“Risk is our business” ~ Captain James T. Kirk, starship Enterprise. In Star Trek Season 2, episode 22. First aired 9 Feb 1968. It’s … Kirk … and … a bit … cheesy. But he captures some of the difference between safety, static, and risk, active. If safety was our business we would never fly. Risk management is our business. …
Just This Once?
“Just this once” is a dangerous phrase to think or say to yourself. Often it serves as an excuse to do something you know you shouldn’t. ~ Carl Richards, author of The One-Page Financial Plan: A Simple Way to Be Smart About Your Money. Insights into our behavior with money often translate well into airmanship ideas.
Sleep and Air Crew Fatigue Management.
“As long as human beings are pilots . . . fatigue will be a critical safety issue that demands our attention.” Sleep and Air Crew Fatigue Management, excellent serious article in Business & commercial Aviation magazine. Airmanship demands alertness. Quotes Sully Sullenberger, the NTSB’s Mark Rosekind, and many more.
Michael Phelps Coach on Everyday Excellence
This quote is from ASU coach Bob Bowman, talking about Michael Phelps and everyday excellence. The most decorated Olympian of all time, with a total of 22 medals, Phelps didn’t miss a day of Bob’s training in 6 years. (Interview in Livehhappy magazine, June 2015. Photo London 2012 Olympic butterfly, CC BY-SA 3.0 Madchester)
You Must Enjoy This to Fly Well
Kathy McCullough on Mistakes
“Don’t concentrate on your mistakes. Just move on, let it go, and put the bad landings behind you.” ~ Kathy McCullough, retired 747 Captain, talking on the Inspired Pilot Podcast.
Somber Reading About F/A-18C Accident
“An overreliance on technology can be a disadvantage.” Official report of a USN F/A-18C fatal accident that also talked about ‘situational awareness’. Good weather. Good plane. Good pilot. Always risky aircraft carrier operations. All this and more in a somber New York Times article
Inner Value of Flying
The outer value of flying is the distance A to B. The inner value is our mastery of art of airmanship.
Confucius on Flying
“By nature, men are nearly alike; by practice, they get to be wide apart.” ~ Confucius, The Analects, Book 17, Chapter 2.
Andy Warhol on Weird Situations
“When a situation develops gradually, no matter how weird that situation is, you get used to it.” ~ Andy Warhol, in his book POPism. The big question is: What bad situations or habits are you used to? Can we step back and get un-used to them before an ‘accident’ happens?