My sister, Diane, was/is one of the world's best crews (that's an applause line). My father was one of the world's best instructors. Diane was pretty young and had a bit of a confidence problem early on. She didn't always want to keep the controls when things got stressful. My father had a technique for that. Sitting in the back seat of the 2-33, he would rest his hands lightly on the student's shoulders, saying: "It's your airplane."

Diane wasn't having any of that, though. She would reach up and brush his hands away, then plop her own hands on her shoulders, saying, "Oh, no, it's your airplane".

After my father died, Diane decided to fulfill one of his dreams and resumed her lessons at another glider operation, soloing successfully not long after. I knew it wasn't her thing but I was very proud of her--and still am.

Chip Bearden
JB