Flying by the

[Flying Trucker]

Good evening all...

Flying by the seat of one's pants...

Decide a course of action as you go along, using your own initiative and perceptions rather than a pre-determined plan or mechanical aids.

Origin
This is early aviation parlance. Aircraft initially had few navigation aids and flying was accomplished by means of the pilot's judgment. The term emerged in the 1930s and was first widely used in reports of Douglas Corrigan's flight from the USA to Ireland in 1938.

That flight was reported in many US newspapers of the day, including this piece, entitled 'Corrigan Flies By The Seat Of His Pants', in The Edwardsville Intelligencer, 19th July 1938:

"Douglas Corrigan was described as an aviator 'who flies by the seat of his pants' today by a mechanic who helped him rejuvinate the plane which airport men have now nicknamed the 'Spirit of $69.90'. The old flying expression of 'flies by the seat of his trousers' was explained by Larry Conner, means going aloft without instruments, radio or other such luxuries."

Two days before this report Corrigan had submitted a flight plan to fly from Brooklyn to California. He had previously had a plan for a trans-Atlantic flight rejected (presumably on the grounds that the 'Spirit of $69.60 wasn't considered up to the job). His subsequent 29 hour flight ended in Dublin, Ireland. He claimed that his compasses had failed. He didn't openly admit it but it was widely assumed that he had ignored the rejection of his flight plan and deliberately flown east rather than west. He was thereafter known as 'Wrong Way Corrigan' and starred as himself in the 1938 movie The Flying Irishman.

The 'old flying expression' quoted above (although it can't have been very old in 1938) that refers to trousers rather than pants does suggest that the phrase was originally British and crossed the Atlantic (the right way) prior to becoming 'flies by the seat of one's pants'.

Flying by the seat of one's pants most likely originated some time between 1909 and the middle of the First World War...1914 to 1918.

ALSO:

It comes from the sensation of position and movement transmitted to a person's body through the main contact to a fast-moving vehicle. It involves heightened awareness, bought on by adrenaline, where all relative information seems to pass through one's buttocks in preparation for evacuating them.

Gil Lambert, Bundaberg

Before aircraft had instruments, pilots had to rely on their innate sense of balance to detect changes in movements of the plane, transferred to his body by the contact with the seat. This is probably why there was an early change from the Wright Flyer's prone pilot position.

Harry Rowlands, Roseville

Until the development of the "slip/skid indicator" towards the end of WWI, pilots had no instrument to help them turn efficiently - with the aircraft banked but neither "slipping" towards the lower (inside) wing nor "skidding" (with the tail hanging out) towards the outside of the turn. If the aircraft slipped, their bottoms would be sliding "downhill" in their seats. If they skidded, a slight G-force pushed them "uphill


Cheers...Happy Landings...Doug

[olderndirt]

Good stuff Doug - on the money, as always.

[Flying Trucker]

Thanks Dave...every once in awhile the old grey matter kicks in but the old girl say's it does not happen very often...

Cheers...Happy Landings...Doug

[patchz]

[color=#000000]She is partially right Doug. It does not happen often enough, refers to your telling us such wonderful tales of history and occasionally non-historic ones. We would love to hear them more often.

Love the Lambert quote.

[Hagar]

Very interesting Doug. The origin of this expression is something I've never really thought about.

To the best of my knowledge it's always been 'seat of the pants' & not trousers, even on this side of the Pond. I've always assumed it originated during WWI like most of these expressions but on thinking about it blind flying instruments weren't developed until the late 1920s. Until then all aircraft would have been flown by the seat of the pants. This makes the explanation about Douglas Corrigan most likely to be correct.

[Flying Trucker]

Good morning all...

Hi Larry...

When I was still flying several of my children would go through my Log Books and pick out something interesting that I had written down in the Remarks Column.

We would then sit around the fireplace and I would tell them the story about that flight.

[patchz]

Maybe we could just start a list Doug.
by the seat of your pants (see above post)
push pull (nickname for a Cessna 337)

[Flying Trucker]

By gosh Larry you might have something there....

