#16 How to fly like Maverick

On being a disciple and our illusion of control

On Mother's Day 2020, instead of presenting my mum with a heartfelt card and a bouquet, I was sitting in a mate’s car, my stomach churning with nerves, and a profound sense of impending doom was washing over me.

My friend Shane had reached out to get together again for another escapade. Memories of our previous adventures flooded back – like the day he arrived at my doorstep armed with a mouth guard and a groin strap, whisking me away to a cage fight practice!

I had no clue things were about to get even more frightening.

“We are going to fly a stunt plane…” grins Shane as we are driving to the airport.

“Have you ever done this before?” I asked with a sense of casual trepidation.

“No, but I am sure it will be fine… I read about it once and it seems easy enough to do.” 

“Will it be safe?” I gulped, knowing that the answer was obviously NO.

“You are a Man of God, so we will be fine.”

My shaky “Man of God” credentials seemed no replacement for a pilot’s license.

Soon enough we entered the small airport office and the man behind the counter said, “Hi Shane, good to see you again”. 

At that point, I realised being a trained pilot was actually among Shane’s many hidden talents. 

Before I could say “I feel the need for speed”, we were taking off in a R2160 Alpha Sport. This low wing fully aerobatic two-seat training plane had dual ‘stick-controls’ and a large bubble canopy, making it ideal for teaching someone the art of aerobatics. Inside the cockpit, Shane had a set of controls alongside mine. The best way to picture it is like a driving instructor's car with wings!

Soon enough, we were performing aerobatic moves better than Maverick and Iceman (notice I didn’t say Goose). We were inside looping, outside rolling, tail spinning, and speed turning like a pro. The rush of wind, thunderous engine, and whirring propellers invoked a thrilling mix of fear, exhilaration, and awe.

Shane reflected recently on our sky-borne expedition with his usual sense of cheeky confidence… 

“I've never pushed a plane that hard, but I knew God wouldn't let you die, so it was like having a license to attempt all the things a stunt pilot shouldn't try, and we were invincible.”

Glued inside the cockpit was a laminated sign that read “INVERTED SPIN FORBIDDEN”. This was a label we would soon ignore. 

An inverted spin manoeuvre is when an aircraft enters a spin while flying upside down. It involves intentionally inducing a spin while the aircraft is inverted, with the nose pointing toward the sky and the tail toward the ground whilst the engine is stalled. That’s right - you purposefully stall your engine hundreds of feet off the ground whilst flying vertically!

In layman's terms, it was terrifying. We still did it twice. 

As Shane retells it…

“That was one of the most epic stunt plane flights I've ever done! We literally made that plane backflip upside down into an inverted spin as it plummeted towards the Earth at terminal velocity, in the hope we could pull it back out again. We were smashing out 6G's while flying upside down... 

The G-force was as insane as Shane!

The Illusion of Control 

It was amazing how quickly I was enjoying the aerial rollercoaster ride and feeling like I had control of the skies. Nestled inside my little cockpit bubble, I was impressed with how well I was defying gravity. I bet anyone on the ground would have looked up and watched in awe as I treated the horizon like a playground.

Move over Tom Cruise. There’s a new Top Gun in town! 

You gotta love the illusion of control haven't you?

That thing when a person lives in the naïve delusion that they have total influence over their circumstances when in reality they have very little. Our ego’s can so often lead us to a false sense of confidence in our own ability to fly high.

Feeling in control makes us feel safe.

• We like to have control of situations.

• If we are honest, we even like to have control of others sometimes.

• Most of all we like to have control of our life.

But life often puts us in a tailspin.

Just a few days after that flight in March 2020, the whole nation went into lockdown, and we all scrambled for something to keep us grounded. And if that awful season taught us anything… it’s that we don’t really have very much control at all.

Determining your PIC (Pilot In Command)

Whilst I felt master of the skies, the reality was I had a co-pilot alongside me who fully guided me on the journey. Shane was turning levers I didn't know existed, shifting gears I didn't think I needed, and examining dials I had no clue were vital to my safety. A couple of tweaks here. A quiet nudge there. And the propellers kept on turning. 

I was only flying at all because I was following the explicit instructions of my co-pilot. On my own I would have crashed and burned…. In fact, I never would have made it off the runway.

Apparently, in aviation terms, they name the person who calls the shots in the air the Pilot In Command or PIC for short. 

The PIC is the person who:

1. Has final authority and responsibility for the journey. 

2. Has been designated as pilot in command by all parties.

3. Holds the appropriate category, class, and type rating to navigate the flight well.

Being a disciple of Jesus is all about deciding who your PIC is going to be. 

• It is about choosing to trust the one alongside you when the world gets in a spin. 

• It is about letting go of the illusion that we have mastery over the twists and turns of life.

• It is about being humble enough not to become a maverick when we pull off a successful manoeuvre.

• It is about listening to the instructor’s voice above all else.

If I am honest, I know how readily I believe I can fly on my own fumes. But truthfully, there is only one who has the authority, designation, and qualifications to lead my ascent. Whenever my ego gets in the way, it is easy for me to direct others to my own accomplishments, abilities, and skills. I love to say to the world…

LOOK AT HOW WELL I CAN FLY! 

But pride is ultimately a ‘Highway to the Danger Zone.’

The truth is that I may be able to tell a breathtaking story about being a stunt pilot for a day, but if you were to ask me to teach someone else the real art of aerobatics, I would fail miserably.

Being a disciple-maker is not about showcasing our own achievements but consistently pointing others towards the true Pilot In Command. It's about humbly introducing them to the guiding voice that can keep them safe. By trusting in our ultimate Pilot, we embrace surrender rather than control. May we always fly with humility and faith, leading others to the one who can help them soar to new heights.

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