Oh, My Friends, Why Not Watch This Again...

[jjbaker]

I know, there's some post that has this video in it. Please watch it and think, even if you don't fly a complex seaplane.
Think about how many nice people get killed by task saturation and fall victim to complacency. Think bout how much work we have left to make this type of accident a thing of the past. God knows, we should absolutely not have to deal with any more body bags, due to the gear of a seaplane being left out...

[jjbaker]

[RKittine]

OK, I will respond if only to ask you to change your avatar. Just like in the real estate business, I hate when people use photoshop touched up photos from days gone by to look better.

Reading on other sites as well as old threads on here, I think that many people have bought gadgets to help warn them about what position the gear is in. Up / Down, Water or Land, Safe or Unsafe. They can be nice, but they also lead to complacency. Giving complex transition training to students, I as well as most every instructor will somewhere along the line pull the breaker for the landing gear warning horn (or at other times the stall warning horn) to see what happens and it is amazing how many people during multi-task periods forget to put the gear down or get way to slow and approach stall. I have even pulled light bulbs on the position indicator lights for twin training with the same type of results.

Awareness is the best first line of defense.

Bob

[KlausNW]

I'm working for a 96 year old pilot at this time who trained pilots in World War II. Later he flew to Alaska and started an Air taxi that lasted over 50 years. Layton is in a retirement home with his wife now after flying +50,000 hours in piston engine aircraft of every make and model with very few IFR hours. I study everything he is and how he goes about each flight. His character is obviously the right one to a long successful Aviation life.

He's told me many things that has kept me in one piece but, just his attitude toward everything he does is what works best. Loud overwhelming conviction towards every task, even if you make a bad decision stick with the desired outcome to the end (don't hurt yourself and others). Don't give in to second guessing and timidness. He owns a number of bent props but he didn't hurt his passengers. Layton has three sons of which have over 30,000 hours each. The middle son is still flying contracts in a Super Cub. He has +40,000 hours of piston Alaska time.

[RKittine]

Sounds like one hell of a pilot, a good friend and a great role model. Hope he lives on for many more years.

Bob

[KlausNW]

Don't post a picture that breaks your witness protection policy. If it comes out who you really are.....

[jjbaker]

Don't post a picture that breaks your witness protection policy. If it comes out who you really are.....

<-- Much better choice!

[CFII]

I'm working for a 96 year old pilot at this time who trained pilots in World War II. Later he flew to Alaska and started an Air taxi that lasted over 50 years. Layton is in a retirement home with his wife now after flying +50,000 hours in piston engine aircraft of every make and model with very few IFR hours. I study everything he is and how he goes about each flight. His character is obviously the right one to a long successful Aviation life.

He's told me many things that has kept me in one piece but, just his attitude toward everything he does is what works best. Loud overwhelming conviction towards every task, even if you make a bad decision stick with the desired outcome to the end (don't hurt yourself and others). Don't give in to second guessing and timidness. He owns a number of bent props but he didn't hurt his passengers. Layton has three sons of which have over 30,000 hours each. The middle son is still flying contracts in a Super Cub. He has +40,000 hours of piston Alaska time.

Can you amplify the statement: Loud overwhelming conviction towards every task, even if you make a bad decision stick with the desired outcome to the end (don't hurt yourself and others).

[KlausNW]

Can you amplify the statement: Loud overwhelming conviction towards every task, even if you make a bad decision stick with the desired outcome to the end (don't hurt yourself and others).

If I was going to compare Layton to a movie film character it would be Rooster Cogburn by John Wayne. My Drill Sargents in Army basic training would play the role of hard core Drill Sargent but that was not their everyday personality. Layton did not just take on the role it's who he is and according to the sons who he has always been.

Controlled emotion, no hesitating, leadership qualities and confidence. That's what he would look for in his 20 year old new hires with only 500 hours. Pilots would raise their voice and tell Layton he was wrong and didn't know what he was talking about. After 10 minutes of loud yelling confrontation he would finally say "Oh, OK". He still loves a good argument and he appreciates pilots with enough character to confront and question him.

If you would like to meet him, go up to the senior living complex at the west end of the Renton runway. I visit him and his wife at least once a year. Maybe we can get together sometime and I'll introduce you. Every pilot should spend some time with the pilots who paved our airways.