Flying USA – August 2019

NO. 941

14 | AUGUST 2019

S

ometimes we face situations as
pilots that we feel lucky to walk
away from. In my case, I learned a
valuable lesson in dealing with haz-
ardous attitudes and forgoing a
checkout on a similar airplane to
the one I had been f lying. Little did
I know that this situation would
become the catalyst for my future
career decisions, as well as offer me
valuable perspective as a part-time
CFI that I now share with my stu-
dents and colleagues.

It was a cold winter evening in

February 2007. I was still a pretty

fresh private pilot who was just get-

ting ready to begin training for my

instrument rating. To my surprise,

the f light school owner called and

asked if I wanted some free f lying.

I tried to temper my excitement at

the thought of not having to pay for

f light time, but alas, I responded

with an enthusiastic “Absolutely!”

In no time, I was on my way to the

airport. Earlier in the evening, an

instructor and his student landed

at Lagrange Airport, approximately

30 nautical miles away. When they

were preparing to leave, the aircraft

would not start. The f light school

owner explained that he needed

someone to go pick them up as soon

as possible. The only airplane avail-

able was a new-to-us 1973 Piper

Cherokee 180, in which I had not had

a checkout. Being that I had done all

of my primary training in a Piper

Warrior, the owner said I would be

HAZARDOUS

ATTITUDE

CHECKOUT? WHO NEEDS A STINKING CHECKOUT?

By Matthew Wallace

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