Penguin Flight Aviation Maxims

• To a pilot, the three most useless things in the world are
  • The runway behind you,
  • The altitude above you, and
  • The fuel in the truck.
• Flying is the second greatest thrill known to man. Landing is the first.
• If man were meant to fly, he'd have a helluva lot more money.
• It's easy to make a small fortune in aviation. Just start with a big fortune.
• It's better to be down here wishing you were up there, than to be up there wishing you were down here.
• Stick goes forward, houses get bigger. Stick goes back, houses get smaller. Stick goes back more, houses get bigger again - fast!
• A superior pilot is one who uses his superior judgement to avoid those situations that might require his superior skills.
• Time to spare, go by air.
• There are two types of tailwheel pilots: those who have ground-looped and those that will.
• There are two types of retractable gear pilots: those who have landed gear up and those that will.
• There are old pilots, and there are bold pilots, but there are no old bold pilots.
• If God had intended for man to fly, he would have given him more money.
• When a single loses its engine it glides to the accident site. In a twin you have an engine to carry you there.
• Pilots are confused creatures: When they're flying, all they talk about is women. When they're with a woman, all they talk about is flying.
• The sky is not the limit -- the ground is.
• A helicopter does not fly, it beats the air into submission.
• Takeoffs are optional -- landings are required.
• You know you've landed with the wheels up when it takes full power to taxi!
• The only time an airplane has too much fuel is when it's on fire.
• Any landing you can walk away from is a good one. If you can use the plane again, it's a great one!
• Good judgement comes from experience; experience comes from bad judgement.
• In the event of engine failure at night, turn on your landing light. If you don't like what you see, turn it back off.

Thanks to David Gerstein for contributions to this list.