"real umpires"

[fwump]

I believe this is an apt analogy: You wish to learn to fly an airplane. First you read some manuals and perhaps some books or articles about flying. You make a trip to the airport where you find a good instructor to mentor you through the process. After perhaps 70-80 hours of dual time you finally solo the airplane. Finally when your instructor decides that you are ready he calls out the check airman who gives you your check ride. If you don’t blow it he signs your ticket. Hey I’m a “real” pilot now! Hardly. All you have is a license to learn. Now you get in that airplane as often as you can until you master the skills you need to be a real pilot. You accomplish this by practice, practice, and more practice, along with continued training. Those who go out every other weekend and putter around in their single engine 2 seater only if the weather is sky clear are just "smitty" in an airplane.

Mike