Flying Beneath The Radar

When I was a student pilot long ago, I enjoyed hanging around the office at the small airport where I was learning to fly. After scaring the B’Jeezus out of my flight instructor, he would hop out of the aircraft, take his heart medication and lay down in the grass beside the runway. After parking the plane I would head back to the office to get some coffee and chat with the other pilots. On the wall near the big map of the U.S. was a poster that I looked at every time I went in there. It said; “There are Old Pilots. There are Bold Pilots. BUT, THERE ARE NO OLD-BOLD PILOTS”!

Combat pilots know that by skimming the treetops they can avoid being detected by most enemy radar. The objective is to get in there, do some damage, and get out safely. Getting a fireball enema from a SAM (surface-to-air missile) could be the penalty for becoming a blip on the radar screen.

A number of years ago I saw an old black and white movie about the WWI war hero Sergeant Alvin C. York who single handedly killed 28 enemy soldiers and captured 132 with just his rifle. He likened his battlefield success to shooting turkeys. “Ya just have to get ‘em to pop their heads up, then shoot”!

Early in the movie Alvin (played by Gary Cooper) was shown as a young Tennessee backwoods boy competing in a Turkey Shooting contest. That turkey was acutely aware that people were shooting at him and did his best to keep out of sight. That crafty critter just refused to be a target and kept hiding behind a tree stump. No one was able to get a decent shot at it.

When it was Alvin’s turn he stepped forward, licked his thumb and wiped off his front sight. Once satisfied that things had quieted down a bit, he let out an ear-splitting gobble. The turkey popped its head up to see what was going on and Alvin shot it off.

I’ve decided that life is a lot like a turkey-shoot. It’s good to know when to pop your head up and when to lay low. There are times when it’s good to be noticed and other times when it’s best to just blend into the scenery.

During my hot-rod days back in the sixties I had this uncanny ability to attract every cop within a 10 mile radius every time I got behind the wheel. At the time I just thought it was bad luck. It all came to a head when my dad received a notice from the insurance company that we were being cancelled because of my horrific driving record. I still have that letter.

Dad explained to me that my problems had nothing to do with luck; it was just about making myself highly visible with my stupid behavior. Being a pilot and an ex-Marine he would frequently explain things in military terms. He said; “Boy, you need to learn to fly beneath the radar”! It took me a while to figure out what he was talking about, but when I did it made good sense. He was talking about a sensible way of living rather than a set of rules to follow.

I must have taken those words to heart. I have not received a moving violation, had an accident, or even been stopped by the police since 1973. According to my calculator, that’s 36 years. My driving record is so clean I think AAA should be paying me to be their customer. I could be their poster boy for safe driving. I contacted them about this possibility. They told me that anyone could be classified as a “good driver” if they haven’t killed anyone on the road for at least 6 years or gotten a ticket in three years. So much for playing by the rules.

The strange thing is I pretty much drive like everyone else. If there are any differences, they are very subtle. Even though I frequently drive over the speed limit, I keep it reasonable. If the limit is 40, I might do 44. If it’s 45, I might do 49, etc. If I’m in a School Zone, I will drive exactly the speed limit.

If someone wants to get ahead of me at the stoplight, I’m happy to let them run interference for me. If I’m driving a high performance car and I’m feelin’ “the need-for-speed”, I will take it out to a country road where there is little or no traffic and it’s safe to digress to my teenage driving behavior.

I have never owned or even used a radar detector. Oddly enough, most radar detector aficionados that I’ve known seem to get a lot tickets. I am always aware of what the speed limit is and I frequently use the cruise-control to keep me at a reasonable speed.

But, living beneath the radar doesn’t just apply to driving behavior; it can apply to many things in life. If you complain too much about something, you will be made Chairman of the Committee to Fix It. If you get too creative when filing your income tax return, you will get flagged by the IRS.

These days, identity theft has become a huge problem. If you have 6, 7, or more charge cards you are at risk. If you are having credit problems and you have collectors calling, you are at risk. The more credit activity you have going on out there, the more you are at risk of having your identity stolen. According to Dave Ramsey (the personal money-makeover guru), once that happens you will have a new hobby. You will spend several hours every day for at least six months trying to get your life back.

I’m certainly not implying that one should live their life in obscurity and not take any risks. Since I have spent much of my life taking risks, I could write a book on the subject of “What Not To Do”. I have learned that common sense, planned effort, measured response, and integrity usually wins the day. And, if you’re going to take a risk, make sure it’s worthwhile.