The Do's and Don'ts of Flight Training

"Maybe fighting to fly is one of the hardest challenges ever, but it is simply the most rewarding. Every night I would wish upon a star that I would be a pilot, well, here I am."
​-Jetta

---

Wouldn't it be nice to just have all the knowledge in the world to self sustain yourself in your dream job? Well, this is impossible without the proper education in order to learn and grow so you can do that dream job. Knowledge is one of those tough things because it is never just given, it is attained. Now, what does attained mean? To attain something means to get or receive that very something. Knowledge is received, not simply natural. Everyone has dreams and everyone has goals. In the end, what do you want in life? Maybe it is a certain job, or a certain car, and maybe even you want to live somewhere specific. Whether it is either of those things, there are always steps needed to get there. There are no skipping the stepping stones to the other side of the lake. Teleportation does not ever exist sadly. With that being said, what are those stepping stones? 

Ever since I was super young I have always been one to have her eyes towards the sky. I always have thought about myself kind of like a mini Amelia Earhart, as she is my all time favorite pilot. She has definitely driven my passion for flight. I knew from the beginning that being a pilot and learning how to be a good pilot would never be easy. When someone says something is simply too hard for them to do, I always reply with, "well, if it was so easy, then everyone on this planet would be doing it too. How boring would that make this world? Very boring. I really think that anyone can do anything that they put their mind to." Why would I respond like that? In all honesty, this world is full of hard things. Life is like a video game, and I can thank the chief flight instructor at my flight school for this analogy, but if the levels are too hard, no one will play it. If the game is too easy, then everyone can play it and finish it very very rapidly. The game needs to be that in between, so it creates what is called equilibrium. In life, everyone needs equilibrium with nearly everything in order to thrive. If life is a video game, then what would happen if all of the levels were so easy? Life would be pretty uniform and everyone's lives would be led out the same. From this stand point I am referring to jobs, accomplishments, and so forth. In math there is a concept called 'the best line of fit.' This is used in a set of data plotted on a graph. The best line of fit, well... is a line that goes through the most amount of points possible. If our lives were so easy and everything given was so simple, then there would be no such thing as a line of fit because all of those points would be all concentrated in one area, and not spread out. Diversity would cease to exist. 

Continuing on, and away from my little rant regarding why life has to be challenging,  this is really a neat experience being in flight training. I have learned so much about myself and the world around me. As I am going about flying, I have learned so much biology, physics, and chemistry, it is amazing. There is a lot that goes into being a pilot that I never thought existed. If you really want to be a pilot, then do it. Amelia Earhart once said, "The most effective way to do it is to do it." Life just moves on and on until you reach a point of passing onto the next life. There is no point in sitting idle if you want to do something. If you love science, history, and flying, then this is the choice for you. On one hand, the most amazing thing that you can do is to try it! During flight training I have had to constantly remind myself of Amelia's quote because it helps me realize that I just have to do it. The knowledge is not just going to come to me, I have to put forth effort on my end to attain that knowledge. 

A good pilot always has his or her mind on constant safety mode. Everything a pilot does must be completed with extreme caution. They must have attention to detail and attention to safety. This has been an issue recently due to so many factors and issues that have been occurring. Chesley Sullenberger is a huge advocate for aviation safety. If you do not know who he is, he landed an aircraft on the Hudson River due to an emergency situation. Please read more about him here. However, he has brought up many many good points concerning this industry and the importance of safety. We both share similar thoughts, but I do like his last advocacy for flight training issues. In this industry pilots must make safe decisions. 

Having the honorable title of pilot is not just about flying planes. Besides taking life to a whole new level so to speak, pilots must have the most amount of faith and good judgement. They need to be able to make perfect choices while being able to multi task. Since the beginning, like sailors, weather has been a top concern for pilots. They can never just assume the weather. A pilot must be able to check up and decipher safety conditions. I have done some research about why this is so important. Most of them are obvious while others are merely not so obvious. There is plenty of 'risk' associated with flying. In order to actually succeed in this career one needs to be focused and determined to place safety over being on time. 

Allow yourself to take diligent and detailed notes because those will help in the future. From my previous school life at another college as well as throughout high school, I have learned that it is so important to take good notes. Hey, but what is a good note taker? It depends on the needs of yourself. There is no formal definition of a 'good note taker.' Sometimes it can feel overwhelming and forced when you have to take detailed notes. Trust me though, your pilot mind will thank you later. I have figured out that a question in aviation that pops up today will always pop up tomorrow, so good notes will allow you to have that answer when it is facilitated. 
​---
This month of December is going to be a little bit different when it comes to blog posts. I will be sending out a survey within the next little bit asking for some advice regarding the upcoming blog posts. I really want to do something nice this December for the beautiful Christmas season along with the birthday of this blog. In the long run, I have been really busy lately and I still want to make all of these entertaining, so I need your help with this one. I always want to create content just for you all, tailored to you all. It has always been a passion of mine to write, so I am trying to find new ways to curate my writing to best fit you all. Make sure to sign up for my newsletter here.