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----- Original Message -----
From: "shankar shan" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, May 07, 2012 3:31 PM
Subject: Re: [AI] flying blind
Hi, thanks for your grate response
If you want to no about his practical Experience
please click below to listen in mp3
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/20332677/ReallyFlyingBlind.mp3
On 5/7/12, Kavitha <[email protected]> wrote:
I'm sorry to say, for me, this is a good story to listen read by my
elequence, I enjoyed and also imagined as I'm flying too. Apart from
that,
I wouldn't believe this at all.
----- Original Message -----
From: "shankar shan" <[email protected]>
To: "accessindia" <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, May 07, 2012 4:23 AM
Subject: [AI] flying blind
Hi all,
hope all are doing fine
pasting below article, which get from another list.
flying blind
Written June 2010
Really Flying Blind
By
Alan Paganelli
Yes, I really did learn to fly. I can also prove every dime I spent on
flying lessons. I kept every receipt for each hour I paid for and
every entry in
my log book is signed by John Dunn and his CFI certification license
number making it perfectly legal. I had close to 40 hours or about
enough for a private
pilot’s license. We even discussed going to court but decided that it
would be a waste of good money. I'd be crazy to fly with any body
other than a pilot.
So technically, I'm flying under his license so in the end we would be
going to court to argue over a piece of paper. Somebody else wanted me
to give the
information to the Guinness world book of records as the first totally
blind man to learn to fly but I don't care about that. I did it
because it was what
I wanted to do and not for anything else and was willing to put my
money where my mouth is. Anyway, here's my story.
Back in the mid 70's I was playing at a local restaurant. They swapped
out musicians from time to time and we all came to know each other
pretty well. At
one time or another, we all played at all of the local establishments.
One night I had a night off and went to listen to a new musician at
one of the places
I regularly worked at. They had a woman playing and she was pretty
good. When she took a break we sat and visited talking about the job.
She asked me what
kind of music the people liked here and I told her. During our
conversation she mentioned that she was tired that night because she
had just flown into
the local airport shortly before she came to work. I knew that the
airport only had small aircraft housed there and asked her about it.
She said that she
was a pilot. I began asking her questions about flying. She said that
her husband knew more about the subject than she did and then invited
me to their
home to meet him and talk about it. I took her up on her offer and her
husband was a really great fellow. Come to think of it, some 28 years
later give
or take he still is but I digress here.
As we discussed flying he put it to me, if I can talk one of the
certified flying instructors into it would you be willing to put your
money down on the
table to find out what it was all about? We discussed how much it cost
back then. It was 20 bucks an hour for a small two place airplane and
another 10
an hour for the services of the C-F-I. I said that I thought any
flying instructor he might talk to would surely think he was a mad man
and that they might
pull his ticket too! Much to my surprise the next afternoon he called
me up and told me to be down at the airport in the morning at 10 A.M.
My flying lesson
was then but if I wanted to get a few pointers ahead of time be there
two hours earlier and meet him in the flight center and he would show
me around in
his plane.
I told my dad all about it and he too thought we all were out of our
trees but he would drive me over. Dad flew in in the Second World War
and knew about
flying.
We met my friend the next day and he explained all the flight controls
and their functions to me. Not only do you have to worry about left
and right, you
have to worry about up and down too. An aircraft doesn't only operate
in two axes, it moves in 3 because an aircraft can also roll. So there
is pitch and
roll in addition to left and right. Many concepts were explained to me
by using my hand representing an airplane or a toy aircraft. He
explained the instruments
and what they were used fore and it was as clear as mud at midnight on
a dark night! He said "don't worry about it now. It'll all come to you
as you learn."
I began to think he may be in error. We had the left hand side cabin
door open for fresh air and a man came up to me and said you must be
Alan Paganelli.
My name is John and I'm going to be your flying instructor. I remember
thinking to myself; funny, he doesn't sound like a mad man.
