SAME GIRL

Same everything, just about. It was her n-teenth solo and the canopy chain had failed, so we grabbed some scrap tow rope and tied it off at about the right length. Snip snip, go have fun.Here’s what she told us afterward. At some point the stick wouldn’t move back far enough. Good everywhere except back. And the resistance increased from side to side. On a hunch, she slipped one shoulder out of its strap, reached with her other arm back to the empty aft cockpit and found that stupid rope slung around the stick.Easy enough to fix, just remember to check it again before landing - and then shorten that stupid rope! Snip snip indeed.The same girl now has her own teenagers. Who knows, that one poised and thoughtful act may have played an enormous, silent role in their very existence.