Sailplane on final approach with dive brakes open
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make a plan

I was blown away the first time I saw the Concordia. Who wouldn't be smitten by the lines of a 57:1 aspect ratio, the incredible finish, and unfathomable performance. The second time I saw the Concordia I was even more surprised by what I saw in the cockpit. A placard that reads "Hope is not a Strategy”. It gave me great confidence that a pilot with Dick Butler's resume still needed a reminder. Here is a guy who has been National Champion at least 8 times and on the US Team 6. At that time I was still working on badges and trying to win a regional.

Make a Plan - Execute it well

Since that time I've spent a lot of time instructing in airplanes and gliders, mentoring new cross country and competition pilots, and that placard has come to mind many times. Pilots have successful outcomes because they make a plan, prepare for all alternatives, have a plan for those, train well, and execute the plan. You might be able to snatch a day win with some good luck but hope will not win you a contest.

The rope is frayed, trailer tires are bald, wiring to your flight recorder is a little flaky, or the tailwater dump sticks sometimes. Hoping they all get you through this flight or this season is probably going to end in disappointment sooner or later. Someday the towplane is going to eat a valve or run out of gas, or that (jet, electric, piston) engine is not going to start. Have you spent the last couple years of flying analyzing your options on takeoff and contemplating all possible approaches to them? Now is not the time to make a plan!

Got Away With It? You May Not Again

Setting out across rough terrain because you hope to find a thermal is probably not going to be good for your glider or your life expectancy in the long run. The problem is you might get away with it a few times and start to think you actually know what you're doing. Regular re-calibration of your risk tolerance is necessary. Running and trying to grow a club, commercial operation, or national soaring association is no place for hope either. Plans need to be in place for developing the next generation of pilots, instructors, tow pilots, DPE's, regional directors, etc, etc.

Hope is a Four Letter Word

Hope has become a dirty word in my dictionary. When I hear it around the airport I tend to butt in the conversation and suggest a different approach. Depending on hope is a sign of resignation, one of the five hazardous attitudes that we learn in primary flight training. The solution is educating yourself on all aspects of any flight you undertake, keeping options open, and taking action when it is needed. May your next flight and all of them after that be safe ones.

Banner Photo by Mandi Ireland Photography

Tony CondonTony Condon has made 63 off airport landings all over the middle USA and at most of the sites where he’s competed. In his early days flying the Cherokee II he landed out a lot close to home, but after moving up to a Standard Cirrus, he now lands out further from home. He is the President of the Kansas Soaring Association and a Designated Pilot Examiner. He competed on the US Team in the 13.5 Meter Class in 2015 and 2017, but avoided landing in Eastern European Fields by flying a Silent 2 Electro.