What is A CESSNA 172 teaching me ?
Few years ago, when I was still processing for my Pilot Training Program, I got to meet a student pilot over social media. While I had messaged many other pilots too, back then, I happened to get some real tips and ideas only from this one particular student pilot whom I now call a brother.
“Sushant Dai” had always been my “go to” person whenever I had aviation questions or sought tips. The impressive thing is that although “I” was the one who would need help and ideas, “he”, because of his gold habit of making people learn, would always be the one who would ring the call first. He seemed to have “zero” ego or that superior attitude of being a senior to me.
It was few days back when we first talked after 6 months. We had our conversation, he told everything about flight training environment and threw at me, some gem tips, to help my flight training go in a professional manner. At one time during the call, I was talking about my flights and complaining about my own landing mistakes. That was the time when he told me something that had me to pause for a moment and forced me to think. I felt so dumb at myself and tried to rearrange all my mental pictures of where I was and what I was doing.
As a student pilot, I am currently flying a Cessna 172 aircraft and having hard time landing this bird. I would go sleepless for days thinking how I can land this plane with absolute beauty. But along this way, I forgot the real deal, the real goal, the real objective of my flight training. That, dear reader, was clarified by Sushant Dai that day while he told me…
शोभित भाइ, एउटा कुरा सधै याद राख। यो कुरा धेरै विधार्थी पाइलटहरुले समयमा थाह पाउदैनन। मैले पनि यो कुरा बुझ्न समय लगाएकै हो। तिमी आफ्नो फ्लाइट ट्रेनिंग गर्दै छौ म खुसि छु। आज नत्र भोलि तिमी त्यो प्लेनलाई ल्याण्ड गर्न सकिहाल्ने छौ । तर यो कुरा कहिल्ल्यै नबिर्स कि तिमी त्यहाँ सेस्ना १७२ लाई ल्याण्ड गर्न सिक्न गाको हैन। विद्यार्थी पाइलट भएर तिमीले एयरमेनशिप र उडानको अनुशासन सिक्ने हो जुन चाहिं अति आवश्यक छ। राम्रो पाइलट राम्रो ल्याण्डिङ्गले हैन राम्रो निर्णय लिनाले हुन्छ।
Sovit bro, always remember. Most student pilots don’t get this at the right moment. I myself took time to understand this. I am glad that you are in your flight training. You will eventually learn to land that plane. But never forget that you are not there to learn how to land a Cessna 172. As a student pilot, you are there to learn good airmanship and aviation discipline which is the most important thing. A good pilot is made by good decision makings, not just by landings.
