A a test pilot, more than any other type of aviator, must be objective. It is all right for a squadron pilot to fall in love with his airplane; it is all he has to fly and he might just as well enjoy it because it has already been designed; it exists in its present form and no one is going to change it now. He can afford to put on blinders, compile a long list of prejudices in its favor and develop an almost religious fervor when discussing it. He can look with scorn or pity on the unwashed from the neighboring squadron who are not so privileged.
The test pilot can not fall into this trap. Just because he has spent years flying Convair products doesn't mean Lockheed's system is not just as good. He must learn that the Convair's delicate feel is great for an all-wather interceptor at high altitude but that Lockheed's heavier stick forces are much more practical when working close to the ground. He must carefully analyze the possible uses to which a new airplane might be put and judge it accordingly. Lindbergh's Spirit of St Louis for instance had a longitudinal instability which generally would have been considered objectionable. However Lindbergh didn't mind because the constant attention he had to pay to the elevator control helped keep him awake during the long lonely hours over the Atlantic
