The “Why” Behind The Flight Plan

So, why am I doing this anyway? Contrary to what this post may lead you to believe, it is not to write about myself, but I cannot see a way to fully express the why of this without doing that. My intent with this blog is to use stories and lessons I have accumulated over my life to help others. Part of that is helping people avoid mistakes I have made, which means I must include them where they apply. That is not always an easy thing to do but it would be selfish to keep what I have learned to myself, helping only me.

The idea for the Flight Plan for Life comes from a colleague and good friend that mentioned how much of what a pilot does on a single flight can be applied to life. He thought “someone should write a book about it”. I never forgot about his idea and pondered it over the next few years as I went about life and flying trips, speaking with fellow crew members and friends. Things like marriage, children, faith, friendships, emotions, and life and career choices are frequent topics in the cockpit, where small talk can run its course quickly.

I have been in the airline and aviation industries for nearly 30 years. I have written manuals, developed training, and trained hundreds of pilots in classrooms, simulators, and aircraft. As a part of management, I have also been involved in the decision-making behind the scenes at a few airlines. I have worked for nearly every type of aviation and airline business that exists in the United States – privately held, publicly traded, growing, shrinking, passenger, cargo, charter, scheduled, large, small, international, domestic, etc.  I am fortunate to have been able to experience so much of a dynamic industry that many people find fascinating. My career and personal life have both been interesting and unconventional, providing quite a bit of material I can use to help others. I have seen (and made) bad and good choices and learned a great deal along the way.

Prior to a few years ago, when I left airline management and became a full-time pilot, I would not have had the time to write a blog. In the many technical writing projects I have completed, the idea of writing a blog, book, or anything similar never occurred to me. But events of the recent past have contributed to a desire for a different type of writing. Blogging lends itself well to my personality because I have never been good at small talk. I have always had to make a deliberate effort to engage in small talk to be polite. I tend to gravitate toward deeper conversations. I would much rather talk about meaningful topics that explore how a person thinks and what is important to them vs. the trivia of their life that I probably will forget by morning. Interesting conversations are much more likely to be remembered.

In addition to my story, it seems I have some writing talent and an ability to provide helpful insights into the lives of others. I realize that may seem arrogant and you may think I run around hitting people over the head with unsolicited advice but, I think, if you read future posts, you will find that is not the case. In trying to help others I always make it clear that I am “just some guy” and am full of bad ideas. Blindly doing what I say is not recommended. I also avoid throwing around the “You shoulds”. (You should do this, you should do that, blah, blah, blah.) I do not like it when someone does that to me, especially if they have not made any effort to understand me or the situation. In my experience, advice tends to work best if it goes something like: “This is a story from my life that is similar, what I did, and what I wish I had done differently.” I often use elements of my past as an example of what not to do, as well as frequently saying “I don’t know.”

So, I decided to take my friend’s idea and run with it. This is not a book, yet, but it is my sincere hope that you will find this blog interesting, and maybe helpful. I do enjoy working on it. In crafting each post, I imagine I am writing to my two sons and my grandchildren. What advice would I give them? What can I use from my life that would be interesting to them and they could learn from? What mistakes would I like them to avoid? What would I like them to know about who I am and how I think?

Also, this an opportunity to give my grandchildren advice while sparing them the agony of the lectures that my sons endured growing up. Joking aside, I am certain I have learned as much, or more, from my sons as they have from me. God has truly blessed me greatly with them.

Finally, I am taking this opportunity to express how grateful I am to the many people that have added immeasurable value to my life. They include my family and former and current bosses, teachers, many real friends, fellow crewmembers, co-workers, and colleagues. Their contributions to my life have come in the form of encouragement, support, mentoring, and lessons big and small. This blog would not exist if it were not for what I have learned from them and the diverse life experiences that I have had the good fortune of accumulating. I am glad I was paying attention.

I am also thankful to the Lord for the words He has given me, the gifts and talents to craft them together in a meaningful way, and the desire and resources to do so. I am humbled by how blessed I am to be able to present the Flight Plan for Life blog to you.

Comment below or email FLIGHTPLANFORLIFE@gmail.com. Feedback is welcome.