Mentor

On the 19^th of January, I received my instrument rating after about one year of study, instruction and flight training. I did have to do a re-test on one of approximately twenty-five competencies required by the FAA, after having performed an Unsatisfactory holding pattern entry on my first test one week earlier.

Martha's Vineyard Pre-Flight

All in all, it is a bit anti-climactic. Having spent about 60 hours in ground school, 30 hours watching videos, about a hundred hours reading various textbooks, and 65 hours of actual and simulated instrument flight, I suddenly find myself with nothing to do when I get home from work now.

Many years ago, when I completed my primary flight training (private pilot certificate), the FAA Examiner asked me “How did you get interested in aviation? Who is your mentor?” Since I hadn’t really thought about it, I said, “I don’t have a mentor”. The examiner then said, “Well, then I am you mentor”, and he proceeded to give me a one-hour lecture on all of the things I could NOT do with my certificate. I took careful notes, and realized that I had done, or was planning on doing, each and every thing on the list. It was a good list, and I think I have now mastered all of the skills to put that first list behind me.

The instrument rating is many things. Officially, it allows you to fly in clouds, under very strict rules. Some say it is a license to kill yourself, others say it doubles or quadruples you aeronautical skills and knowledge. I have heard many people say it was the hardest thing they had ever done in their lives. It is another stepping stone if you are serious about flying. At a minimum, you always have someplace sunny to go when it is cloudy outside.

Pouring rain 2000' below - Sunny on top

Lots of people ask, “How did you start flying?” or “Why would you want to fly in a little plane?” I don’t know. I don’t understand the question. And, it is not a small plane!

I cannot remember ever not wanting to fly. Most recently, I have been inspired by several people, including my colleague, Mark Napier, and my cycling mate, Rusty Potts. Mark is also a pilot, and urged me to get back flying again about 3 years ago. Rusty is waging a brave battle against ALS and reminded me how important is to do things now. But that is not the beginning…

There was my friend and neighbor, Jack Wilson, who used to let me fly the Mooney up and down the New Jersey Turnpike every once in a while. Before that it was Scotty Sparkman taking me on a few cross-country flights to the Chesapeake. And long before that, my Uncle Jack filled my mailbox with specification books from the Boeing Vertol helicopter division where he worked as their in-house legal counselor.

Last month, I finally remembered how I got my start – “My dad is a pilot!” That’s right, now I remember; my dad is a pilot in the Marine Corps. When we where little children we all remember dad telling us about the aircraft carrier, the planes, the flying, and of course he had lots of pictures.

My Dad in his Banshee

Just recently, though, I found out my dad is not really a pilot. My sister said he was a schoolteacher and principal. I guess that explains why he never took me flying in his plane.

My dad next to his Corsair

Seriously, my father was based on the carrier USS Leyte during a 1951 to 1953 Mediterranean cruise. From what I can gather from the ship’s cruise book, it was the Club Med cruise. How my dad ended up there is anyone’s guess, but he worked as the executive orderly for one of the ship’s most senior officers, Commander Hank Miller.

Rear Admiral "Hank" Miller

The official Naval bio for (later) Rear Admiral Henry Miller lists his credits as having “…trained all of the Doolittle Raiders and delivered them to their departure point on the USS Hornet for their raids on Japan.”

If I understand the story correctly, Commander Miller occasionally let my father accompany him and fly the plane while at sea, not including carrier take-off or landing, of course.

Now, having trained the Doolittle Raiders, Commander Miller was a close associate of (later) General Jimmy Doolittle. And, as all instrument pilots know from having read the first chapter of the Jeppesen Instrument – Commercial handbook, General Doolittle is the father of instrument flight. Doolittle is cited as having conducted the very first documented flight of an aircraft solely by reference to instruments.

The Younger Jimmy Doolittle - a Cal Berkeley alum - Go Bears!

Now this part I cannot explain: My dad is about 22 years old, he is working on an aircraft carrier, he is not in a war, he is touring the Mediterranean, he wants to get back to civilian life, but instead, he ends up meeting one of aviation's greatest pioneers and heroes, General Doolittle. That is my dad on the left pointing to the North Pole. General Doolittle is on the right in the grey suit.

Pointing out the route of the Club Med Cruise

Now if you are familiar with the parlor game called The Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon, you will see that the point of all of this is that I have one degree of separation from the Father of Instrument Flight. So, do I still have to name my mentor?

Thank you to all of the flight instructors who have provided assistance over the past 24 years:

Dan Greever; Bob Bate; Don Haughtling; Bob Wood; Damien Crockett; Walter Stocker; Steve Denty; Juan Cubas; Alan Wrigley; Mike Wilson; Anthony Larsen; Morton Stoverud; Steve Koza; Chris Bartells and Bob Brodwater.

PAK