Have a Wonderful Holiday; Grateful and Present!

One thing that has kept me in aviation all these years is hanging out with such an amazing group of talented people. Pilots are less than 1% of our population and as you progressively raise the bar to Commercial, ATP, CFI and master levels, you get into some rarified air of outstanding performance. Pilots are resilient and motivated; definitely hard-chargers – and certainly the “movers and shakers” of the world. But there is also an unfortunate tendency to live for the next achievement and miss out on the glory of everyday life. For the holidays, I wish you all some rest and gratitude during this holiday season. I hope you escape the 24-hour news cycle that makes us all crazy and enjoy some calm family time. Though it has been a challenging year, we all experience wonderful gifts in our lives to be grateful for. Piloting itself is an incredibly rare skill we too often take for granted.

I was particularly struck by the driven nature of pilots watching a video about, Cpt. Lindsey Danilack. What an amazing person. Her ascent to SOAR Mission Commander in five years was nothing less than breathtaking.

She was chosen Cadet First Captain at West Point (in addition to being captain of her track team), attended Ft. Rucker and successfully bid for Apaches on her first deployment (and served as platoon leader). She then assessed with the 160th S.O.A R and became the first female mission commander in AH-6 “Little Birds.” Talk about full-speed ahead achievement! And though I appreciate her service to country and stand in awe of her drive, it certainly makes me hyperventilate watching her speed through life. As pilots, we all share this genetic make-up. So wishing you all some time to stand down and relax so you enjoy and appreciate this holiday. Fly SAFE (and often!)

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