In January 2008, over a year ago, Carlo finally flew with Meynard.
How time flies! I remember every moment — watching him taxi away in the Decathlon with Meynard, and again in the Cessna 152. And then watching him taxi back, cool as a cucumber, both times.
Carlo wrote about it four months later, April 2008, in Bangkok.
It is now April, 2009.
This article, the first of four parts, written beautifully by one of my favorite writers, is a year old. Waiting to be published on a special occasion.
Today is the 2nd anniversary of Flying in Crosswinds!
Read twice that paragraph about flying on autopilot, near the end. It hits you the second time.
— Tonet
I have to admit that the thought of flying with Meynard intimidated me.
A self-made man of astonishing talent and admirable character, Meynard was someone I didn’t know what to make of at first.
I’d heard from Dad how demanding he was as an instructor, calling for precision and certainty of oneself at an extreme level that made all my previous flight instruction seem lax by comparison.
His intensity, and the way he had channeled it into every rating I could think of (helicopter, glider, instrument, commercial, ATPL, aerobatics, etc.) was something I had never seen before — or since.
Dad had been urging me to fly with him and let him correct any bad habits and fill in any gaps I might have in my mindset and understanding of aerodynamics.
It wasn’t until early January last year that I finally went.
Like most of my flying experiences, it proved to be much more than what I had expected.
This blog entry is overdue, I know.
It has been a busy year so far, what with little things like a breakup, graduation, farewells to old friends and making new ones and finding someone who might turn out to be more than a friend and figuring out what to do with my life.
I’m amazed I was able to shoehorn any flying in at all.
Very time-consuming, this business of growing up. It seems that all the grown-ups I know (I don’t quite count myself as one yet; call it denial) are in a perpetual rush, always in a hurry to do something and be somewhere else, running after security and the strange things grown-ups seem to be obsessed with.
Not many take time to smell the roses, and fewer still take risks to do what they really want to do. Dad has issues with the former. I helped talk him into doing the latter.
He outlived his Dad. Passed the mark just a week ago. I’m not sure he expected to. Today, he’s healthier and happier than ever. Fulfilled.
It’s partly the flying, I suspect. It’s one of the things he was meant to do. He wishes he’d started sooner. I’m glad he started at all.
Ever read Jonathan Livingston Seagull? It’s an old story about an outcast with tremendous talent who was born to instruct. He pursues it, finds fulfillment, and makes a contribution that rocks the world he lives in.
My other favorite book is by the pilot-author Antoine de-Saint Exupery. The Little Prince‘s title character and his friend, the wise and friendly fox, remind us that what is truly important is invisible to the eye. I’m glad Dad decided to go for the Invisible Important Thing.
Right now, I’m reading about Antoine de-Saint Exupery.
They finally found out who shot him down, a young German Messerschmitt pilot who was shocked to discover that he had killed his idol.
I wonder if Exupery had any regrets, plunging down, down into the Mediterranean.
I doubt it. He followed his Prince’s advice, after all.
It’s important to go for the Invisible Important Thing. You never know when that Messerschmitt will pounce on you, guns and cannon blazing.
I’m thinking of Ernest Gann now, and how the Messerschmitt, or the heart attack, or the missing elevator balance hinge bolt, or the last stroke, always gets you in the end. How will you fly before it does? On autopilot?
Meynard doesn’t fly on autopilot. He goes straight to the most basic, important things. In life as well as flying. I’ll leave it to more capable wordsmiths to share his life story, but he does fly the way he lives.
His friendly attitude won me over and put me at ease before the flight. Nearly. As we walked out to the hangar, I got my first paradigm shift of the day.
Written April 12, 2008
Posted from Manila, March 31, 2009
PBA09o242n11
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I’m not a pilot, but meeting Capt. Meynard intimidated ME, too! 0:-)
I feel really happy that Capt. Tonet achieved the Invisible Important Thing. All this talk about Hobbes in my Political Philo class, however, is making me think that we don’t have one Invisible Important Thing (as in “eudaimonia”), but many Invisible Important Thingies. (haha, sorry to be such a contradicting sucker, but I just could NOT resist typing those last three words in!!!) I felt the same breathless wonder at witnessing Mike’s first solo – like a dream unfolding. Too bad he didn’t like me cheering at the bleachers. At least I got to dump dirty water on him…
Nice entry, Captain Carlo! The squirrels here are cheering for you… chat with you soon. (hug)
~Regina
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Captain Carlo seems to be ignoring your posts here, which is truly barbaric, so let me play the White Knight.
