Big and Basic

There used to be a guy at Patuxent River – first as a navy pilot and then back to Test Pilot School (TPS) as a civilian test pilot. His name was Bud Holcombe. He had made his navy reputation at Pax as a dead stick landing expert, taking up each modern jet in turn, shutting down the engine and “writing the book” on the best way to dead stick it in. I was with Bud at TPS, and he could see that I was preoccupied with trying to memorize lists. I was fidgety, with little previous jet experience, trying to remember exactly the recommended air start procedures of the seventeen or so new airplane types I was learning to fly. “Forget checkoff lists,” Bud said. “If you look at an airplane like a bunch of airplane switches to be memorized, you’ll kill yourself. Think basics! What do you need to start an engine? (1) air (get the nose down), (2) fuel (meter some in), and (3) fire (get some sparks going). Think big and basically, and don’t get rattled, and you’ll live forever!”