. But very few know the definition of a great landing. It's one after which you can use the airplane another time.

11. The probability of survival is equal to the angle of arrival.

12. Those who hoot with the owls by night should not fly with the eagles by day.

13. A helicopter is a collection of rotating parts going round and round and reciprocating parts going up and down -- all of them trying to become random in motion.

14. Helicopters can't really fly -- they're just so ugly that the earth immediately repels them.

15. There are three simple rules for making a smooth landing. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are.

16. The only thing worse than a captain who never flew as a copilot is a copilot who once was a captain.

17. It's easy to make a small fortune in aviation. You start with a large fortune.

18. Try to keep the number of your landings equal to the number of your takeoffs.

19. You cannot propel yourself forward by patting yourself on the back.

20. Gravity never loses. The best you can hope for is a draw.