Airplane Pilots Are Subject To A Strange ...

Airplane pilots are subject to a strange phenomenon. When flying through clouds or fog, which prevent them from seeing the horizon, they cannot feel the plane’s wings beginning to bank to the left or right. In the early days of flight, pilots followed the myth of instinct. They believed they could feel the turn. But when their planes were accidentally engulfed in fog or clouds, many unknowingly banked into a spiral dive that ended in a crash.

That’s why pilot William Langewiesche wrote, “Instinct is worse than useless in the clouds.” To fly through clouds, pilots must rely on instruments like the artificial horizon. It is a steadied line controlled by a gyroscope. The line stays level with the earth’s surface and without error indicates when the wings are banking left or right.

The artificial horizon revolutionized flying, but when it was first invented, pilots reisted using it. The biggest problem flyers had was belief. They trusted their feelings more than their instruments.

The secular world’s mantra is, “If it feels good, do it.” In the Christian life God’s Word acts as our primary flight instrument. Our feelings can mislead us, but God’s Word tells us the truth.