SEPTEMBER 2019 FLYINGMAG.COM | 57Sure enough, we immediately shot back to heavy positive
G's and that dreadful confusion returned. My hands began
to feel tingly and numb. I kept trying to move my fingers to
get rid of the feeling but just couldn’t focus on that simple
task as we repeatedly pulled heavy G's. Finally, enough was
enough, and the maneuvers came to an end.
I was beyond beaten—both mentally and physically. I had
never felt so defeated, drained and taxed. On the way back,
Farnsworth asked if I was up for one more very hard pull with
a midfield break over the runway. Our friends were watching
down below at the airport. How could I say no? With time
to prepare, I didn’t think much of one last quick-planned
maneuver. This turned out to be our hardest- G pull of the
day. I have zero memory of it. I completely G-locked halfway
through the turn and passed out. Game over.
I woke up a few seconds later and had no idea what hap-
pened—no idea who I was and no idea where I was. I was com-
pletely defeated by the machine. I’d lost the ultimate cage match.
Lessons Learned
Despite the fact that I don’t recall certain portions of it, this
experience was still the most memorable f light of my life. It
reminded me that we are not invincible. It was an amazing
ego check. If I had been f lying the jet alone and G-locked in
a similar fashion, it would have been all over for me, the air-
plane and possibly people below. I was also reminded how
crucial training, preparation and knowledge of your aircraft
can be. There is no such thing as too much training, nor too
much experience. I learned the importance of f lying within
your personal limits and the potential dangers of being
arrogant, overconfident and irresponsible. Sometimes the
skies, or at least those of us f lying in it, do have limits.
If you would like the full visual of that L-39 flight from inside
the cockpit, you can check out the video at flyingmag.com.
I was beyond beaten—both
mentally and physically. I
had never felt so defeated,
drained and taxed.
Left: Photo taken by Antonio More during the formation flight
after-hours at the Sun ’n Fun Airshow with Farnsworth and
Kowtun in the L-39. The other two aircraft in the formation
flight included Scott Yoak in his Quick Silver P-51 Mustang and
Phillip Bozek in his TBM 930.Bottom left: Courtney Quinn capturing Kowtun's victory smile
after getting through the most intense flight of his life.Bottom middle: Formation flight training with Farnsworth and
Steve Greenberg over Lake Okeechobee in South Florida.Bottom right: Dash Aerosports getting a photo of Farnsworth
and Kowtun together post-flight.