![]() The trip from Orlando to Charleston is a smooth flight on autopilot the majority of the way. I haven't determined that it's the right time yet." Donna and Abby are looking forward to doing it at the right time. "In due time, they'll come up, but I'm going to make sure I do all the work and have the appropriate ratings. "They were both extremely supportive, provided that I did it the right way," Carlisle says. Nevertheless, Carlisle isn't yet comfortable enough to allow his family - wife Donna and 11-year-old daughter Abby - to fly with him as the pilot.Ĭarlisle says he extensively discussed the possibility of becoming a pilot with his wife and daughter before beginning the process. "Rob Gilbert and Mike Matthews have been the best teachers I could have asked for, and Cirrus makes the best planes." "First of all, you don't take on this kind of challenge without the best instructors and the best and safest equipment," Carlisle says. Mike Matthews, the Cirrus Aircraft regional sales director who sold Carlisle his plane and the co-pilot during the Orlando trip, says the parachute system in the company's planes has saved 107 lives to date.Īdditionally, Carlisle explains that the Cirrus' cockpit technology, designed for function and safety, makes the Mavs' 757 "look somewhat primitive." He also did extensive research before selecting his flight instructors. When deployed, the parachute safely brings the entire aircraft to the ground.Ĭarlisle says he would not have bought a plane without a parachute. The aircraft features a rocket-launched parachute located inside the fuselage that can be discharged in an emergency situation. He approaches safety with the utmost seriousness. Carlisle understands the pressure in aviation literally can come with life-and-death consequences.Īsked what he thought about his coach being a part-time pilot, Mavs owner Mark Cuban replied, "I hope he's a good one."Ĭarlisle, who purchased his Cirrus SR22 turbo in July of 2014, has already logged about 180 hours as a pilot despite flying only during the offseason and All-Star break, using the plane to visit family and friends and make basketball-related trips. He's a self-taught pianist who has performed in many packed concert venues, which brings about a different form of pressure.Īnd he's now a licensed pilot on the brink of achieving his instrument rating. ![]() His day job has plenty of them, and he has earned the right to be considered among the league's elite coaches with a 619-431 record, 2001-02 Coach of the Year award and 2010-11 championship on his résumé. Downtown Orlando is to the right and Disney World to the left as the plane climbs at more than 1,000 feet per minute until reaching its cruising altitude of 9,000 feet en route to Charleston, South Carolina, near Carlisle's Kiawah Island home.Ĭarlisle lives in South Carolina in the offseason, but has been in Orlando for a coaching clinic at the University of Central Florida where he spoke, that morning, about how he came to learn to love and embrace pressure situations. ![]() He then applies back pressure to the control yoke in his left hand to keep the plane at a seven-degree pitch and hits a switch by his right knee to bring the flaps on the wings up, allowing the aircraft to lift into the air. Seconds after receiving clearance, Carlisle moves a lever forward with his right hand to maximize the plane's power, causing the aircraft to speed down the runway. ![]() The N is government assigned, the 612 a tribute to the Mavs' title-clinching win in Game 6 of the NBA Finals on June 12, 2011, followed by the coach's initials.Ĭarlisle has replaced his Nike cross training shoes with the lightweight water shoes he wears in a cockpit that is a bit tight on the floorboards to accommodate size-15 sneakers.Ĭarlisle has clicked on each item in the pre-takeoff checklist accessed on one of two 10-inch monitors in front of him. That's pilot-speak for the "N612RC" painted on the tail of Carlisle's Cirrus SR22T, a 26-foot-long, single-engine plane that seats four comfortably. "November six-one-two Romeo Charlie, ready to depart Runway 25," Carlisle calls through his headset to the air traffic controller at the Orlando Executive Airport. The Dallas Mavericks coach has checked to make sure that the two fuel tanks in the wings are filled to the tabs and that the oil level is at exactly seven quarts to keep the 315-horsepower Continental engine running smoothly. Rick Carlisle peers through the lenses of his Ray-Ban aviators at the runway before him. You have reached a degraded version of because you're using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer.įor a complete experience, please upgrade or use a supported browser
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