Fate is the Hunter (and fate in cockpits today)

[jrh]

I see in the thread on aviation books that many of us have read Fate is the Hunter by Ernest Gann.

Besides being a must-read book, what specifically did everybody enjoy about it?

I thought it was a powerful book to show how a captain must always be in command of their aircraft. I also liked how it showed Gann's progression from being a novice to a seasoned veteran.

I'm not sure I liked the overall message of the book, that sometimes fate is in control. I don't believe in fate. There are definately times in aviation that I can't explain why something happened the way it did, but I wouldn't attribute that to fate, as to imply the result was out of anybody's control. It seems like Gann attributed many of his stories to fate that could now be explained by human factors research, better maintenance, a more organized air traffic control system, etc. I wonder if Gann had flown today if he would still write Fate is the Hunter with the same perspective.

What do you all think?

 

[Malko]

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what specifically did everybody enjoy about it?


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I get the feeling that I am in the cockpit with him as he is flying. I just finished reading a chapter where after takeoff from LGA, they begin to have big trouble with three of the four engines. After landing the maintenance personell say, "oh yea, we changed plugs in three of the four engines". "They tested on the bench." Gann comes back with, "I am not qualified to be a test pilot, nor am I paid to."

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I'm not sure I liked the overall message of the book, that sometimes fate is in control.

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from websters:
"fate ( P ) Pronunciation Key (ft)
n.

1. The supposed force, principle, or power that predetermines events.
2. The inevitable events predestined by this force.
3. A final result or consequence; an outcome.
4. Unfavorable destiny; doom. "

I would think The Fate Gann speaks of is more along the lines of #4 from above. There was definetly an Unfavorable destiny or doom that many pilots he flew with.

Like all have said, it is a great book.

 

[BCTAv8r]

Did anyone else notice that many of the threads are in relation to an original thread?

 

[flyover]

Well, it's easy to see where Gann got his viewpoint on "fate" from since he is writing about his own experience. The first chapter brings the theme home in a gripping and realistic way. Besides, it's got to be the best title ever for a book.

If you want to see the "fate" argument taken to it's most ridiculous extreme just watch the pathetic movie that was made from the book. This is certainly not what Gann intended. He paid homage in the book to the great skills of the men he flew with and their ability to avoid trouble. Then he wondered why some of them died anyway. It's a fair question. I've known some really stellar pilots who died in airplanes.

And I can look back on 30 years of flying and certainly spot some times where fate was a player for me. Like one near midair collision on a moonless night over Kansas. Just a few feet difference between a career as an airline pilot or a footnote in Kansas aviation history as in "remember the night those two little airplanes crashed outside of town, boy what a mess."

We owe guys like Gann and especially his predecessors a lot for bringing aviation through those dangerous and daring times to the boring-by-comparison profession it is today.

 

[USMCmech]

I thin that Gann's viewpoint was shaped by the era he was flying in. He saw the birth of modern airtravel. Just as it had changed from extreammly risky endevor to reliable mode of transportation.

Durring this era, instrument flight had just become reliable enough to be used to carry passengers. Navaids were few and far between, and somwhate less than reliable. The ADF hadn't even been invented yet.

Also most of his early experiance as Captian was durring WW2. Durring this time transport/cargo pilots suffered tehir share of casulities. Flying "the hump" cost a great many lives.

Airplanes were very prone to mechanicial failure. Durring WW2 there was such a push to build airplanes that safety and quality took a back seat to production. Ford was making a B-24 every 50 minuets.

All this added up to a large number of risks that were completely out of a pilots control. When things went wrong that a pilot has no control over, it's simply human nature to "chalk it up to fate".