How you do the little things everyday is important. Why is explained by former RAF Tornado F3 fighter pilot and Red Arrows display pilot Justin Hughes in his 2016 book The Business of Excellence. The full quote is: How you do the little things is how you do everything. You don’t choose a different behaviour just because it’s a big …
Tag: discipline
David Lama on Managing Risk
“Regardless of the outcome, any expedition still offers hundreds of experiences you can learn from.” David Lama is an elite climber who has scored many ‘firsts’, but seems grounded in a deep understanding of risk, rationality and unforgiving reality. Both these quotes come from an article in this month’s Red Bulletin magazine that’s well worth the short read. Like pilots, mountaineers …
If More Information was the Answer …
The aircraft doesn’t care what you know. Only what you do. (Derek Sivers quote from the 2016 book Tools of Titans.)
1 in 5 Biz Jet Pilots are Stupid?
Ripped from the aviation press headlines: One in five business jet pilots don’t do a full flight-control check before takeoff. Actually one in five is a bit of an exaggeration. The would be 20%. The more precise number is 17.66%. And that’s actually a per-flight percentage, so maybe the percentage of pilots is a little less. But WTF Batman! 17.66%? …
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 …
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.
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.
Don’t Let Your Emotions …
Never get emotionally worked up in the cockpit — you’ll only die mad. Best be like the WWII British poster, keep calm and carry on:
Mikaela Shiffrin on Winning Formula
“I still don’t think there is a winning formula. It’s really just working your butt off.” Mikaela Shiffrin She is the youngest slalom champion in Olympic alpine skiing history. She is also the current world champion in slalom. There is no magic formula for success. The winning formula involves hard work. And sounds a lot like the seven P’s: Proper Prior …
You’re Not in a Dangerous Situation Until
Scott Crossfield — fighter pilot, aeronautical engineer, first person to fly twice the speed of sound and X-15 chief engineering test pilot — quoted in the classic book X-15 Diary released this week. He is also quoted as saying: In all of this business there’s a requirement of intense concentration—if you can train yourself to be self-disciplined. If you close the …