My 5-yr-old son will ask why? Then ask why again. Why? Why? Why? As pilots we should ask ourselves what if that doesn’t work? And then what if that doesn’t work. What if? What if? Don’t box yourself in. Always have an out. Preferably a flexible changeable out. Quote by Derek Sivers in the 2016 book Tools of Titans.
If You’re Looking for a Formula
Quote is from the book Tools of Titans. It’s not fast or exciting or sexy. It’s more diligent checklist than Top Gun Mach 2 hair on fire. But it’s how the good get great. Maria Popova is a Bulgarian writer, blogger, and critic living in Brooklyn, New York. She is known for her wonderful blog BrainPickings.org. Original photo is two KC-135 …
Meditating Military Helicopter Pilots
A peer-reviewed scientific study published this year shows the positive impact of meditation on personnel in two Norwegian Air Force helicopter squadrons. This was not new-age wishful thinking, or sloppy science self-reporting that some people felt good. No, this was university and Air Force doctors and scientists taking chemical measurements of salivary cortisol, testing performance on computer-based cognitive tasks, and comparing the …
Do ‘Brain-Training’ Games Make You a Better Pilot?
The Association for Psychological Science recently published a massive 200-page research report on brain training programs, seeing if fun cognitive tasks or games can enhance performance on other tasks. Peer-reviewed, respected authors, fully-referenced. It covered all the valid studies that have examined this question, a huge research database. And the results? Based on this examination, we find extensive evidence that brain-training …
Checklist Complete! Or is It?
This airline training slide explains ‘active monitoring’ – visualize, act, compare. You must look for something, not just at something: It’s easy to say we should be mentally flying the aeroplane, but it’s also kind of a cop out. So it’s a nice addition to have some concrete ideas on how to actually do it.
Anne McClain on Facing Fears
Anne McClain has faced down many fears, and is now going to be rewarded with sights that are literally out of this world. She’s been an Army combat helicopter pilot who deployed to Iraq, an instructor pilot and a test pilot. She is currently a NASA astronaut, in the pipeline to fly to Mars. Quote is from an interview …
Surfing Perpetual Pursuit
World Surf League Champion 11 times, Kelly Slater clearly didn’t stop learning when he reached the top. And as someone who is 50, I can tell you, getting better at flying is also a lifelong journey.
Time is a River
Pilots work with time. On-time. Speed = distance/time. We must manage our own inner time as well. From slow times to supersonic.
Maya Angelou on Becoming a Great Pilot
At an airshow I admire the biplanes, the jets, the smoke and the sounds. But the persistence of the pilots to get this good is most amazing.
Living the Dream
From the first hour of flight training, realize that you are already ‘living the dream!’ Eric Auxier. Airline captain and writer.