When a plane gets out of control, there's only one thing you could let yourself think about: What do I do next?

The mark of a good fighter pilot is that when it all goes to shit, what is he yelling in the microphone? It isn't a prayer, it's: 'I've tried A! I've tried B! I've tried C! I've tried D! Tell me what else I can try.'

More from Tom Wolfe

View all quotes →