Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise

There are loads of self-help books. Boat loads, as they say. Some are good. Most are not. This new book—part self-help, part popular science—won’t help you lose weight or find inner peace; but if you want to learn to fly, or get better at piloting, or be the best pilot in the world in some airplane or mission—this is the best book you will read this year. It’s written by Anders Ericsson, the lead psychology researcher who’s spent his career studying how humans acquire expertise, and Robert Pool, a science writer. How the good become great. It was his research … Continue reading Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise

You don’t want to fly like Donald Trump

Donald Trump might not want to take up flying. I say this knowing nothing about the gold-plated multi-millionaire’s eye-hand coordination or his ground school scores. What triggers this is a single word I’ve found while researching NTSB accident reports—all of them sad events where a pilot destroyed a perfectly good airplane. The word that links these accidents isn’t about bad weather, fatigue, aerodynamics, IFR procedures, or indeed any of the normal suspects. It is however something entirely preventable. The word is: Ostentatious. My dictionary defines ostentatious as “characterized by or given to pretentious or conspicuous show in an attempt to impress others.” Synonyms … Continue reading You don’t want to fly like Donald Trump