Article March 18, 2013 Issue

Safety in the air

Steve Ryf

After ending a conversation with a fellow airline pilot in the crew lounge, I turned to leave for the departure gate. He repeated to me the familiar pilot farewell, “Have a good one—fly safe.” This phrase seems to come more naturally to airline pilots than to say “so long” or “take care.” It actually reflects the one priority that pilots adhere to and have been endlessly trained for—safety.

The airlines place safety at the top of the priority pyramid, followed by passenger comfort and economy. All the extensive, ongoing training I’ve had as a pilot reinforces safety as job one, and should become second nature, especially when faced with abnormal or emergency situations. Timely calls have to be made and decisive action taken.

As a student of Christian Science, I’ve been grateful to learn that safety isn’t merely freedom from danger or injury. It’s a quality of God, Principle, that expresses His unerring government of each one of us and the universe. During my career I had to read a lot of training manuals to learn the characteristics of the particular aircraft I was flying. Just as important to me were two other guidebooks: the Bible and Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, by Mary Baker Eddy. Reading the weekly Christian Science Bible Lessons provided numerous examples of God’s protecting care and power, which helped me do my job.