There's no reason to touch the wheel unless the boat has been taken off autopilot, and there's almost no reason to take the boat off autopilot. From time to time the helmsman checks the engine room, but otherwise he just stares out at sea. Strangely, the sea doesn't get tedious to look at—wave trains converge and crisscross in patterns that have never happened before and will never happen again. It can take hours to tear one's eyes away.
There's no reason to touch the yoke unless the plane has been taken off autopilot, and there's almost no reason to take the plane off autopilot. From time to time the pilot checks the engine instruments, but otherwise he just stares out at the sky. Strangely, the sky doesn't get tedious to look at—clouds converge and crisscross in patterns that have never happened before and will never happen again. It can take hours to tear one's eyes away.
This is why I've been flying for a living for two and a half years now and I still sometimes feel like I'm supposed to be getting a "real" job someday. Although anywhere has its bad days, it is true that if you do what you love, you'll never work a day in your life.
Next week, it's suck, squeeze, bang, and blast. See you next Wednesday!
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The author is an airline pilot, flight instructor, and adjunct college professor teaching aviation ground schools. He holds an ATP certificate with ERJ-145 and DHC-8 type ratings, as well as CFI, CFII, MEI, AGI, and IGI certificates, and is a Master-level participant in the FAA's WINGS program and a former FAASafety Team representative. He is on Facebook as Larry the Flying Guy, has a Larry the Flying Guy YouTube channel, and is on Twitter as @Lairspeed.
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