When Your Engine Fails
Shortly after takeoff, the six-cylinder engine of the Cessna 182T Skylane began to make a weird surging sound. This was during the flight portion of my checkride for my private pilot’s certificate. We were simulating a cross-country trip from Prescott, Arizona to North Las Vegas, Nevada and had almost reached cruising altitude of 10,500 feet when the engine decided to make this strange noise. Learning to fly has taught me so much about life and spiritual growth. After 11 months of training, it looked like I was going to get in one more lesson before earning my certificate.
The following is a summary of lessons that I have learned from this experience.
1. Emergencies happen in life. Train yourself to deal with the unexpected. You may get sick. You may have an accident. Someone close to you may leave. Your plans may get cancelled. You may get fired from a job. This is all part of living on the Earth plane. But it doesn’t have to ruin you. Flying has taught me that things can happen quickly and the basic keys taught from meditation apply. Take deep breaths, be completely in the present moment and take action one step at a time. Those who handle the unexpected tend to do better in life overall. After working through our emergency checklist for engine trouble, my examiner and I decided to head immediately back to Prescott and land the plane.
2. Turn the unexpected into opportunity. All these so-called negative events that happen to you, what if they are actually happening FOR you instead? I got to learn a valuable lesson in engine trouble and what to do with a highly experienced pilot sitting next to me rather than have it happen on a solo flight. I got to experience a learning opportunity without crashing my plane and now I will be able to take this experience with me on all future flights and know what to do. What a beautiful gift from the universe!
3. Don’t let potential trouble keep you from living. I have heard story after story of pilots never flying again after having one bad experience. We are not meant to be crushed from our troubles. We are meant to overcome and thrive from our experiences. As an avid skier, I have also heard this story many times from people who have had a bad day on the slopes. What a sad state to live your life in fear and resignation.
4. Sometimes delays are for your benefit. A private pilot checkride takes five to six hours to complete. It begins with an oral exam where you have to answer situational questions on any topic relating to flying. This may include air space, flight planning, rules and regulations, privileges and restrictions, airplane systems, etc. It can take over two hours just for this portion of the exam. Then you have to put it all together for the flight portion and demonstrate your knowledge in the air. At least for me, trying to accomplish this in one day is exhausting. Maybe my airplane knew this (or one of my angels) and chose to create a problem so I would be able to split up the exam into two days, also allowing me to practice more before the flight portion reconvened.
5. Don’t be afraid to declare an emergency. It’s not uncommon for pilots to try to handle everything on their own, only to crash their plane when they could have declared an emergency. Yes, there may be some paperwork if you declare an emergency, but what happens is that experienced, caring professionals put their focus on you and helping you with your problem. Even if that problem turns out to be not too bad, sometimes we need help from people with more experience and expertise. Don’t go through life thinking you can handle everything on your own. You don’t live in a vacuum. If you need help, you should seek it out.
I got to finish my checkride on another day, I received my private pilot certificate and I learned some valuable lessons that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. Is there an area of your life where you might be struggling? As a spiritual intuitive, it’s my job to help you identify the core issues you’re facing and provide concrete steps for you to take to make your life better.
If you’re interested, I invite you to check out my guidance sessions to get started today. And maybe avoid an emergency altogether by living your best life now.