“What good pilots consistently do is perfect their foundational skills. They practice — they live — on airmanship. It’s courtesy, consistency, and core competency.” Darren Pleasance, new President and CEO of AOPA, in Pursuit of Excellence, AOPA PILOT magazine March 2025.
This Gary Larson Far Side cartoon is good for a giggle. But some of us don’t see a school for the mechanically declined. We see a masterclass. The best coaches, leading the best players, winning the biggest trophies, taught this way. Back to basics meets beginner’s mind. Vince Lombardi is considered by many the greatest coach in football history. Won the first two Super Bowls, never had a losing season in the NFL, had a 90% winning percentage in the postseason. In the book When Pride Still Mattered: A Life Of Vince Lombardi we’re taken to the start of his … Continue reading Screwdriver meet screw
Beginners Mind met Perpetual Pursuit! Always learning. Sometimes embarrassingly large amounts of stuff I was blind about!
One of the hardest things for me is to really see during preflight. But kids beginners mind helps a lot. Down and dirty to look underneath. A nut on every bolt. Climb up to look at the high wing. Then my 8-year-old spots a bolt just sitting on the ramp! Every pre-flight needs a mindset of new eyes.
