WORLDS BEST PILOT

It has been awhile since I have posted anything. I cannot believe it is already February! Things have been hectic here as we bought a new dog which we fly up to receive the end of February, after 12 years I bought a new car and had some tuneup surgery on my back and neck. I have been flying for a very long time. Flying gliders I am never straight and level, just flying above the stall sppeed circiling in thermals. Flying my E 35 1954 Bonanza for the past 20 years, I consider myself a pretty good pilot. I have flown hard IFR, staying away from thunder storms and icing, and have flown numerous approaches into California through the marine layer. I consider myself a very good pilot. Then I stop and think about other pilots I know and have to take a back seat to their skills. I have a friend, Pam Melroy, that was the third female shuttle pilot. She is a graduate of MIT graduate school and flew in the Air Force as a Colonel flying the C130. Pam entered the Space program for NASA and became an astronaut flying several missions on the Shuttle. How in the world can I compete with this...I can't.

I flew with Major Jason White "Trash" at Luke Air Force Base. His F16 flies a little faster than my Bonanza with a lot more thrust. I met Jason when he was a glider pilot on the Air Force Academy flight team. I was president of Arizona Soaring that year, and we had a regional contest that he won in the two place category. I never thought I would be flying with him a few years later. How can I compete with him...I can't. Patty Wagstaff is another friend who used to live in Arizona. Patty is never flying straight and level. She makes airplanes do things that are physically impossible. Patty's flying defies the laws of physics. How can I keep up with that....I can't. Tim Bellury was an Air Force pilot and then flew for Delta finishing on the 757 and 767. We grew up together and Tim has been a friend of mine for over 52 years was flying 300 passengers every flight around the country. Flying my 4 seat Bonanza how can I keep up with that....I can't What I finally realized is that I try to be the best pilot I can be flying the mission and equipment I have. I try to make all flights as smooth as an airliner for maximum passenger enjoyment, and being as safe as I possibly can. I realize that I am one lucky guy flying from Mexico to Canada and all the Western and Rocky Mountain States. I will be forever thankful!