Soar Like an Eagle!

"If you bring forth that which is within you, what you bring forth will save you. If you do not bring forth that which is within you, what you do not bring forth will destroy you."

In my early days at Airborne Express. I made the ill-advised decision to bid the DC9 before finishing probation. Airborne was well known throughout the aviation industry as having an extremely high washout rate, and to subject myself to a training course that could result in failure and subsequent loss of my job was, in hindsight, not the best choice I could have made.

I could have stayed in the right seat of the YS11 and taken my probationary checkride at the end of my first year with the company, and then bid the DC9 later. A lot of people did it that way because it would allow them to remain employed and go back into the YS11 if they failed DC9 training.

But, I reasoned, I could take both my DC9 initial and my probationary check ride at one time. And, I couldn’t wait to fly the DC9. I had jet fever.

I got through the ground school and written test, but the trouble began the first day of cockpit procedures training, aka CPT. Our ground school instructor had told us that only the captains would be expected to know and perform the cockpit setup. First officers would be trained but not evaluated. The reason being that it was always the captain’s job when flying the line. So naturally I didn’t put any time into studying the cockpit setup, choosing instead to focus on reviewing the aircraft systems in preparation for the upcoming oral exam.

First day in CPT, the simulator instructor says, “Wayne, let’s have you do the cockpit setup.” So, I proceeded, using the checklist. The instructor was not pleased. Going by the checklist was taking too long for him. He expected me to do the setup utilizing the flow pattern, and then follow up with the checklist.

My training partner and I moved on, completing the first simulator session under the scrutinization of the instructor. In the evaluation that followed, we were provided evaluation forms to review and sign. Everything we did that day was graded on a scale of 1 to 5. Five being excellent. One being “Does not understand the concept.” I was graded 1 on the cockpit setup, the thing that I had been told not to worry about. And even though I didn’t have the flow pattern committed to memory, I always understood the concept. I was pissed, but being still on probation, I signed the form, gave it back to the instructor, and said nothing.

Not a good start. Now, I had to abandon my systems review, forget about studying ahead for the next day’s simulator session, in order to spend all my spare time learning the cockpit setup flow pattern. Playing catchup is never a desirable position to find yourself in when you are in training. Especially during that period of time at Airborne Express. I was well aware of several other pilots who had been fired during the preceding months for perceived weakness during training and simulator proficiency checks.

 Needless to say, I struggled in the simulator, and the outcome was in doubt. I knew I could do it. I could fly the DC9. But, the pressure was off the scale. I was desperate to find something, anything that would give me an edge for my upcoming checkride.

I recalled an acquaintance having once mentioned he had a friend who was a hypnotist, so I asked for a referral. A couple of nights later, I was at the hypnotist’s home office, sitting in a comfortable chair. He asked what he could do to help me, and I explained my situation as best I could.

"I know you can't make me able to do anything I am not already able to do," I said. "I just want to be able to relax so that I can do what I am able to do."

The hypnotist said he thought he could help me with that. He explained how it all worked. I would be guided into a relaxed state of mind. At no time would I not be aware of my surroundings or what was going on around me. If the phone rang or someone came to the door I would know it. And, no, I would not be given a keyword that would make me cluck like a chicken.

He began asking me a few questions. 
“Tell me a little about yourself. What do you like to do, Wayne?”

“I enjoy hiking, nature.”
“What kind of car would you like to have? And what color?”

“A blue Ford Bronco.” 
And a few more like that.

"Ok, Wayne," he said. "I want you to sit back, close your eyes, take a deep breath, and relax." 
I did as instructed.

"Now imagine it is a beautiful autumn day. You are out driving in the country in your brand-new blue Ford Bronco. Your windows are down, and you’re breathing in the fresh, crisp air. The leaves are turning, you are beginning to relax.”

"You see a sign that says, 'Pleasant Valley Overlook 5 miles.' The road begins winding up a mountain. Another sign says 'Pleasant Valley Overlook 1 mile.' And then soon after, a sign directs you to the parking lot.”

 
"You get out of your Bronco and begin to hike along a nature trail. The birds are singing. You notice rabbits, squirrels, and deer along the path. You cross a footbridge over a babbling brook and find a bench, where you sit to enjoy the most beautiful, peaceful scene - Pleasant Valley in all its autumn splendor down below."

By now I am totally relaxed. In my mind I see in vivid detail everything he is describing.

"Wayne, as you sit there, enjoying the view, you notice an eagle flying overhead. Soaring majestically. Effortlessly. To the eagle, flying comes naturally. It doesn't have to clutter its mind, thinking about it ...”

“Wayne, you are like the eagle! YOU can fly naturally!”

I sat there, eyes closed, breathing deeply, seeing Pleasant Valley passing beneath me as I soared over its autumn foliage. I could feel the wind passing over my wings, caressing my face. Never had I known such peace.

“Wayne, when you get in the simulator Monday morning to take your checkride, just before you begin, you will close your eyes, take a deep breath, and silently say, 'I AM the EAGLE!'"

Then, he began describing me getting up from the bench, walking across the footbridge, listening to the babbling brook, seeing the animals, smelling the fresh air, seeing the colorful leaves, getting into my blue Ford Bronco, and driving back down the mountain. And then, I was told to open my eyes.

I have never felt so mellow, so confident, in all my life. I paid him, thanked him, and went home.

MONDAY MORNING:

I arose at Oh-Dark-Thirty to drive from our home in Erlanger, Kentucky to the sort center and training facility in Wilmington, Ohio. It normally took an hour fifteen minutes, something like that. Once I had Cincinnati behind me, there was not much traffic on I-71, so I began envisioning myself performing each of the checkride maneuvers flawlessly. Steep turns, Departure and Approach to Landing stalls and recoveries, Precision and Non-Precision Approaches, Engine Fire and Engine Failure procedures … everything. I knew the bank and pitch angles, power settings and speeds. I knew my callouts. I was PERFECT!

After completing my mental check ride, I took a deep breath. I was going to bring forth that which was within me. There was no doubt in my mind that the outcome would be successful.

By now, the sun was coming up. I looked around, taking in the Ohio countryside as I cruised north on I-71. "Hmm," I thought, "I don't remember having seen that barn before. Or that house on the other side of the road."

"CRAP!!! “

I had driven past the exit for Wilmington and was well on my way to Columbus!

I knew it would take too long to go back on the interstate. I would be late for my check ride. I would fail training, and I would have no way to support my wife and young daughter.

My only hope was to take the next exit, wherever it was, try to navigate on country roads and trust to luck that I would end up in Wilmington.

Somehow, it worked. But not before I got a flat tire. I didn't have a cell phone back then - it was 1990 - so there was no option of calling to tell them I had a flat. The last three miles I drove on the rim. People were honking, pointing at my wheel. I nodded and waved as if to say, 'Yes, I am aware.'

I got there with only a minute or two to spare. Rushed through security, carrying my heavy flight case to the simulator briefing room, where the check airman was waiting. He was not the friendly sort. This would be the first of a number of unpleasant experiences I would have with him throughout my 21-year career with the company.

Out of breath, I lugged my flight case up the stairs to the simulator, took my seat in the cockpit. And we began immediately. No time to take a deep breath. No time to remind myself that I was the eagle. Just go. Fly the $#!+ out of the s.o.b. and get the job done.

Despite all the distractions, on that day, I WAS the EAGLE!  I brought forth that which was within me.

And, as I like to say, went on to become one of the most beloved characters in aviation folklore!