mastery

Fly like an Eagle

By Dave English

I just re-watched the excellent rockumentary History of the Eagles (2013), over four hours on the band that made the biggest-selling album of the twentieth century. The movie has several revealing interviews with members of the legendary band. Contemporary thoughts from the early 70’s, and reflections after 40 years: “Perfection is not an accident.” Glenn Frey “Our goal was just to be the best we could be. We wanted to get better as songwriters and as performers. And we worked on it.” Don Henley “Your whole mandate is just to improve. Life is about improvement.” Glenn Frey “It wasn’t a hobby … Continue reading Fly like an Eagle

Make the sky your canvas

By Dave English

Graham Hill is the only driver ever to win the Triple Crown of Motorsport—the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Indianapolis 500 and the Monaco Grand Prix. Wow! He was the Formula One World Champion twice, with a total of 14 Grand Prix wins. And in his spare time, he liked to paint. Which makes this quote even more meaningful. “I am an artist. The track is my canvas, and the car is the brush.” We should aim to fly like Graham Hill drove. Make the sky our canvas.   (Picture is Graham in a Lotus 49, during the 1968 South African Grand Prix.)

Jackie Stewart on racing slow

By Dave English

“Monte Carlo should be driven smoothly and quietly … You’re doing it with gentleness, you’re being kind to your motor car, it’s being kind to you.  You’re great friends, you’re married, you’re having a fantastic affair, everything’s united, you’re not arguing with anyone, when you change gear there’s no rush to change gear.” The 1972 documentary by Roman Polanski about Formula One champion Sir Jackie Stewart Weekend of a Champion has been re-released after being hidden for 40 years. It’s on iTunes and Amazon pretty cheap. It offers an intimate snapshot of a very cool time in Grand Prix racing, … Continue reading Jackie Stewart on racing slow

Growing up as a pilot

By Dave English

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

Pablo Picasso on what counts

By Dave English

The plane knows nothing of your intentions to soar like an eagle. The plane knows nothing of your good intentions about being a safe, smooth, expert pilot. Carefully reading the checklist, actually checking the weather, applying the right rudder pressure, these are the things that count. Don’t intend to be a great pilot. Just work on being a good pilot. The eagle thing will come. (Pablo Picasso quote is from his ‘Statement to Marius De Mayas’, 1923.)