1. Takeoffs are always optional.

2. Land your body, not your wing.

3. If you can hear the wind in the tops of the trees behind launch, don't.

4. A bad day flying beats a good day at work.

5. Wind talkers usually lie.

6. If all the locals are sitting on launch, sit with them.

7. The site working really great today is always at least 100 miles away.

8. Try to always fly with better pilots than yourself -- this is easy for some of us.

9. If the local sky-god ain't gonna fly today, you probably shouldn't either.

10. Never forget the second word in the phrase "wind dummy".

11. Site specific proverbs take precedence.

12. The air does not know you are an expert.

13. Sometimes, zero sink is a real good deal.

14. Turbulence is nature’s way of reminding us we are not birds.

15. You learn more flying new sites than old ones.

16. Work is permanent, good flying weather is transitory.

17. Being an hour early on launch is infinitely better than 5 minutes late.

18. If the crows are soaring, you probably can't. (Except in the Owens...)

19. Never co-pilot with a tandem pilot wearing a cast.

20. If you are on the LZ, your lunch is on launch - and visa versa, of course.

21. The phrase "wind technician" is an evil plot of the locals.

22. The safety of an aircraft is inversely proportional to its mass. (Bach)

23. The altitude above you doesn't count.

24. You're not a real pilot until you have to hitchhike back to the LZ.

25. Anybody can fly when it ain’t raining.

26. When nature is generous with altitude, accept her gifts. (P.B. MacCready, Jr.)

27. The pilot that lands out is always the one without the radio.

28. Don't look at your wing in turbulence.

29. The only thing more important than minimum sink is maximum go.

30. Being ambivalent in the air is a great recipe for trouble.

31. Work is for people who don’t fly paragliders.

32. You can see a spread out wing in the boonies easier than a walking pilot.

33. The longer you kick dirt on launch, the more likely you are to blow it.

34. When you’re flying and the stuff hits the fan, the fan usually increases in speed.

35. Committing to aviation takes a certain amount of self-delusion. (Chris Northcutt)

36. Each flight is a gift. (Peter Birren)

37. Flying is the second greatest thrill known to mankind. Landing is the first.

38. You are always a student in an aircraft. (via Mark Lukey)

39. Always leave yourself a way out. (General Chuck Yeager)

40. You should have been here yesterday.

41. If you launch, landings are always mandatory.

HOME