Flying Blind

Flying an airplane isn’t easy. I learned that quickly when I began flight training seven years ago. There’s so much to pay attention to, and there’s so much at risk.

Then I started instrument training.

Instrument flying is difficult on an entirely different level.

Instrument flying is just that—flying an airplane by relying solely on the array of instruments in front of you without seeing anything out your window.

Four years ago, I passed a milestone as a private pilot by passing my IFR (Instrument Flight Rules) check ride. Without that rating, it’s illegal to fly in the clouds, which, of course, limits the number of days you can fly.

There’s good reason for that. Flying in the clouds means flying blind, which is disorienting and unsettling. When you cannot see the horizon, your mind plays tricks on you and sends signals to your inner ear, sending all kinds of confusing messages. One pilot described his first experience in the clouds: “Everything in me was screaming, 'Turn left and push down,' even though I was already in a left turn and pitching down.”

The only way to fly safely, to stay alive when you cannot see out your window, is to ignore your feelings and trust your instruments.

Flying blind is a bit like facing difficulties without being able to see outside of the trial you are in.

When facing those disorienting times, our feelings scream at us to do something: Turn this way, turn that way, pitch down, pitch up, say this or that, retaliate, run to a relationship, spend money, lash out, etc.

But, like flying blind, listening to our feelings is the most dangerous thing we can do.

Instead, trust your instruments. Do what God says. Obey Scripture. Honor the Lord, no matter how you feel. Because your feelings will betray you and cause you to crash. But God’s Word will not let you down. You have to trust it.

Since I gained my IFR rating, I’ve flown in the clouds many times. I had been taught it would be disorienting, so I follow my training and don’t even look out the window. I stay glued to the attitude and heading indicators, the altimeter, and vertical and airspeed indicators. I know many good pilots have been killed by doubting their instruments and listening to their feelings when they could not see out the window.

There’s nothing like the feeling of passing through to the other side with a clear view of the horizon and ground or sky.

You might be cruising in blue skies today, but clouds are coming. Make up your mind now that you will trust God’s Word no matter what and act on what He says, not how you feel in the moment.