The New Year is a natural time for reflection and goal setting. But because those resolutions are quickly forgotten, many people just give up and fail to put in any effort for improvement. This is the “slacker approach” that separates ploders from professionals. Just because we sometimes fail is no reason to give up on excellence.
Every pilot with a certificate beat incredible statistical odds to gain that privilege; pilots are <0.02% of the US population! And though perfection is impossible, an effortful pursuit of excellence is what every pilot must maintain to be safe. Though many human activities offer forgiveness of a sloppy attitude, pilots operate in a high-consequence environment that requires a commitment to excellence. We are continuously pushing that stone up the hill.
No one is a super pilot, always doing everything exactly right, but don’t let that become an excuse for sloppy flying. Whether you are a student pilot just starting out or an airline transport pilot with thousands of hours; whether you are on a local flight just for the fun of flying, or on a trip across the country for business; approach every flight as a professional, always alert for any deviation from the desired parameters and ready to gently, but quickly, correct back to the ideal state.
At the heart of this process is the starting point. We must approach every flight as a “motivated learner.” If we begin with an over-inflated sense of self, no improvement is possible – and we all know pilots tend toward “excessive self-confidence”🤣🙀. So take it down a notch and humbly do an analysis after every flight. Improvement requires reflective analysis and redirection. Take a moment in the chocks after every flight and ask the question: “What did I screw up and where could I have done better?” If we are honest with ourselves, there is always room for improvement; this is *opportunity!* This is the basis for all positive educational progress. This is a learned skill that requires commitment and motivation. Habits take real effort to develop.
Every CFI should build this brief instructional post-flight reflection into their learners’ habit patterns: “We landed successfully, now what can we improve?” This is the essential skill that creates a “lifetime learner” (never accept “good enough!”) Education and improvement requires a “meaningful change in behavior” and cannot be an occasional event.
Perceive – Process – Perform, (the flight action part) always needs to be followed by Review- Reflect – Redirect (the after-action improvement part).
Write down 3 “after-action items” to improve after every flight – right in the notes of your logbook.
Our high-consequence environment does not tolerate “luck” for long. We lose good friends every year from accidents. When we reflectively analyze (post-flight) every flight, we are looking carefully for those “lucky moments” and we want to replace them with “thoughtful/skillful actions.” We all love luck, but we do not want to count on it!
To motivate your commitment to improvement, select professional role models to emulate that fly the way you want to. Who you model and hang out with is exactly who you will become. Though our human egos prefer superiority (“all the children are above average”), take it down a notch and assume the role of a humble beginner; we all have lots more to learn. This project of life at every level is an ongoing project. Fly safely out there (and often)!
See “SAFE SOCIAL WALL” For more Resources
Join SAFE and get great benefits. You get 1/3 off ForeFlight and your membership supports our mission of increasing aviation safety by promoting excellence in education. Our FREE SAFE Toolkit App puts required pilot endorsements and experience requirements right on your smartphone and facilitates CFI+DPE teamwork. Our newly reformulated Mentoring Program is open to every CFI (and those working on the rating) Join our new Mentoring FaceBook Group.
Tell us what *you* think!