Tag: aviation

man in black jacket lying on bed

The Three Areas of Self-Awareness: What on Earth Am I Feeling?

May 25, 2023

What on Earth Am I Feeling? “All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.” – Blaise Pascal Disconnecting the autopilot is the practise of noticing when you’re distracted and then actively bringing your attention back to the present.  But there’s a problem. It’s called turbulence. (Namely, your emotions.) … More The Three Areas of Self-Awareness: What on Earth Am I Feeling?

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The Three Areas of Self-Awareness: What on Earth Am I Doing?

May 18, 2023

The Three Areas of Self-Awareness According to Tasah Eurich – author of Insight: The Surprising Truth about How Others See Us, How We See Ourselves, and Why the Answers Matter More Than We Think – there are 3 major blindspots to self-awareness. Those are: Behaviour blindness is being oblivious to your own actions. Not noticing … More The Three Areas of Self-Awareness: What on Earth Am I Doing?

colorful toothed wheels

The Automation Paradox

April 20, 2023

If there’s one aviation disaster that darkens my knickers more than most, it’s AirFrance 447 – the scheduled passenger flight from Rio de Janeiro to Paris, which crashed into the Atlantic Ocean on June 1st, 2009.  In a very simplified nutshell, this is what happened. Approximately 2 hours after takeoff, AirFrance 447 entered a storm … More The Automation Paradox

air craft during day time

Stalling: Why Letting Go Is the Key to Regaining Lift

March 23, 2023

“The harder we try with the conscious will to do something, the less we shall succeed. Proficiency and results come only to those who have learned the paradoxical art of doing and not doing, or combining relaxation with activity.”  – Aldous Huxley Drown-Proofing  When it comes to our psychology what’s happened is this. Our hands … More Stalling: Why Letting Go Is the Key to Regaining Lift

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A Radical Idea. (I’m Going To Write a Book.)

October 27, 2022

Just imagine, you’re sat fat, dumb and happy when BAM! Your engine shits itself. (And so do you.) Suddenly you’re forced to divert. You need to get on the ground pronto! Before you know it, there you are. Grounded with a bum engine – a million miles from the original destination you had in mind.  … More A Radical Idea. (I’m Going To Write a Book.)

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Diversion

January 21, 2022

We don’t always end up where we intended in life. Sometimes, we are made to divert long before reaching our final destination. Other times we may complete the journey only to find the airport is closed on arrival, forcing us to divert at the last moment. Whether it’s some kind of emergency or our own … More Diversion

Grounded

October 9, 2021

In aviation we have a term called AOG that means Aircraft on Ground. It refers to a plane that can’t fly because of a technical issue. We might also say a pilot is grounded because of a disciplinary issue, or that passengers are grounded because of weather. In all cases, the term indicates an inability … More Grounded

Finding Life Balance Using the Four Forces of Flight

September 10, 2021

Do you feel like the weight of responsibility is keeping you grounded? Or the sheer drag of life is forcing on the brakes?  Do you find it hard to muster the requisite lift and thrust to overcome these forces in life? Of course, we’ve all been there. We’ve all had those days where everything has … More Finding Life Balance Using the Four Forces of Flight

Homesick

July 16, 2021

A couple of weeks ago, just past midnight on July 5th, I took off out of Hong Kong, flew across the Pacific Ocean, crossed the International date line and arrived in Los Angeles at 10pm on July 4th. There are few approaches during my ten year career I can think as memorable as that one. … More Homesick

Regaining Lift

May 14, 2021

Most of us experience stalling at some stage in our lives. In our attempts to be all we can. In our attempts to climb as high as we can, as fast as we can. The problem is, like an aeroplane, we can only climb so fast. If we pitch the nose up too high, or … More Regaining Lift

Captain Hindsight

December 17, 2020

There’s a character from the popular sitcom South Park called Captain Hindsight. For those who’ve not seen it, Captain Hindsight is a super hero (of sorts) who shows up to the scene of a disaster while it’s taking place. He then “helps” the people in need by making a stirring speech about all the ways everyone should have acted … More Captain Hindsight

First Solo

October 31, 2020

There’s a term in aviation that all pilots know well called the first solo. It’s when a new pilot completes a takeoff, short flight and safe landing, all by him or herself, for the very first time. It’s basically the aviation equivalent of losing your virginity. You kinda line the aeroplane up with the strip, … More First Solo