I agree 110% with you that there are many Invisible Important Thingies to be achieved. There’s the Belllanca Decathlon, the Pilatus Porter, the L-39 jet… . He who has the most airplanes when he dies, wins! 😀
Seriously, you’ve reminded me that I lost all the pictures of Mike’s solo Aside from the hysterical shots of you thoroughly enjoying pouring dirty ‘water’ on him (you really think that was water, huh), there was one shot in particular where you were cheering at the bleachers, and there, between your upraised arms, was Mike in his airplane. It was the third and last touch and go of his first solo.
I had videos of every one of his landings, too. Five years from now, he will be more regretful than I am, about my losing them.
You know, nobody from my family, aside from my 3 sons, came to my solo. They didn’t even know what a ‘solo’ was.
I wish I didn’t lose all those pictures.
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Carlo played King Arthur through e-mail :p I am suddenly reminded of Monty Python and the Holy Grail, when King Arthur encounters the stubborn Black Knight… “Look, you’ve got no more arms left!”
“He who has the most airplanes when he dies, wins” HA HA HA!
I hope there weren’t any living, almost-invisible thingies in the “water”…
I’m sad nobody in your family aside from Julio, Dave, and Carl went to your solo. 😦 It IS a special event…
When Mike mentioned he was having a solo, many people replied, “What piece will you play?” 😀
Regina
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I earnestly assure you that everything in that water was dead. Nothing could have survived in that after Oshti added the final cocktail mixers.
Carlo told me yesterday that he was sorely tempted to reply to my “barbaric” comment with equal sarcasm. But he is trying to refine his technique for when he starts teaching.
He and I “met” Mike yesterday, at Omni. Mike was on final approach, and we were cleared to takeoff just ahead of him. He had come from Lingayen and San Fernando, and Carlo and I were going to Lingayen. We heard each other’s voices on the radio.
Pilots passing each other in the night.
“What piece will you play?” Hahaha!!! 😀
Hey, I met your Dad at the Omni cafeteria. I told him my stories, and waited for him to tell me his stories. But then I had to go and pre-flight the airplane. Then he took a nap, I think.
Dads are like that. Always napping. Ask me how I know this.
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Yeah, can’t be too sarcastic when surrounded by nuns and lady high schoolers with fragile egos. Different from teaching guys, with whom sarcasm is a way of life! (Growing up with two brothers and the Barbarian taught me this. Regina, you know what I’m talking about. 😀 )
Mike continues too be challenged by Capt. Rey’s checks. He’s enjoying it, and is really satisfied when he does one well! I gotta get him to refresh me on the E6B…
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I gotta tell here the story about the woman who told me she misses sarcasm, because she didn’t get enough of it.
Except that I didn’t hear the word “Sarcasm”. I heard another word that rhymes with it. So of course I did a double take, since she had just told me she wasn’t getting enough… .
Anyway, back to PG-rated blogging… .
The Superman shirt would have been especially apt before the dousing, since it needed a wash. He was wearing it a lot. Superheroes get too busy, sometimes.
That was one of the best Fathers Days I ever had.
.
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That was the best story about and not about sarcasm that I’ve ever heard in my life. Unfortunately, I think it was burned into my brain forever. *covers innocent eyes and ears*
My dad is an expert napper. He can nap in exactly a minute. If there was a contest for it, he’d win it. It’s a superpower he developed from being an airline pilot. I am really his daughter because I love taking naps, too. :p
Enjoy the rest of your Holy Week and Happy Easter!
Regina
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The dialogue was even better.
I said something sarcastic.
She said, “Oh, I so love sarcasm, it’s such a lost art.”
I said, “Huh?!”
She said, “Yes, nobody does it anymore. I miss it.”
I thought of saying, “Maybe you’re not trying hard enough.”
Instead I asked her again exactly what it was that she missed. Good thing I did.
😀
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Haha! Now Mike can do different kinds of solos. 😀
I remember my solo was on Father’s Day. It was just Dad and the rest of the Omni people. I wore my Superman shirt after the dousing. 🙂
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My replies to Regina tend to be private. 😉
I hope I was able to save my videos of Mike’s solo before my cell phone memory card died!
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After all that bossing you around to read his checklists for him, you deserved a chance to douse him! 😀
I’m really glad Dad and I got into flying and blogging. In the process of doing so, I’ve developed an Obama-esque belief in the power of dreams and hopes. 🙂
Blessings!
Carlo ~=\*/=~
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Achingly beautiful article, Carl.
Capt. T, you were right to reserve it for a special occasion and about the autopilot question.
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Yes, one of his best articles so far. But then nearly everything he writes here is outstanding.
One should never fly on autopilot. Life’s too short.
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Amen to that! 😀
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Hi Tita Shirl! :p
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