Min-Rant
079
PassageMaker
- April 2010
Don't
skip the baby steps...
Have you ever noticed pilots, whether they fly small private planes, jets for the military, work as airline captains, or fly the space shuttle have one thing in common? Without exception they spend their earliest hours in flight piloting small, light, relatively simple, single engine trainers. One's dreams may end there or may be more adventurous, but the starting point, remarkably, is common. Why? Well cost is one reason, but clearly many could afford to fly whatever they want.
The real reason is twofold. First, at the earliest stages of flight training any novice pilot has plenty of challenges in mastering the simplest aircraft. He doesn't need the additional challenge and distraction of a more complex one. Secondly, a small lightweight aircraft gives immediate sensory feedback, a trait that is immensely valuable as you master your skills.
The same is true for boating; though many times the above step is skipped. It's true; boats don't reinforce their negative feedback by falling out of the sky. There is also no incentive for a salesman to suggest you need more experience than climbing aboard and turning the key. Still, I'm really convinced the best way to learn boating is initially in a small boat, even if your pocketbook could afford a much larger one.
Small boats let you make mistakes, generally without dangerous or expensive consequences. You get to feel how the boat reacts with wind and water. In docking you can manhandle the boat if necessary until your skills improve. My earliest experiences in a small boat involved getting lost, getting towed, running around, and getting tangled in a tree (no details available). Unfortunately I've known others whose early days included taking out a gas dock, a collision resulting in tens of thousands in damages, and in another case far worse.
But then that’s just
my opinion.
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