The business end of the PA-46 Malibu Mirage, better known these days as the M350
All the lessons came in handy in 2022 over Beaumont, Texas, when I declared an engine out emergency at 17,000 feet.”
When I first began taking flight lessons in Alexandria, Louisiana, I did what a lot of aspiring pilots do – I asked a friend for a flight instructor recommendation. I was given a contact and made my first lesson appointment. I drove out to the local airport in Pineville, Louisiana (2L0) and met J.D. J.D. was in his mid-70s and had been every kind of pilot you could imagine. He hauled oil-field parts in the middle of the night, crop dusted, flew charter and taught the occasional aspiring pilot. The first thing he told me was that he would teach me to fly the plane more than he would teach me to pass the written test or pass my check-ride. Instead, he would teach me how to fly the old-style stick and rudder skills, which would make me a good pilot. Sure, I would learn all of the required maneuvers, but more importantly, he would teach me what to do when something went wrong. J.D. preached that if you fly long enough, something will eventually go wrong.
J.D. and I got along great, and he did as he promised – he taught me to fly the plane in just about any scenario. All the lessons came in handy in 2022 over Beaumont, Texas, when I declared an engine out emergency at 17,000 feet.
