A Pilots Needs.docx
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A Pilots Needs.docx
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APilotsNeeds
Chapter13
APilot'sNeeds
BUTIamwanderingfromwhatIwasintendingtodo,thatis,makeplainerthanperhapsappearsinthepreviouschapters,someofthepeculiarrequirementsofthescienceofpiloting.Firstofall,thereisonefacultywhichapilotmustincessantlycultivateuntilhehasbroughtittoabsoluteperfection.Nothingshortofperfectionwilldo.Thatfacultyismemory.Hecannotstopwithmerelythinkingathingissoandso;hemustknowit;forthisiseminentlyoneofthe'exact'sciences.Withwhatscornapilotwaslookedupon,intheoldtimes,ifheeverventuredtodealinthatfeeblephrase'Ithink,'insteadofthevigorousone'Iknow!
'Onecannoteasilyrealizewhatatremendousthingitistoknoweverytrivialdetailoftwelvehundredmilesofriverandknowitwithabsoluteexactness.IfyouwilltakethelongeststreetinNewYork,andtravelupanddownit,conningitsfeaturespatientlyuntilyouknoweveryhouseandwindowanddoorandlamp-postandbigandlittlesignbyheart,andknowthemsoaccuratelythatyoucaninstantlynametheoneyouareabreastofwhenyouaresetdownatrandominthatstreetinthemiddleofaninkyblacknight,youwillthenhaveatolerablenotionoftheamountandtheexactnessofapilot'sknowledgewhocarriestheMississippiRiverinhishead.Andthenifyouwillgoonuntilyouknoweverystreetcrossing,thecharacter,size,andpositionofthecrossing-stones,andthevaryingdepthofmudineachofthosenumberlessplaces,youwillhavesomeideaofwhatthepilotmustknowinordertokeepaMississippisteameroutoftrouble.Next,ifyouwilltakehalfofthesignsinthatlongstreet,andCHANGETHEIRPLACESonceamonth,andstillmanagetoknowtheirnewpositionsaccuratelyondarknights,andkeepupwiththeserepeatedchangeswithoutmakinganymistakes,youwillunderstandwhatisrequiredofapilot'speerlessmemorybythefickleMississippi.
Ithinkapilot'smemoryisaboutthemostwonderfulthingintheworld.ToknowtheOldandNewTestamentsbyheart,andbeabletorecitethemglibly,forwardorbackward,orbeginatrandomanywhereinthebookandrecitebothwaysandnevertripormakeamistake,isnoextravagantmassofknowledge,andnomarvelousfacility,comparedtoapilot'smassedknowledgeoftheMississippiandhismarvelousfacilityinthehandlingofit.Imakethiscomparisondeliberately,andbelieveIamnotexpandingthetruthwhenIdoit.Manywillthinkmyfiguretoostrong,butpilotswillnot.
Andhoweasilyandcomfortablythepilot'smemorydoesitswork;howplacidlyeffortlessisitsway;howUNCONSCIOUSLYitlaysupitsvaststores,hourbyhour,daybyday,andneverlosesormislaysasinglevaluablepackageofthemall!
Takeaninstance.Letaleadsmancry,'Halftwain!
halftwain!
halftwain!
halftwain!
halftwain!
'untilitbecomeasmonotonousasthetickingofaclock;letconversationbegoingonallthetime,andthepilotbedoinghisshareofthetalking,andnolongerconsciouslylisteningtotheleadsman;andinthemidstofthisendlessstringofhalftwainsletasingle'quartertwain!
'beinterjected,withoutemphasis,andthenthehalftwaincrygoonagain,justasbefore:
twoorthreeweekslaterthatpilotcandescribewithprecisiontheboat'spositionintheriverwhenthatquartertwainwasuttered,andgiveyousuchalotofhead-marks,stern-marks,andside-markstoguideyou,thatyououghttobeabletotaketheboatthereandputherinthatsamespotagainyourself!
Thecryof'quartertwain'didnotreallytakehismindfromhistalk,buthistrainedfacultiesinstantlyphotographedthebearings,notedthechangeofdepth,andlaiduptheimportantdetailsforfuturereferencewithoutrequiringanyassistancefromhiminthematter.Ifyouwerewalkingandtalkingwithafriend,andanotherfriendatyoursidekeptupamonotonousrepetitionofthevowelsoundA,foracoupleofblocks,andtheninthemidstinterjectedanR,thus,A,A,A,A,A,R,A,A,A,etc.,andgavetheRnoemphasis,youwouldnotbeabletostate,twoorthreeweeksafterward,thattheRhadbeenputin,norbeabletotellwhatobjectsyouwerepassingatthemomentitwasdone.Butyoucouldifyourmemoryhadbeenpatientlyandlaboriouslytrainedtodothatsortofthingmechanically.
Giveamanatolerablyfairmemorytostartwith,andpilotingwilldevelopitintoaverycolossusofcapability.ButONLYINTHEMATTERSITISDAILYDRILLEDIN.Atimewouldcomewhentheman'sfacultiescouldnothelpnoticinglandmarksandsoundings,andhismemorycouldnothelpholdingontothemwiththegripofavise;butifyouaskedthatsamemanatnoonwhathehadhadforbreakfast,itwouldbetenchancestoonethathecouldnottellyou.Astonishingthingscanbedonewiththehumanmemoryifyouwilldevoteitfaithfullytooneparticularlineofbusiness.
