Workshop: November 17 & 18, 2010

Scott McClain

Military and Commercial Pilot

Jeremiah 29:11: '"For I know the plans I have for you," says the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future"'. This verse is perhaps the most reiterated verse from the book of Jeremiah, but I cannot think of a better way to explain the life of Mr. Scott McClain in a single sentence. God's guiding hand was so evident in the experiences of Mr. McClain and he made that very clear when he came to speak to us at TWS.

First of all, Mr. McClain talked about his testimony: how he had grown up in a Christian home and accepted Christ while he lived in the Dominican Republic. Then he was commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant with a contract to go to flight school – this went hand in hand with his interest in flying jets. He trained in numerous aircraft and maneuvers, including landing on aircraft carriers! Ever wonder how jets suddenly slow down when they hit the deck of carrier? It seems like it would take longer for the momentum of a fighter jet to disperse. Well, Mr. McClain told us that planes coming in to land have massive steel hooks that drop from the tail of the plane and catch on a braided-steel chord connected to large drum-like systems. These systems use ethylene glycol and seawater to dissipate the energy of the airplane. Cool huh?

Once Mr. McClain finished training, he was sent on numerous missions to countries like Japan, Korea, and Philippines. Then he arrived in Kuwait for Desert Shield, the operation preceding Desert Storm! While he was flying a night run, practicing air-to-ground support, he ran into a radio tower and the tip of his wing was shorn off. In any other plane, he would have crashed, but the plane he was flying was designed to be strong enough to support folding the wings. This and other features allowed him to land with the heavy damage to his wing. God had put him in the plane that had saved his life! But Mr. McClain lied about the incident, and was ordered to stop flying for the Marine Corp. He was told he could choose another job but he instead left active duty. This would seem like disaster after all those years of training, but God had a different plan.

Soon after he returned to the United States, he got a job with American Airlines. After flying and co-piloting a number of different aircraft, God led him to pilot the Boeing 777, one of the largest commercial aircraft ever built. It can fly from Chicago to Beijing, Tokyo, Buenos Aires, and Sao Paulo WITHOUT STOPPING!

After his amazing story, Mr. McClain outlined the basic aerodynamics of flight and then taught us some aviators' terms like 'lift,' 'drag,' and 'thrust.' Without going into some difficult math, we were still able to get that when air passes over a curved wing; the air going over the top creates a lower pressure area than what exists on the other side of the wing and causes the plane to fly because it creates a force greater than gravity perpendicular to the wing chord. This is called 'lift'. He also explained latitude and longitude, and showed us how to calculate a flight plan. And of course, who could forget the awesome paper airplanes at the end! It was an absolutely fascinating time. Thank you Mr. McClain!

Written by:

Christopher Baldacci
TWS Student