John took my brand new empty log book and said I'll make your entries
for you and sign off on them with my certified flying instructor's
number. That makes
it all legal and all. That means I will be making a record of it
myself for my records. I thought yeah for the hearing to see which of
us is nuttier! Is
there such a word? I took his arm and called over my shoulder that I
would see my dad and friend when we got back; hopefully.
John lead me over to a Cessna 1 50 with the identification number of
November 6 6 2 1 4. I thought I would be riding in the right hand seat
and this would
more or less be an introductory lesson. This is this, that's that, we
do this to go up and that to go down etc etc etc. No such luck. John
led me over
to the left hand side of the aircraft and to the pilot’s door and
helped me strap in. The aircraft had a shoulder and lap strap much
like what one would
find in an automobile except that the shoulder strap and lap strap are
not joined together at the buckle but are independent of each other
but are pretty
much the same kind of set up. I sat there as he ran around to the
right side of the plane and climbed in fastening his own seat belt and
shoulder harness.
I thought he better make it real good and tight. After he was settled
he produced a clip-board and pen and began filling out the paper work
as to aircraft
identification number, date, time, persons onboard and the like. Wow,
we aren't fooling around here. This must be in case we die or crash
and burn or something.
I later found out it was for the billing of his and the aircraft's
time but you couldn't have convinced me of it at the time.
"Okay Alan, I'm ready. What we're going to do is to get out the
pre-flight and before starting engines check list and I'm going to
read each item to you.
I did it for you this time but from now on you'll be required to do it
yourself. I'll assist you the next time so you can learn the correct
way to do it
for this aircraft. What we are concerned here with now and always is
safety safety safety; both yours and mine as well as to those on the
ground. As I've
said I have already did the preflight and we can proceed to the engine
start check list. I will again read every item and you will perform
the necessary
action to accomplish that task. Are you ready?" He described all the
things I would have to do to insure the aircraft was ready to fly
including making
sure there was fuel in the tanks down to making sure there were no
rivets missing from the aircraft's skin and that the landing wheels
were correct and
proper. I remember thinking there is a lot more to this than there
would be in a car. I haven't even got the engine turned on yet! I
wonder if there is
a key to this thing.....
John read every item on his check-list and made sure I had performed
each task. We finally came to the engine start and he says "before you
turn the key,
they actually did have one surprisingly enough; you have to yell clear
before you turn the engine on. This is to make sure everybody around
the area knows
you are about to start that propeller to turning extremely fast and we
don't want any accidents or anybody to be hurt. Safety, safety, safety
remember
that always." I waited a few seconds to let anybody near by look
around them after I yelled at the top of my lungs, (cleeeeear!) and
hit the key. The big
giros spun up and began to wine as the radios came on line after the
big engine roared into life. Now that was really neat and we aren't
even out of the
parking place yet. Now this is cool. John said next to me, yeah my
face brakes out in a big grin too when I start up too because I know
it won't be long
before I'm flying.
"What I'm going to do is to tell you a little bit of left or a little
bit of right. What I want you to do is when I say a little bit of
right is to take
your right foot and lightly press on the right rudder pedal. When I
say a little bit of left I want you to lightly press on the left
rudder pedal with
your left foot. The left and right rudder pedals are located right in
front of your feet on the floor. Make sure when you press one of the
rudder pedals
your pressing on the pedal and not on it's top because you would be
stepping on the brake for that pedal. There will be times when your
going to do that
to assist in turning but for now don't worry about it. I'll help you
at first till you get the hang of it and from then on you'll do it
yourself. When
you press on the right pedal the aircraft will taxi in that direction
and by means of the rudder pedals we can control the direction in
which we want the
aircraft to go. Are you ready to taxi?" Yep! let's do it. "Okay as you
have learned we use check-lists to do everything so we leave nothing
out. We also
do not move or anything else with out clearance when you’re a student
pilot. Is that understood?" It is said I. "Then, you’re cleared to
taxi."
