by Tom Turner

He’s such a careful pilot.” What does that mean? For some, it conjures the image of a high-time airline captain, confident and astute at the command of a massive airliner and providing a ride with nary a bump to ripple the drinks or rouse from sleep the hundreds aloft under his or her care. For others the “careful pilot” never flies a single-engine airplane at night, never flies into IMC after dark, and avoids flights over mountainous terrain or water. At another extreme, many might not think of the aggressive fighter jock or low-level aerobatics pilot as being “careful,” even though their survival requires exercising the greatest care.…