Opinion: Airmanship, Risk vs Reward

‘Airmanship’ can be difficult to define practically. The best conceptual definition I have come across is from Dr Tony Kern in Redefining Airmanship: “the consistent use of good judgement and well-developed skills to accomplish flight objectives.” Simple, but not readily demonstrable through pilot training or operations. In asking other aviators, many could not readily recall a discrete example of their own good or bad airmanship. The following is my recollection of what I believe to be an illustration of airmanship, albeit one that is open to discussion given I achieved safety at the expense of an operational objective.

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