John expertly guided me out of the parking ramp and on to the taxi
way. I remember thinking if the sighted only knew this blind fool was
taxiing this airplane
they'd clear the area for miles around but nobody seemed to notice! We
came to the run-up area and John and I went through the run-up
checklist. This is
to make sure the flight controls haven't picked up any debris or
foreign objects and that the engine is developing full power for
flight. "Everything looks
good and you’re cleared to runway 2_7." This does not mean that there
are twenty seven runways at this airport but rather the runway is laid
out east to
west on a compass heading of 270 degrees. Of course the opposite
direction would be zero niner zero on the exact same runway only going
the other way.
I found out that a pilot has to be able to keep the picture in his
mind of what's going on at all times.
I taxied out of the run-up area and on to runway two seven and put my
hands in my lap and made sure my feet were well away from the rudder
pedals. John
said "what are you doing? You can't fly with your hands in your lap.
The pilot always sits in the left hand seat and as far as I can see
that's you. The
pilot does the flying so let's do it." You want me to fly the
airplane? "That's what your here for isn't it; to learn how to fly?" I
wasn't even sure it
would even work at this point in time. "Put your left hand on the
control column lightly. (I did as was instructed) but was perfectly
sure it wouldn't
even work. Now, place your right hand on the throttle. Your right foot
will be on the right rudder pedal because when we are going down the
runway the
torque of the engine will want to rotate the aircraft in an opposite
manner than the prop is turning. In other words, when the plane is in
the air if the
prop is turning clockwise, the airplane wants to rotate counter
clockwise and this needs to be compensated for with a little right
rudder. I was as ready
as I could be but was sure it wouldn't work at all. We would surely go
spinning off into space like some crazed egg beater.
John said I'll call out your speed for you and direct you down the
runway. Remember, a little bit of right and a little bit of left. We
will accelerate
out to 50 knots and rotate the aircraft. About 55 knots the aircraft
will leave the ground." I remember thinking the hell you say. What was
I doing? Blind
people don't fly aircraft at over fifty miles an hour and they're not
even off the ground yet. At that rate of speed if I hit those rudders
to hard we'll
wind up off to the side of the runway into the weeds if we don't take
out a few of those runway lights and that's if we're lucky. It could
go to hell in
a hand cart real damn quick. It's not too late. I can still tell John
I didn't have guts enough to try something so foolhardy. This was
madness to think
I could ever learn to fly and this guy sitting next to me is so calm
and collected like he teaches totally blind guys how to fly every day.
John interrupted
my thoughts which had probably only lasted a second or two. "Okay,
push the throttle to the firewall and let's go flying pilot. Well if
this guy was a
crazy fool what the hell maybe he did teach blind guys every day. Hit
the power or call it quits! Are you a man or a mouse? Do you want to
live forever?
I shoved the throttle to the stops and thought may God favor the foolish.
The Cessna 1-50 began accelerating down the runway at what seemed to
be breakneck speed. John calmly said a little bit of left now. Now a
bit of right.
You’re looking good. Your speed is 30. 40. 50. Okay now rotate! I
gently eased back on the controls..... The aircraft actually rotates
on its main gear
from forward to aft. As it goes along the ground in this way poised
for flight, as lift exceeds weight the aircraft lifted off the runway
into the air.
I couldn't believe it. I'll be a dirty name; it actually works. I must
have said this out loud because John began to laugh. "I love to see
the look on
students faces as they take off for the first time. Yours was no
different and maybe even more thunder struck than most. Yes, you took
off all by yourself.
My hands were in my lap and my feet on the deck. Your flying man; your
flying. I gave a little whoop of joy. So this was what it was all
about. It doesn't
matter how small or how large the aircraft is the experience is still
the same. You can sit next to the pilot a thousand hours through
hundreds of take-offs
and never even have a clue of what that feels like because there is no
way to describe it.
After many more such takeoffs the feeling never lessened. I've heard
it said that it's about as close to being a bird as you'll ever get
but it's more than
that. I have asked men and women alike their thoughts on this subject.
