"Son, your wife's legs have more time in the air than you do."
- welcome to a new co-pilot from an old captain.
"The Piper Cub is the safest airplane in the world; it can just barely kill you."
- Attributed to Max Stanley (Northrop test pilot)
"A pilot who doesn't have any fear probably isn't flying his plane to its maximum."
- Jon McBride, astronaut
"If you're faced with a forced landing, fly the thing as far into the crash as possible."
- Bob Hoover (renowned aerobatic and test pilot)
"Never fly in the same cockpit with someone braver than you."
"It is generally inadvisable to eject directly over the area you just bombed."
- U.S. Air Force Manual
"You've never been lost until you've been lost at Mach 3."
- Paul F. Crickmore (test pilot)
"The only time you have too much fuel is when you're on fire."
"If the wings are traveling faster than the fuselage,
it's probably a helicopter -- and therefore, unsafe."
"When one engine fails on a twin-engine airplane you always have enough power left to get you to the scene of the crash."
"Without ammunition, the USAF would be just another expensive flying club."
"What is the similarity between air traffic controllers and pilots?
If a pilot screws up, the pilot dies; If ATC screws up, .... the pilot dies."
"Weather forecasts are horoscopes with numbers."
"Airspeed, altitude and brains. At least two are always needed to fly safely."
"A smooth landing is mostly luck; two in a row is all luck; three in a row is prevarication."
"Flying the airplane is more important than radioing your plight to a person on the ground incapable of understanding or doing anything about it."
"When a flight is proceeding incredibly well, something was forgotten."
"If your back isn't wet, you didn't fly"
Superior pilots are those who use their superior judgment to avoid those situations where they might have to use their superior skills.
If God had meant man to fly, he'd have given him lots more money.
Try to stay in the middle of the air. Do not go near the edges of it. The edges of the air can be recognized by the appearance of ground, buildings, sea, trees and interstellar space. It is much more difficult to fly there.
The three most common expressions in aviation are: "Why is it doing that?", "Where are we?" and "Oh Crap".
Aviation in itself is not inherently dangerous. But to an even greater degree than the sea, it is terribly unforgiving of any carelessness, incapacity or neglect.
- Captain A. G. Lamplugh
Every takeoff is optional. Every landing is mandatory... in other words, for every take-off, there WILL be a landing. (Note: I myself regard each landing as a go-around with the option to land).
A 'good' landing is one from which you can walk away. A 'great' landing is one after which they can use the aeroplane again.
It's always better to be down on the ground wishing you were up in the air than up in the air wishing you were down on the ground.
Stay out of clouds. The silver lining everyone keeps talking about might be another aircraft going in the opposite direction. Reliable sources also report that mountains have been known to hide out in clouds.
Always try to keep the number of landings you make equal the number of take-offs you've made.
You start with a bag full of luck and an empty bag of experience.
The trick is to fill the bag of experience before you empty the bag of luck.
Good judgment comes from experience. Unfortunately, experience usually comes from bad judgment.
Keep looking around. There's always something you've missed.
"Unskilled" pilots are always found in the wreckage with their hand around the microphone.
Things which do you no good in aviation: The sky above you. The runway behind you. The fuel still in the truck. Half a second ago. Approach plates in the car. The airspeed you don't have.
Experience is the knowledge that enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again.
A male pilot is a confused soul who talks about women when he's flying, and about flying when he's with a woman.
The real value of twin engine aircraft is it will double your chances of engine failure.
"Don't be a show-off. Never be too proud to turn back. There are old pilots and bold pilots, but no old, bold pilots." – E. Hamilton Lee, 1949
"When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it."
"Fly it like you stole it."
"Maintain thy airspeed, lest the ground rise up and smite thee."
The propeller is just a fan to keep the pilot cool. When it stops you can see the pilot start to sweat.