Success Tips for New Pilots

Tips for New Pilots!

Lesson #1: Your habits define your flying career (and your life)

When I got my instrument ticket, I wasn’t sure how to do a go-around, a missed approach

Even when I got my CFI, I struggled to make sure I knew what I was doing

Later, as a Captain, I studied the Jepp charts and visualized the missed approach procedure before I got to my destination

Today, glass technology has given me a “visual” and I can see it done right in front of me

Lesson #2: All you really need is experience

But how do you get it fast enough?

I gained my experience sitting side-saddle in the flight engineer’s seat on the Boeing 707, watching the guys in front do it!

I was grateful for that opportunity to “watch”

But I wasn’t watching like Peter Sellers, playing Chauncey Gardener, in the movie Being There

Get your experience wherever and however you can, legally

Not like Barry Seal in the movie American Made

Then become the pilot/person you always knew you could be

Lesson #3: Patience, persistence, and passion will get you success

I had 250 hours when I upgraded to First Officer from Flight Engineer

When I lost my first officer bid, I flew everything and anything I could to stay “engaged”

10 years later I had 1200 hours and I got type rated on the L1011 (In those days you got credit of 1 for 3 F/E hours toward your ATP)

Then it only took me 13 more years to upgrade to captain….patience, persistence, passion!

Lesson #4: Money doesn’t fix everything

I made more than I ever did before as a pilot

And I had no clue how to use it

So I spent it on “pilot toys”, cars, motorcycles, stuff

And I had no idea what love was or how to be in a loving relationship

A few marriages and twenty years later, I married a woman for the right reasons and with God’s blessing

Everything works better now

Lesson #5: If you have just about everything you think you need, you still aren’t happy and don’t feel “successful”

Stop for a minute and see who you’re comparing yourself to

Then look around and try comparing yourself to those who have much less

It’s not hard to find them

When you find them, hang out with them, in person, on the street, at the homeless shelter

Then start over again and see how you feel

Success means rethinking your definition and doing what you don’t think is “normal” or convenient…

Bert

botajet@gmail.com