I've asked jet jockeys and small aircraft pilots and one astronaut,
Sally Ride and
they all to a person agree they experienced the same thing. It's like
touching the face of God. I know you won't understand that and I don't
expect anybody
to do so either but it's the best description I have ever heard. I had
a guy one time try to tell me you experience the same thing in a race
car and offered
to show me. We hit 130 miles in a short time but it wasn't anywhere
near the same thing because a car is limited to only two axis and not
three.
I have flown many different kinds of aircraft at one time or another.
The coolest was an aircraft where there were no sides or nothing
overhead. The main
wing and engine were behind and above you in a pusher arrangement. The
propeller faces backwards and actually pushes the aircraft through the
air but it's
about as close to riding on a broomstick as one can get and fun as
hell. Don't drop your sunglasses because the next step is three
thousand feet below
and for God's sake don't smile unless you want your teeth full of
bugs..... The aircraft is named quite appropriately enough, A
"Breezy." I flew a L-10-11
Try star up from Florida on a return to Chicago one time and the
passengers in the back never knew that some blind guy flew them the
last fifteen minutes
along the way.
I went on with John for another 40 or so hours and have them all in my
log book to this day. He went on to bigger and better things and the
last time I
saw him he was flying for a major airline. One day I asked him why he
was willing to try to teach me how to fly. It surely had to be a
monumental task.
The regular methods of teaching wouldn't work here on a totally blind
person. ""Well, I thought of that it's true enough. On the other hand,
if I could
find ways to make it clear to a blind man it might make it easier to a
sighted one as well. Everybody would be better off for it and I would
be a better
pilot and instructor for it."
I had a second instructor after John and learned much from him too.
That was back in the 70's. I flew many times since then and even did
some flying in
sail planes and tossed those around the sky doing aerobatics for the
fun of it. Imagine roller coaster hills a thousand feet high and a
sudden drop of
thousands of feet. Picture your head in the center of a circle. Now
imagine your butt making a sideways circle from right to left up over
your head and
back down again wile your head appears to stay in the center of that
circle. That my friends is called a roll and is about as much fun as
you can have
with your clothes on. Picture yourself being raced up and have your
head back in that center circle again. Now imagine your butt going up
over your head
and stopping there with your butt up and your head down and now it
feels like you're falling straight down before it all reverses to the
way it was when
it started. This is called a wing over and is just as much fun.
I met a guy in Boulder City, Nevada who was a sail plane pilot who
took me up for a ride in a plane with no engine. That's called a sail
plane my friends
because you seek out thermals that rise. Thermals are warm rising
columns of air. These can actually lift an aircraft. Sail plane pilots
can stay aloft
for quite some time just riding the rising air columns like the eagles
do. After a prop plane towed us to an altitude of 10,000 feet and
turned us lose,
he says I usually take the tourists over the Las Vegas strip and let
them see the lights. If you want, I can do that for you and try my
best to describe
what I see to you if that's okay. I told him about my flying and damn
that. Show me what this baby can really do! "Well okay then!" and away
we went. It
should have been a 30 minute ride. An hour later we landed laughing
and having a ball. My dad and wife were on the ground wondering where
we were. The
half hour had gone by and we weren't back yet. They both looked up in
the sky about the same time as we were doing a spin. It looks like the
aircraft is
doing a spiral down at about a 45 degree angle. Looks scary as hell.
They thought we were surely going to buy the farm. Were we in trouble?
No way! We
were having way too much fun!
--
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that
whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life
Email: [email protected]
Msn: [email protected]
Skype: shankar.a
mobile:+91 9591 8464 42
**********Technical Consultant**********
Thanks and Regards
Shankar!!!
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--
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that
whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life
Email: [email protected]
Msn: [email protected]
Skype: shankar.a
mobile:+91 9591 8464 42
**********Technical Consultant**********
Thanks and Regards
Shankar!!!
Search for old postings at:
http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/
To unsubscribe send a message to
[email protected]
with the subject unsubscribe.
To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please
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