The Worst Landing Ever

A pilot’s logbook is far more that just a record of dates, times, places and flights; it is also a history of a pilot’s flying career and a chronicle of the lessons learnt that makes them the aviator they are today. Jim Davis takes a look back through his own logbooks, and records the incidents that have shaped his approach to flying.

I was responsible for the worst landing in the history of aviation. A young enthusiast, whose name I have forgotten, pitched up and told my boss Zingi Harrison that he wanted to buy a 180 Cherokee.

Now, this put Zingi in a bit of a spot, and I will have to go back six months earlier to tell you why.

We used to get fairly regular after-school visits from kids in the 12 to 17 age group. All they wanted was nice colour pictures of aircraft to stick on the walls of their bedrooms. Our brochures were much in demand by these spotty enthusiasts–they were high quality and expensive–so Zingi deeply resented them walking out in the sweaty grip of young time-wasters.

Zingi was out in a flash to witness my belated recovery

He would usually send the kids to me, and I would be shat on if I dished out Comanche and Aztec brochures to people who obviously couldn’t afford a bicycle.

Anyhow, this happened one afternoon. An exceedingly skinny 17-year-old, in school uniform, told Zingi he wanted to buy an aeroplane. Naturally, Zingi fed him through to me with the words, “Davis, we are a bit short of brochures right