Life looks different at 500 feet
When I started “really” learning to fly, I had visions of soaring through the clouds, the kind of scenes you see on inspirational posters or on movies. I certainly didn’t expect flying to quietly unravel a few life lessons along the way. But, as it turns out, a little aeroplane and a whole lot of open sky can teach you things you didn’t even know you needed to learn.
To me, flying isn’t complicated. Correction – technically it is, otherwise the Wright Brothers wouldn’t be national heroes. But, the kind of flying I do, simple, almost rudimentary, recreational flying is more about feeling than formulas. You take off, you fly, you land.
In the sky, life looks different. Literally and figuratively.
Preparation Isn’t Glamorous, But It’s Everything
Nobody brags about a great pre-flight inspection. (“You should have seen me test those ailerons”) But skipping it is a bit like playing culinary roulette with spicy curry the night before a long flight, and hoping for the best.
Flying has taught me in life, as in aviation, you can’t fake readiness. Success isn’t a standing ovation. Rather, it’s the quiet boring stuff you do when no-one is watching. It’s the checklists, the re-checking the fuel cap “just in case”.
Stay calm. Seriously
Every pilot knows the theory: if something goes wrong, stay calm. Aviate. Navigate. Communicate. But, when the radio sputters mid-flight, or you suddenly realise you are 200 feet lower than you should be, the theory feels a lot less comforting.
The only thing worse than a problem is panicking about it. Turns out that applies on the ground too. Flying has taught me that when things start wobbling – plans, relationships, jobs – the smartest thing you can do is breathe, hold steady and avoid making things worse.
Little things matter.
You don’t need a dramatic tug on the controls to change course. A small input is all it takes. One tiny correction, two degrees here, a touch extra trim there, and the plane does all the hard work for you. In life, somehow our brains are wired to think only big changes will fix things. New job, new house, new city. But sometimes, a few small tweaks to daily habits or attitude are you really need to get back on course.
Don’t forget to look out the window.
It’s very easy to get caught up staring at the gauges, worrying about headings and airseped. Especially in the early stages of flying, I had to keep reminding myself to look outside, to actually see the world going under the wings. It’s a good reminder for life. So many of us are busy chasing deadlines, managing diets and inboxes. Sometimes we forget to look up and notice the sunset or remember that we are living parts of our lives we once dreamed about. Flying makes you pay attention to those things, and appreciate the beauty of thew world in which we fly.
Flying hasn’t made me a philosopher or a hero. It has, however, given me a front-row seat to the strange, beautiful, often unpredictable flight path we all seem to be on.
And every now and then, when life feels too big, too noisy or too complicated. I just think: fly the aeroplane. Look around. Breathe. Trust yourself.
* for those who don’t speak aviationese, an aileron is the part of the wing which helps the plane turn.