28 Soaring • August 2019 • http://www.ssa.org

ing in the air: how far you have trav-

eled, what the weather is doing, how

high you can get, and how far it will

be to return to the airport.

In a pinch, glider pilots may re-

turn to a previous thermal marked

on their GPS. Sometimes they find

them, sometimes they’ve disappeared.

Other times, they may venture ahead,

wagering on discovering the next big

rise. Every pilot has her own level of

acceptable risk.

However, it doesn’t always work out

according to plan.

Due to their agile, lightweight de-

sign, gliders can land in places most

planes can’t. For example, having en-

countered a paucity of lift, it is not

uncommon for a pilot to simply cut

her losses, pick a good spot, and touch

down in a grassy field. We call this

“landing out.”

Landing out was great fun as kids.

In came the transmission. “Oh, boy!

Dad landed out?? Time for a road

trip!” Hooking up the 40 ft trailer,

off we went, bouncing down country

backroads, mom honing in on dad’s

coordinates via VHF radio.

Eventually, we’d find him, often

sitting on the porch with the farmer

whose field he’d conveniently plowed,

knocking back a cold one and laugh-

ing at their newfound friendship.

The next day, that pilot would get

to regale his comrades with the story

of his landout, earning deep-bellied

chuckles and slaps on the back from

fellow fliers who know all too well

how it feels to have risked it all and

won the real consolation prize – cour-

age, respect, and a lesson well-learned.

Why are we so afraid of landing out?

Life is just one big game. We’re here to

climb as high as we can, travel far and

wide, and reach our goals while we still

have breath and life in our bodies.

The gamification of business is

no different. You pay to play. Risk

to reward. The bigger the plane, the

higher the stakes. The more moving

parts, the greater the chance of me-

chanical failure.

Sometimes you win, sometimes you

learn.

Landing out isn’t so bad, really. It

doesn’t have to be about life and death.

So you or your plane get banged up

now and then. If you land out, it’s

okay – your support group will come

to your rescue. They would never leave

us stranded. You simply head back to

the airport, swallow your pride, and

try again.

To that end, we would do well to

celebrate our failures, not hide them.

We cannot grow within our comfort

zone. You can never know until you

try. I’d rather take the risk and face

failure than spend a lifetime wonder-

ing what I may have missed.

I recently pitched it this way to a

pen pal: “Would you rather be gain-

fully employed but miserable inside, or

broke and exhausted knowing you’ve

done something meaningful?”

We both chose the latter.

That is why, despite its ups and

downs, I choose to take my chances

as an entrepreneur. That is why, after

30 years of following in his shadow, I

finally shared this news with my dad:

“I’m ready to learn to fly.”

SeeYou

& Mobile...It’s

all you

need

for

soaring!

SeeYou

©

USA

Roy McMaster • 265 Lew Storch Road

Elmira, NY 14903-9345 • 607-215-3447

[email protected]

Visa, Mc & AmEx • http://www.Naviter.com

SeeYou

©

Windows PC Software:

OLC Auto Entry

Satellite/Sectional

MOBILE Wizard

Task Planning

Flight Statistics

Oudie-Mobile

Hardware/PDA-PNA

Software:

Inflight Moving Map

Task Statistics

Flight Computer

Task Management

Airspace Warnings

About the author: Karly grew up at municipal airports in the shadow of a glider

wing, and has a scar on her forehead to prove it. A passionate speaker, writer, and advi-

sor, her words and guidance offer a heartfelt look into life as an entrepreneur and navi-

gator of the creative wilderness. She is currently learning to fly gliders and seaplanes.

Landing out

was great fun

as kids.

“

“