Daily Archives: April 10, 2013

What you are observing in the image above is heated air rising from the runway and super heated air disturbed by the heated exhaust from the two jet’s engines above.  This is a condition pilots call, “Density Altitude”.  The density of the air is affected by the temperature and the altitude of the airfield.  On a hot day at any given altitude the less dense air will make take-offs longer , and climb rates, (the rate at which and airplane gains altitude), take longer as well.  As a pilot you must be very mindful of how density altitude will affect the performance of your airplane in taking off, and in your rate of climb.  While it affects all airplanes, the bigger, faster, and heavier your airplane, the more it will affect it’s performance.  When  I flew several different kinds of ultralights, all of which had great climb rates, and short take off runs,  I was less worried about density altitude, than say the pilot of a commercial airplane would be.  Never-the-less, it is a factor that will affect your flight performance, and has to be accounted for!

 

In life we also have and equivalent condition I will call it “Density Attitude”!  How many issues are bring forces to bare on you today?  Fatigue, illness, weakness, fear, anxiety, emotional pressures, financial concerns, family problems, loneliness, hopelessness?  Unfortunately that list could, and often does, go on and on!  The chances of your climbing up, above, your concerns is a factor of your faith.  Please let me draw an illustration.  Have you ever taken off in a commercial flight and experienced a lot of shaking, bumps, and sensations of being pushed around the sky?   That is called turbulence and it is most often caused by unstable moving, air pockets and wind shifts.  It usually dissipates when you climb above the clouds, but not always. When it does smooth out it means you’ve climbed to an altitude where the air is more stable.  In life God desires for you to fly (live) at an altitude (attitude) that is stable.  This is where faith comes in.  Life, no one’s life, is without turbulence, we all have fears, concerns, and problems to deal with.  The faith walk is when we recognize what we are dealing with, make what ever corrective actions we can, and then put our plane, (lives) in autopilot, (trusting God with what we can not fix ourselves.)!  Sometimes, we can deal with small problems and daily frustrations by simply remembering what He has taught us through the word, sometimes we can clearly see that a problem is bigger than we can deal with.  That is when He wants us to let go of the controls and trust Him!

 

When I was being trained to fly ultra-light airplanes, my instructor observed one day that I was gripping the control bar with a white knuckle intensity.  He reached forward and removed my hands from the controls.  He told me over the intercom, “trust the plane.”  The kind of plane I was flying was stable even with your hands off the control bar, in fact it was in calm circumstances, more stable without my control inputs. I was several thousand feet above the ground with a single seat belt on and could look straight down between my legs, it was scary, but over time I learned that I could trust the plane!   Over time we also come to know we can trust in Him.  When He promised us that He would never leave us, or forsake us, He meant it!  He won’t forget or get to busy to keep that promise.  He always knows where you are, what you are facing, and what the answer is for your circumstances, and He’s already working it out!!!!  That’s if you are trusting in Him.  He can’t (won’t) take over until you let go!!!

 

Give your life a break and the chance to be a wonderful flight, develop the right Density Attitude, Trust in Him! He’s more than up to the challenge!!!

 

Blessings,

 

the pilgrim