“Mastery is the best goal because the rich can’t buy it, the impatient can’t rush it, the privileged can’t inherit it, and nobody can steal it. You can only earn it through hard work. Mastery is the ultimate status.” Derek Sivers, How to Live, 2021.
Tag: mastery
It Seemed the Aircraft was Almost …
“As we took to the skies it seemed the aircraft was almost an extension of his body, carving its way over the water and through the air as if it already knew what inputs came next.” Niki Britton, describing pilot Aaron Singer flying a seaplane over San Francisco. AOPA Pilot magazine, October 2024. It’s what good flying looks like.
Come Fly with Me — Herb Alpert
“I play it just about every day of my life–not because I have to, but because it’s something that gives me pleasure. That’s what I tell kids when they ask what’s the secret to being successful in the music industry. If you’re not really passionate about what you’re doing or if you’re doing it because there are some benefits like …
The Disciples of Flight Movie Review
At the end of 2019 I downloaded a new aviation documentary— and it’s gorgeous. Beautifully shot crisp HD images of general aviation flying paired with insightful interviews from a bunch of pilots, including Patty Wagstaff, Rod Machado and NASA’s Dr. Dismukes. You can download it from Disciples of Flight directly for $15, or use Amazon Prime Video. Well worth the …
Easy to Fly, Hard to Fly Well.
I’m back from vacation. A highlight was getting to fly a 1930’s Tiger Moth out of an airfield in England. That’s me in the front seat. Absolutely wonderful experience. The instructor said the Tiger Moth was the perfect trainer for all WWII RAF and Empire pilots as it was “easy to fly, hard to fly well”. Well, I certainly proved …
Olé Olé Olé!
An electrifying movie about the Rolling Stones recent South American tour has awesome concert footage, and some reflective thoughts from all the band members after 55+ years of working towards excellence and mastery: “At the start of a tour, it’s like being on a tightrope, that once you’ve set foot on it, that rope widens and becomes a bridge that …
The Most Perfect Technique
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That’s Good Enough
“Good enough” is the difference between drivers, operators, managers— and pilots. Quote by Steve Krog in EAA Sport Aviation magazine article, August 2017. SaveSave SaveSave
Expert Pilot Brains Work Less
Research finds expert pilots make better flying decisions—not a surprise. Expert pilots brains work less than average pilot brains—that is super cool! The paper Higher Landing Accuracy in Expert Pilots is Associated with Lower Activity in the Caudate Nucleus published in the journal PLOS One found that: High Expertise pilots showed lower activation in the bilateral caudate nucleus (0.97±0.80) compared to Moderate …
I’m Not an Adrenaline Junky
Paul Bonhomme was Red Bull Air Race World Champion. Three times. He still flys aerobatics, and the 747 as a British Airways captain. Quote from How to Win the Red Bull Air Race in the British GQ magazine. SaveSave