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Quote by Gordon Cooper

Author

Gordon Cooper
Gordon Cooper

Gordon Cooper was an American astronaut and test pilot, recognized as one of the original Mercury Seven astronauts. He made history as the first American to orbit the Earth twice, during the Faith 7 mission. Cooper's career spanned over two decades, during which he made significant contributions to the advancement of space technology and exploration. more

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“Flying for the airlines is not supposed to be an adventure. From takeoff to landing, the autopilots handle the controls. This is routine. In a Boeing as much as an Airbus. And they make better work of it than any pilot can. You're not supposed to be the blue-eyed hero here. Your job is to make decisions, to stay awake, and to know which buttons to push and when. Your job is to manage the systems.”

“There's a lot of Hollywood bullshit about flying. I mean, look at the movies about test pilots or fighter pilots who face imminent death. The controls are jammed or something really important has fallen off the plane, and these guys are talking like magpies; their lives are flashing past their eyes, and they're flailing around in the cockpit. It just doesn't happen. You don't have time to talk. You're too damn busy trying to get out of the problem you're in to talk or ricochet around the cockpit. Or think about what happened the night after your senior prom.”