Morning Musing

Flying in Sync

Renda Brumbeloe

The beauty of airline flying is that crew members who have never flown together and perhaps do not know each other, can enter the flight deck as a crew and fly in sync . . . from the first checklist, until the parking brake is once again set at destination.   It’s a wonderful thing.

                                                

All crew members are “up to speed”.  They are yoked together as a crew.  There is no confusion.  They have been trained to fly in synchronization of procedures. 

"Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness?" (2 Corinthians 6:14, KJV).

The New International Version (NIV) reads this way.  “Do not plow with an ox and a donkey yoked together.” 

But even after company training, the pilot’s real world of flying the line requires a further step of understanding and cognizance.  He is in charge of hundreds of lives each week . . . their anxiety and well being.

 As Captain, one of my favorite unannounced procedures was to discover if my first officer is flying in sync with me.  This required her or him to be aware of intended point of descent from flight altitude. 

For example, pulling the throttles to flight idle to descend will cause the gear warning horn to blare.  If the first officer is really aware, he will prevent the landing gear warning horn from sounding by pushing the silence button.  Nothing needs to be said.  He will quickly learn that flying in sync is a constant task in all flight procedures.  We call it staying ahead of the aircraft together.

Yes, it is true, pilot crews are yoked together in flight.  Their trust and flight duties come together providing the maximum of confidence, and well being for their passengers.

Living in sync in our marriages and family life dispels problems and unhappiness.

We can and should be likewise yoked with Christ in our daily living.  We are not flying solo.  We can fly in sync with our Helper, the Holy Spirit.

Philippians 1:6 reminds us, “Being confident of this, that He, who began a good work in you, will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”