AtthetimethatwagessoaredsohighontheMissouriRiver,mychief,Mr.Bixby,wentupthereandlearnedmorethanathousandmilesofthatstreamwithaneaseandrapiditythatwereastonishing.Whenhehadseeneachdivisiononceinthedaytimeandonceatnight,hiseducationwassonearlycompletethathetookouta'daylight'license;afewtripslaterhetookoutafulllicense,andwenttopilotingdayandnight--andherankedA1,too.
Mr.Bixbyplacedmeassteersmanforawhileunderapilotwhosefeatsofmemorywereaconstantmarveltome.However,hismemorywasborninhim,Ithink,notbuilt.Forinstance,somebodywouldmentionaname.InstantlyMr.Brownwouldbreakin--
'Oh,IknewHIM.Sallow-faced,red-headedfellow,withalittlescaronthesideofhisthroat,likeasplinterundertheflesh.HewasonlyintheSoutherntradesixmonths.Thatwasthirteenyearsago.Imadeatripwithhim.Therewasfivefeetintheupperriverthen;the"HenryBlake"groundedatthefootofTowerIslanddrawingfourandahalf;the"GeorgeElliott"unshippedherrudderonthewreckofthe"Sunflower"----'
'Why,the"Sunflower"didn'tsinkuntil----'
'Iknowwhenshesunk;itwasthreeyearsbeforethat,onthe2ndofDecember;AsaHardywascaptainofher,andhisbrotherJohnwasfirstclerk;anditwashisfirsttripinher,too;TomJonestoldmethesethingsaweekafterwardinNewOrleans;hewasfirstmateofthe"Sunflower."CaptainHardystuckanailinhisfootthe6thofJulyofthenextyear,anddiedofthelockjawonthe15th.Hisbrotherdiedtwoyearsafter3rdofMarch,--erysipelas.IneversaweitheroftheHardys,--theywereAlleghanyRivermen,--butpeoplewhoknewthemtoldmeallthesethings.AndtheysaidCaptainHardyworeyarnsockswinterandsummerjustthesame,andhisfirstwife'snamewasJaneShook--shewasfromNewEngland--andhissecondonediedinalunaticasylum.Itwasintheblood.ShewasfromLexington,Kentucky.NamewasHortonbeforeshewasmarried.'
Andsoon,bythehour,theman'stonguewouldgo.HecouldNOTforgetanything.Itwassimplyimpossible.Themosttrivialdetailsremainedasdistinctandluminousinhishead,aftertheyhadlainthereforyears,asthemostmemorableevents.Hiswasnotsimplyapilot'smemory;itsgraspwasuniversal.Ifheweretalkingaboutatriflingletterhehadreceivedsevenyearsbefore,hewasprettysuretodeliveryoutheentirescreedfrommemory.Andthenwithoutobservingthathewasdepartingfromthetruelineofhistalk,hewasmorethanlikelytohurlinalong-drawnparentheticalbiographyofthewriterofthatletter;andyouwereluckyindeedifhedidnottakeupthatwriter'srelatives,onebyone,andgiveyoutheirbiographies,too.
Suchamemoryasthatisagreatmisfortune.Toit,alloccurrencesareofthesamesize.Itspossessorcannotdistinguishaninterestingcircumstancefromanuninterestingone.Asatalker,heisboundtocloghisnarrativewithtiresomedetailsandmakehimselfaninsufferablebore.Moreover,hecannotsticktohissubject.Hepicksupeverylittlegrainofmemoryhediscernsinhisway,andsoisledaside.Mr.Brownwouldstartoutwiththehonestintentionoftellingyouavastlyfunnyanecdoteaboutadog.Hewouldbe'sofulloflaugh'thathecouldhardlybegin;thenhismemorywouldstartwiththedog'sbreedandpersonalappearance;driftintoahistoryofhisowner;ofhisowner'sfamily,withdescriptionsofweddingsandburialsthathadoccurredinit,togetherwithrecitalsofcongratulatoryversesandobituarypoetryprovokedbythesame:
thenthismemorywouldrecollectthatoneoftheseeventsoccurredduringthecelebrated'hardwinter'ofsuchandsuchayear,andaminutedescriptionofthatwinterwouldfollow,alongwiththenamesofpeoplewhowerefrozentodeath,andstatisticsshowingthehighfigureswhichporkandhaywentupto.Porkandhaywouldsuggestcornandfodder;cornandfodderwouldsuggestcowsandhorses;cowsandhorseswouldsuggestthecircusandcertaincelebratedbare-backriders;thetransitionfromthecircustothemenageriewaseasyandnatural;fromtheelephanttoequatorialAfricawasbutastep;thenofcoursetheheathensavageswouldsuggestreligion;andattheendofthreeorfourhours'tediousjaw,thewatchwouldchange,andBrownwouldgooutofthepilot-housemutteringextractsfromsermonshehadheardyearsbeforeabouttheefficacyofprayerasameansofgrace.Andtheoriginalfirstmentionwouldbeallyouhadlearnedaboutthatdog,afterallthiswaitingandhungering.
Apilotmusthaveamemory;buttherearetwohigherqualitieswhichhemustalsohave.Hemusthavegoodandquickjudgmentanddecision,andacool,calmcouragethatnoperilcanshake.Giveamanthemeresttrifleofplucktostartwith,andbythetimehehasbecomeapilothecannotbeunmannedbyanydangerasteamboatcangetinto;butonecannotquitesaythesameforjudgment.Judgmentisamatterofbrains,andamanmu
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