Aviation Quotables

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Rule one: No matter what else happens, fly the
airplane.

Truly superior pilots are those who use their
superior judgment to avoid those situations where
they might have to use their superior skills.

Forget all that stuff about thrust and drag, lift and
gravity; an airplane flies because of money.

It's better to be down here wishing you were up
there, than up there wishing you were down here.

An airplane will probably fly a little bit over gross
but it sure won't fly without fuel.

Think ahead of your airplane.

I'd rather be lucky than good.

The propeller is just a big fan in the front of the
plane to keep the pilot cool. Want proof? Make it
stop; then watch the pilot break out in to a
sweat.

If you're ever faced with a forced landing at night,
turn on the landing lights to see the landing
area. If you don't like what you see, turn 'em
back off.

A check ride ought to be like a skirt, short enough
to be interesting but still be long enough to
cover everything.

Speed is life, altitude is life insurance.
No one has ever collided with the sky.

Always remember you fly an airplane with your head,
not your hands.

Never let an airplane take you somewhere you brain
didn't get to five minutes earlier.

Don't drop the aircraft in order to fly the
microphone.

An airplane flies because of a principle discovered
by Bernoulli, not Marconi.

Cessna pilots are always found in the wreckage with
their hand around the microphone.

If you push the stick forward, the houses get bigger,
if you pull the stick back they get smaller.

Hovering is for pilots who love to fly but have no
place to go.

The only time you have too much fuel is when you're
on fire.

Flying is the second greatest thrill known to man....
Landing is the first!

Every one already knows the definition of a 'good'
landing is one from which you can walk away. But
very few know the definition of a 'great landing.'
It's one after which you can use the airplane
another time.

The probability of survival is equal to the angle of
arrival.

IFR: I Follow Roads.

You know you've landed with the wheels up when it
takes full power to taxi.

I had a fighter pilot's breakfast - two aspirin, a
cup of coffee and puke.

Those who hoot with the owls by night, should not fly
with the eagles by day.

A smooth touchdown in a simulator is as exciting as
kissing your sister.

A helicopter is a collection of rotating parts going
round and round and reciprocating parts going up
and down - all of them trying to become random in
motion.

Helicopters can't really fly - they're just so ugly
that the earth immediately repels them.

Young man, was that a landing or were we shot down?

Learn from the mistakes of others. You won't live
long enough to make all of them yourself.

Pilots believe in clean living. They never drink
whiskey from a dirty glass.

Things which do you no good in aviation: Altitude
above you. Runway behind you. Fuel in the truck.
A navigator. Half a second ago. Approach plates
in the car. The airspeed you don't have.

If God meant man to fly, He'd have given him more
money.

What's the difference between God and pilots? God
doesn't think he's a pilot.

Flying is not dangerous; crashing is dangerous.

Flying is the perfect vocation for a man who wants to
feel like a boy, but not for one who still is.

There are four ways to fly: the right way, the wrong
way, the company way and the captain's way. Only
one counts.

A good simulator check ride is like successful
surgery on a cadaver.

Asking what a pilot thinks about the FAA is like
asking a fireplug what it thinks about dogs.

Trust your captain .... but keep your seat belt
securely fastened.

An airplane may disappoint a good pilot, but it won't
surprise him.

Any pilot who relies on a terminal forecast can be
sold the Brooklyn Bridge. If he relies on winds-
aloft reports he can be sold Niagara Falls.

The friendliest stewardesses are those on the trip
home.

Good judgment comes from experience and experience
comes from bad judgment.

Being an airline pilot would be great if you didn't
have to go on all those trips.

Aviation is not so much a profession as it is a
disease.

The nicer an airplane looks, the better it flies.

There are three simple rules for making a smooth
landing: Unfortunately, no one knows what they
are.

It's a good landing if you can still get the doors
open.

Passengers prefer old captains and young
stewardesses.

The only thing worse than a captain who never flew as
copilot is a copilot who once was a captain.

Be nice to your first officer, he may be your captain
at your next airline.

Any pilot who does not privately consider himself the
best in the game is in the wrong game.

It's best to keep the pointed end going forward as
much as possible.

If God had intended man to fly he would have given
him enough money for a Bonanza.

If an earthquake suddenly opened a fissure in a
runway that caused an accident, the NTSB would
find a way to blame it on pilot error.

Any attempt to stretch fuel is guaranteed to increase
headwind.

A thunderstorm is never as bad on the inside as it
appears on the outside. It's worse.

"Let's make a 360 and get the hell out of here!?!"

It's easy to make a small fortune in aviation. You
start with a large fortune.

A male pilot is a confused soul who talks about women
when he's flying and about flying when he's with a
woman.

A fool and his money are soon flying more airplane
than he can handle.

A thunderstorm is nature's way of saying, "Up yours."

Learning a little about flying is like leading a
tiger by the tail -- the end does not justify his
means.

The last thing every pilot does before leaving the
aircraft after making a gear up landing is to put
the gear selection lever in the 'down' position.

Remember, you're always a student in an airplane.

Keep looking around; there's always something you've
missed.

Try to keep the number of your landings equal to the
number of your takeoffs.

Takeoff's are optional. Landings are mandatory.

You cannot propel yourself forward by patting
yourself on the back.