If you pardon the take on the old Jimmy Buffet song in the title, I’m fast approaching 50 and thought it was high time to pursue a life-long dream of becoming a pilot and here’s a bit of background on why now, exactly. It’s mostly personal but there’s also an aspect of relating flying to organizational leadership, if that’s your bag.
Born To Love Aviation
I grew up surrounded by aviation. My family exists, primarily, because of aviation. My Irish-American side moved from Philly to Baltimore to work in the shipyards and, eventually, lived in company housing next to the Glenn L. Martin Company (later Martin Marietta and now part of Lockheed: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glenn_L._Martin_Company)working to make B-26 Marauders and the like for the WWII effort. My uncles were aviators and owned a small Piper Cub prior to my birth and I grew up hearing awesome tales of their travels in that little beast up and down the East Coast. My family settled in the area and I grew up next to Martin State airport looking up to the sky and thinking “some day.”
Growing Up Around Aviation
My father was a physician and, while he had a small private family practice, he joined the Navy then transferred to the Army as a base doc. I grew up going to Aberdeen Proving Ground and climbing on the tanks — you could do that in the late 70s/early 80s — and watching airshows at Phillips Airfield at APG. My father eventually became a flight surgeon and trained in a few helicopters plus some basic single prop plane seat time. I didn’t get to go near the choppers but the training stories were thrilling. In the early 80s, he transitioned to the Guard and spent some time at, surprise!, Martin State where the Air Guard (175th Wing) has a station. Being an aviation fan, I enrolled in the Civil Air Patrol in 4th grade and had a blast until we moved away from the area for 5th grade. Just being next to the A-10 Warthogs sitting there majestically was such an awe inspiring experience. A natural progression for an aviation fan from an aviation family with military ties would have been to go Army aviation, but, alas, my size at 6'4" and poor eyesight shut that dream down.
The Thrill Of The Climb
I love flying. The feeling of taking off is unlike anything I can relate. Some folks hate flying or are indifferent and just do it because they have to for work, then, there are those like me that get a charge out of it. I’ll fly any chance I get for work in the US or Europe and, in fact, I logged 70k miles in the air in 2019 for work with most of that in Europe. Every second of it was thrilling from the sites and sounds of the airport to the flight routine I have to settle in for the flight. Now, mind you, the flying aspect is what was thrilling not being away from my family. The job that took me to great heights wound down in early 2020 and, in looking for a new gig, I didn’t want to travel as much…but I still needed that thrill of flight.
Why Flying And Why Now?
In September, 2020, for my 48th birthday, my amazing and supportive wife surprised me by enrolling me in my first flight lesson at Martin State Airport (KMTN) with Middle River Aviation. The second my instructor and I took off in that little Cessna 172, I was hooked and plans to get my Private Pilot License were hatched.
I’ve always wanted to get my license but it has always been a “some day” aspiration. As I approach 50, “some days” are either now or never. My plan is to try and be done by 50. I need about 60 hours of flight training time and a bunch of tests to get the license, so, it’s doable in 2 years at my pace and budget. Being that this is strictly for enjoyment, I’m OK with stretching out, but, most folks get it done in a few months if they intend on having a career in aviation. My intention is to be able to do pleasure-seeking regional flights then volunteer missions in retirement. No rush.
Why flying? I’ve touched on the thrill aspect, however, understand, I’m not an adrenaline junkie or speed seeker. I’m also rather risk adverse. Sure, I’ve skydived before (once!) and flying comes with inherent dangers, but, the risks are calculated and manageable. Thrill is part of it, but, I can get that from taking commercial flights. The largest driver is to be a Pilot. As a pilot of an aircraft, you are in command and everything you do is to that end. Piloting is not a passive experience.
Living In The Moment, Learning & Organizational Leadership Lessons
Another pursuit, as I head towards 50, is the very conscious effort to live in the moment and be present. To shut down the brain from distraction and experience life as it is happening. I’ve taken to some hobbies that require this element of focus or relaxation methods that promote it — a nice cigar and a glass of bourbon does this well — but I’ve longed for something that has a “thrill’’ component while demanding 100% focus to execute. Piloting is this to the nth degree. You must constantly have your head on a swivel to be hyper aware of your surroundings and the operational aspects of the aircraft. When flying, you become one with, well, everything.
Another benefit of learning to fly is that the brain is re-wired for an entirely new skillset. It’s hard to describe, but, it’s as if I can feel new synapses being hooked up and a sort-of charge comes from it. I have to study, log some flight simulator time, and, of course, do the physical flying lessons that require the ol’ brain to review, store, itemize, etc. It’s a “thrill” in itself and, frankly, learning is truly living.
Personal reasons aside, this pursuit has professional ramifications on the organizational leadership side.
The engineer side of my brain likes the procedures and processed involved in flying. There are checklists for every step and documented processes that must be followed for success. This is very much akin to building high-performing teams; many players, processes and procedures, checklists, etc. The other huge aspect is communication. Communication with people on the ground and other pilots is constant and must be clear, concise, and correct. High-performing teams require the same level of communication. I’ve began to take these elements at a macro level and work on transitioning the skills both ways to pretty good results thus far.
Lastly, on the professional tip, my pilot lessons are translating into organizational leadership lessons for that very personal reason of “being present” that equates to leading teams: be present and truly listen & care to understand the intentions/aspirations of my team members. Processes and communication are great, but, people are what make teams great.
To The Sky!
The path to becoming a pilot is a long one for me in both the lead up and execution. Stay tuned for thoughts on the process from an organizational leadership perspective as I learn new skills and ways to apply them or to just track my (slow) progress. Anyhoo, wheels up and keep reaching for the clouds.
