We agreed that it takes a photographer with the right stuff, the ideal blend of aesthetics and skills-an artist's eye for composition and lighting; a photographer's knowledge of shutter speeds, f-stops, film speeds, and focal lengths; and a pilot's instinct for aircraft maneuverability and control. It takes something else, too, something outside the direct control of the shooter: skillful pilots to fly both the subject and the platform aircraft.
I'd worked on photo shoots with several pilots around the table, but one in particular stood apart. During a lull in the dinner conversation, I scooted my chair back, got up, and walked over to him. "You know, Jeff," I said in a low voice so the others wouldn't overhear, "it's too bad there aren't more pilots like you who will actually get up in the middle of the night for a dawn patrol photo mission and fly tight formation for the camera. You're good." His eyes lit up as if he had just been handed a winning lottery ticket. This is a guy who has done and flown it all in his nearly 30-year career in general aviation, and yet here he was sporting a foolish grin because he had been complimented on his piloting.
He was so taken with the remark because he realized I wasn't just trying to massage his ego. I meant what I'd said. Compliments are in pretty short supply in the self-important pilot community, so it just doesn't get much better than recognition from a peer.
I knew what Jeff was feeling, because I'd been on the receiving end of a rare compliment not too long ago. It came from a pilot who was a passenger in my airplane. Our three-leg trip took just under five hours, and when it was all over he commented that the airplane and the pilot looked to be joined at the hip, or did he say wing? I'm sure my grin was as wide and as foolish as was Jeff's when I gave him his due.
"Good" means different things in different situations. I meant that Jeff took a professional approach by being at the airport at the assigned, ungodly hour and flying precisely and predictably-two essential requirements for a good formation photo flight. My passenger meant that nearly imperceptible control inputs yielded seamless, smooth responses from the airplane; I gave him a good flight. A good airshow pilot makes an airplane do the seemingly impossible, apparently with ease. A good crop duster flies exact patterns over the fields at exactly the right altitude for the most efficient dispersal of whatever's in the hopper. A good instructor is confident and calm and lets the student fly. A good student comes prepared, listens, and asks questions.
Instructors are good at letting their students know when they've done a good job, because positive reinforcement is an effective teaching tool. Outside of training situations, however, we shouldn't expect to hear many compliments about our superior piloting skills. That's because "good" is considered to be a minimum standard for a pilot. People generally are aware that becoming a pilot takes a great deal of time, training and study, and unquestionably they realize that flying involves an inherent risk, so shouldn't "good" skills and ability be taken for granted in a pilot?
The answer is yes. We should be good-knowledgeable, proficient, prepared, safe, and confident. But we all know there's lots of wiggle room. For example, FAA regulations spell out minimum currency standards for pilots, but there are no such hard-and-fast regulatory proficiency standards. Unlike currency standards, which are based on the calendar, proficiency is based on performance. In the absence of regulation, professional training organizations like FlightSafety International and Simcom have developed their own proprietary proficiency standards. Other than enrolling in one of those programs, it's up to us to set and abide by our own proficiency standards.
That's why a remark like "You're good" is so rewarding when it comes from another pilot. It's recognition that the person on the receiving end has not only met the minimum standards expected of all pilots but has also achieved a higher, undefined standard of performance. Good piloting is like art: It's difficult to define, but you'll know it when you see it.
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