Now Larry you mentioned the Cessna 337...this is all your fault you know getting me started.

The Vietnam War was going strong.

The Cessna 337 was in United States Military Service.

Pilots were in demand here in Canada.

I was young and in university and the company I flew for during the summer months required a Cessna 337 pilot for Forestry Patrol.

Being a Provincial Government Contract the requirements were for the pilot and insurance company were somewhere around this:
Age of pilot...25 years old
Hours on type...1000
Commercial Pilot Licence

Well after the first week the hired pilot found another flying position...corporate flying a light twin and living in Toronto and not a trailer somewhere in northern Canada...

I had about fifty hours on type, around eighteen years old and available as I was flying the Cessna 180 and Norseman on floats for the company, camp checks, food and booze delivery to camps, garbage pick-up and ice delivery amongst other things.

I loved having my own camping trailer supplied by the company with food and the use of a company half ton truck...

The company needed a pilot right away to keep the contract and when asked if I was qualified by another pilot I just kept my big mouth shut and nodded.

[patchz]

Around 18? And already with fifty hours? I have to ask Doug, how old were you when you actually learned to fly and how old were you when you got your license?

Wonderful story, very, very entertaining. Which brings me to my next question, and this one is very serious. Have you ever considered writing a book? Memoirs, autobiography, tales of northern bush pilots? If you write it and get it published, I will buy a copy, ASAP.

[olderndirt]

Around 18? And already with fifty hours? I have to ask Doug, how old were you when you actually learned to fly and how old were you when you got your license?

Wonderful story, very, very entertaining. Which brings me to my next question, and this one is very serious. Have you ever considered writing a book? Memoirs, autobiography, tales of northern bush pilots? If you write it and get it published, I will buy a copy, ASAP.

I second that motion.

[patchz]

I suspect you could write a book as well.

[Flying Trucker]

Good morning...

Here is some info Larry....

[patchz]

[color=#000000]Granted, you had access and assistance, not to mention not having to pay for lessons, but still very impressive Doug. Your Father and Grandfather must have been very proud, as well they should be. Yes, military pilots were very young, but also had access and assistance, as well as not having to pay for lessons. But the job they did at those young ages deserves a lot more respect and commendation than they ever got, at least from the majority. I am very extremely grateful to them all (as well as ground troops), that I do not have to speak German, Japanese, Italian, or Russian. But your accomplishments are very impressive Doug. I have never known any local pilots with anything close.

[Flying Trucker]

Good afternoon all...

Well thanks Larry but really I do not consider any of my accomplishments spectacular considering what some of our children have accomplished thus far.   :)

There is also an old gentleman I just got to know from the Royal Canadian Legion who flew Lancaster and Halifax Bombers during World War Two and almost every prop airliner that flew after the war.
I saw several of his Logbooks...

We compared Log Books several weeks ago and it is surprising how much he does remember about check Lists...puts me all too shame...

He comes into the Royal Canadian Legion once a day for his shot of Scotch Whisky and glass of on tap beer.   :)

You are right about the Veterans.

Larry I bet if you go into one of your American Legions or are they called "Posts", anyways I bet you will find several chaps who flew the B17 or B24 and a lot more heavy metal after the war who would be glad to share a story or two.   ;)

Oh and if you get a chance Larry watch the television program  "Ice Pilots".
Now there is a bunch of young lads still flying the old prop jobs like the C46 and DC3 and in real life in the north of Canada.   ;)
I think they are on the Internet as well.

Cheers...Happy Landings...Doug

[patchz]

Thanks Doug, I'll try to catch Ice Pilots.

As to the American Legion, VFW too, I have been there a lot of times years ago. I used to know a lot of the guys, but to the best of my knowledge, none were pilots. I used to work security at the Legion Hut when they had Bingo and dances afterwards. And when I was in high school, the band I was in played several dances there. But most of the guys I knew have passed on and I have not been in a long time.