Life lessons mould you as an individual. They make you wiser, more successful and well rounded. The road to becoming a pilot is full of hard work, dedication and ultimately, success. It changes who you are as a person. You finish your training with stronger knowledge in mathematics, physics, and general aviation, but you’ll also come to find that some of life’s most important lessons are learned throughout this period. Here are the 5 we feel are the strongest Life Lessons our RAFFCA Pilots learn.
1. We’re all human. We feel pain, fear and joy the same.
In today’s day and age, most news focuses on negative stories of “us vs. them” creating human divide. As you learn to fly and eventually become a pilot, the doors to the world will open. You will meet people from many diverse backgrounds. You’ll notice a difference in traditions, customs and opinions. You’ll also notice that we’re all not so different at all. We’re all human and we all love, we all feel and we all want a better life for ourselves and our families.
2. Remain calm and remember your training.
Undoubtedly there will be situations throughout your pilot life which will test you. It’s how you handle them which makes the difference. When it comes to abnormal situations in aviation, the main thing to remember is to stay calm and revert to the training you’ve learned. You’ll find that all your training will kick in and you’ll slow down and focus on just the situation at hand.
3. You can achieve anything if you persevere.
There will always be something out there that you are yet to master. It could be obtaining an instrument rating or perfecting your crosswind landings. Over the course of your studies, you’ll learn that it’s not just hard work, it’s persistence that pays off. Everything in life worth doing is learned through hard work and perseverance.
4. Humility gets you ahead in life.
Humility, officialy described as: “the quality of having a modest or low view of one’s self importance”. A healthy dose of humility and modesty is one of the most important values a pilot could possess. It’s not about lack of pride, it’s about knowing when to accept someone else’s knowledge may be better.
Pilots gain confidence and assertiveness throughout their career which is necessary. What is important is knowing when those positive traits cross the line into over-confidence. Over-confident pilots will find themselves in trouble very easily.
A pilot who learns humility will rise up the ranks and earn respect and trust much easier. This quality is actually applicable across all professions and one we see our top leaders in the military hold.
5. There will always be a better pilot out there.
No matter how successful you are, there will always be someone higher-up and better than you, and that’s okay. Even though this is hard to hear for many pilots, this is where humility comes into play. Fly because it’s your dream, your goal and your passion. If you must compete, compete with yourself to continuously progress. And take advantage of Air Sports such as Aerobatics.
Today SAC(T) Kieran Bye was given his Pilot’s Licence and his 3rd place trophy from Tony Air Blade RAFFCA Aerobatics Competition. Well done! pic.twitter.com/kX4Z4CUmHJ
— RAF Benson (@RAFBenson) October 10, 2017
We can put you in touch with the RAFFCA Competition Director and British Aerobatics to learn more. Keep an eye out on our social media feeds for more RAFFCA Aerobatics as we approach Competition Season ✈️
