planeandpilotmag.com 57ONE OF THE GREAT TRUTHS
of flying is the admonition, “He
who stops getting better stops
being good.” We must constantly
strive for the perfection we may
never achieve, just to keep our
skills sharp. Becoming satisfied
with being almost good enough
means that we’re no longer trying
to stay on centerline, on altitude or
on track. Why bother? Because if we
don’t practice at every opportunity,
then the skills we need at a critical
juncture won’t be there.
I recall reading a story from 50 years ago about a
transatlantic cargo flight that had already passed
its point of no return when the weather in all of
Europe within reach of the plane’s range unexpect-
edly went down to zero-zero in fog. The flight deck
crew knew the situation was dire, but the aircraft
commander took charge, slipping into the left seat.
He marshaled all his resources for the inevi-
table ILS approach to a below-minimums des-
tination. The co-pilot was assigned the tasks of
watching for any sign of lights or runways and
calling out altitudes. The flight engineer was to
take care of the engine controls, and all hands on
board were briefed on their duties at crash sta-
tions. Gear down with half flaps, the old man flew
the ILS as if on rails, tweaking wheel and pedals
minutely to hold the crossed needles immobile,
past the middle marker and across the invisible
approach lights. As the radar altitude reading
passed through 25 feet, he slowed the rate of
descent imperceptibly, the callouts coming in
10-foot increments as he continued along the
localizer beam. There was a sound of tires brush-
ing pavement—he called for power off, tapped
the brakes to maintain an unseen centerline, and
brought the indicated airspeed to zero, setting the
parking brake. Nothing but fog could be seen from
the 30-foot cockpit height. The control tower was
alerted to their arrival.
Eventually, a slight bump was felt from below,
and the loadmaster exited the aircraft to see what
it might have been. It turned out to be a follow-
me truck that had driven under the nose of the