[hatzflyer]

We were talking in the clubhouse at the weekend and the subject of good pilots came up.
What do you think makes a " good " pilot ?

[BlackheathBloke]

In the clubhouse, a good pilot is one that doesn't walk around in a hi-viz and his cap with a 'I'm a Pilot' logo

[pat]

one that says he's not a good pilot

[Charles Hunt]

5 bar epaulettes.

[Jonzarno]

A pilot that doesn't think he / she is, but works on every flight to become one?

[davef77]

We were talking in the clubhouse at the weekend and the subject of good pilots came up.
What do you think makes a " good " pilot ?

Regularly scores over 80% in competition

[KingJames]

5 bar epaulettes.

Have you got short arms?

[What is a PA-16?]

A good pilot uses judgment to avoid situations where they might have to use skill

[Mike Tango]

I'd have thought the only requirement would be whether one can fly solo to Australia or not.

[Genghis the Engineer]

One who is constantly trying to achieve a fictional level of perfection, but is realistic enough to know that it's fictional.

G

[chevvron]

People who have logged an equal number of takeoffs and landings.

[davef77]

One who is constantly trying to achieve a fictional level of perfection, but is realistic enough to know that it's fictional.

G

Ooohhhh, I really like that one, well said

[pullup]

Easy..... It's the ones who tell you that they are good.

[Bert Smallow]

I am probably not the only one who heard that :my first instructor said he did not want to train his student to be good pilots but to be old pilots.

[Paul_Sengupta]

I've thought about this a lot, just as I've thought about what makes a good driver. There's not a single answer. If you're going flying with someone and one of your loved ones asks, "Are they a good pilot?" what they really mean is are they likely to crash.

No one would doubt that Formula 1 drivers are good drivers, but how many have lots of points on their licences? (it was a standard Top Gear question to F1 drivers - how many points do you have? ) Is a good driver someone with no points? Is it someone with no crashes? Is it someone who is thoughtful and observant? The last two should go hand in hand, but not necessarily with the previous.

In the same vein, there are top aerobatic pilots, top instrument pilots, top airshow pilots, etc, and there are those who are just competent and safe. So there's no one answer to the question.

There are pilots who were much much better than you* or I now pushing up daisies, maybe by pushing the boundaries. I think you have to qualify the context when you ask the question.

I'd have thought the only requirement would be whether one can fly solo to Australia or not.

I saw Amanda this evening. Just sayin'...

*Average pilot out there