I think that the P3 rating is probably the most important of the ratings. Not only do you have to learn the skills and knowledge as spelled out by USHPA, but you need to develop a skill and attitude that many people never develop at all. This skill is important for the rest of one's flying career. Someone told me this when I became a H3 and I have since realized that he was right.
So, not to belittle the work it takes to get the skills and knowledge as spelled out by USHPA, the skill I am talking about is judgment.
Judgment of the meteorological conditions, of the performance of your hardware (is a PG wing HARDware?) and of the state of your software (not your flytec). Are you at the top of your game today? Should you take it easy? Where are your skills today? What is the top of your game? What are your strengths? What are your weaknesses? And how's your risk analysis? And if you do end up making a mistake (and who doesn't, eh?) can you learn from it?
Dan Tomlinson has worked hard at his rating, gaining the skills, knowledge and judgment and it shows. He gets extra points for learning from other people's mistakes
So, I want to congratulate him publicly and wish him a great PG career filled with wonderful adventures.
Speck out, go far and fly safe!
May you make many fewer mistakes than I did.
-- Ellis
