In Greek mythology, Telamon is son of the king Aeacus of Aegina. He accompanied Jason as one of the Argonauts, and was present at the hunt for the Calydonian Boar. I don’t think he ever flew airplanes. But his words are forever true. It’s good to study aerodynamics, regulations and hydraulic systems. But study is never enough. We must also do. The preflight at 04:30. In the cold. In the rain. We must live the warrior’s life.
Misty Copeland is a ballet dancer for American Ballet Theatre. Last year she became the first African American woman to be promoted to principal dancer at a major American ballet company. She knows something about the perpetual pursuit: The full quote, from an interview in Bloomberg Businessweek magazine, 4 August 2016: “There’s no taking days off. We’re as good as our last performance, and you’re constantly working to be better every day. So there’s not a lot of time to kind of sit back and lose that fire. Once you lose it, it’s kind of over and you retire, because the audience sees it, if you’re not keeping … Continue reading Misty Copeland on the perpetual pursuit
I visualize a lot. I visualize what the ready room looks like, the walk up, the race. The mind is a muscle that needs to be trained, and that’s something I’ve worked on as I’ve gotten older. I can be highly focused not for hours on end, but it takes tons of practice. Natalie Coughlin Twelve Olympic medals, three of them gold.
Flying magazine has a great article in the current (June) issue by John Zimmerman, ‘Growing up as a pilot: Transitioning from fear to mastery’. The last paragraph is: “Done properly, the relentless pursuit of flying mastery can transform aviation from a hobby into a life-changing commitment. Understanding how your mind works, confronting risk and pushing yourself to learn new skills aren’t easy, but neither is growing up nor raising kids. Major life events — and flying definitely qualifies — often force you to confront who you really are, understand your fears and conquer your weaknesses.” I want to grow up … Continue reading Growing up as a pilot
Michael Schumacher is a seven-time Formula One World Champion, and widely regarded as one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time. What’s your ambition? To be an OK pilot? Just mediocre? Or are you going to work on being better? It’s not luck or talent. It’s work. And it’s your choice. (Quote from Daily Mail newspaper, 13 September 2006.)
