Grumbling ... and making bad decisions -corrected

It's 45 degrees and raining lizzards and snakes here in The Electric City. Not quite the Christmas weather we want, but here at The Blue Book we find life lessons even when it's foggy outside.

Especially when it comes to dating and relationships.

Most people might be surprised to find out private pilots can take off and land in rain, snow and yes even FOG that would leave commercial airliners stranded on the ground, so long as the pilot has an Instrument Rating. The navigation tools and instrument procedures are identical to what the 747s have with one big exception.

Airline pilots are strictly controlled by airline regulations about when conditions are too iffy to take off and land.

Private pilots are pretty much controlled by their own judgement.

In other words so long as the FAA minimum conditions are reported, private pilots are absolutely free to take off and have at it (btw, the minimum for landing is only 200 feet vertical visibility and zero feet horizontally for take-off).

The fine print that allows private pilots so much discretion is that pilots flying by instrument rules are assigned an exact flight plan in advance by air trafffic control (ATC) ... and instrument-rated pilots are expected to demonstrate their skill and proficiency by (1) adhering to the flight plan as issued, and (2) staying in constant contact with the controller.

You stick to the flight plan you've been assigned because once you're in the clouds, or run into blanket-thick fog ... or when your electric panel dies and start smoking, you are suddenly all alone in the big big sky and completely unable to see anything whatsoever past the propeller.

With no visual reference to the ground it's impossible for even the most experienced pilots to tell if they're flying upside down (not hard to believe once you've experienced it). That's what the instruments are there for -- to help keep you flying right-side up.

You stay in contact with the controller and do exactly what he says when he says it because there's no one else on earth who can help you get back down with the wheels on the bottom and the wings on top.

After all, there might be a 747 in the clouds 200 feet over your head descending to land on top of you ... or a hungry mountainside waiting to eat you ... or a confused pilot who's lost contact with the controller flying a head-on collision course in your direction... and you'd never see any of them coming because you can't see what the controller sees.

Only the controller sees the big picture and that's why he's calling the shots.

Flying and landing safely in weather is not for free spirits, individualists, the chronically indecisive ... nor for folks with even a whisper of trust issues.

Trust is the name of the game if you have a single cell in your body that's interested in staying alive.

When the air traffic controller calls your number and commands "Left turn to 180, descend to 6000" you do it now without asking why or whing about maybe personally liking 6001 feet better, complaining about the harsh tone in his voice or bothering to express your innermost reflections about the importance of self-expression and making personal choices.

Instrument Flying requires submitting to the controller's authority completely and trusting the controller's ability to warn you about and guide you around hazards throughout your flight. In fact, you're under the controller's authority until you've come to a stop and switched the engine off.

There's an old saying around the hangar: There's old pilots and there's bold pilots, but there are no old and bold pilots.

I'm amazed almost daily at how many people I see who are followers of Christ who still insist on fine-tuning the controller's flight plan ... particularly when it comes to dating and relationships [The Blue Book's definition of a "relationship": what you've got while waiting for something better to come along.]

But there's no flight plan better than the one you've been assigned.

We start changing flight plans and deviate from our assigned routes when we forget about staying in contact with the controller, through prayer. No wonder then if we start feeling scared, lost and alone in the clouds, or worried over being knocked around in turbulence.

But just like that little Cessna buzzing along at 10,000 feet all by his lonesome ... the controller is still tracking his flight with radar that can guide the pilot through the worst weather conditions and lead him to safety.

A pilot focused on staying alive in the clouds can never re-write his flight path, ignore the controller or fly two flight plans at the same time. Those of us who trust Christ must remember he is always in control no matter what the conditions, and that he's already assigned the plan for our lives.

"People who are ruled by their desires think only of themselves. Everyone who is ruled by the Holy Spirit thinks about spiritual things. If our minds are ruled by our desires, we will die. But if our minds are ruled by the Spirit, we will have life and peace. Our desires fight against God, because they do not and cannot obey God's laws. If we follow our desires, we cannot please God." Roman 8:5-8 (CEV)

That means there's not two plans, not one with a detour, not one with a scenic option, not one with unscheduled stops at landing strips of our choosing (not even when we pout about being tired, or feel entitled to make an unapproved landing to use the bathroom or satisfy some other physical need) and most definitely not one that allows unauthorized "friends" to play with the controls and tinker with our flight's speed, altitude or direction for their (or our) amusement.

Because there's just one way to follow the flight plan and and reach the intended destination.


Merry Christmas!