Although you may find this hard to believe, I am wrong from time to time. Don’t be alarmed. It was a shock to me too when I first realized that I was indeed fallible.

Of course, this just puts puts me in the same category as you, and everyone else you or I know. We’re all wrong from time to time.

Thankfully, my personal superpower is this: I know I’m occasionally wrong and so I remain on guard for that possibility. That simple act of consideration makes all the difference. [Read more…]

It’s been said that a man (or woman) never stands so tall as when they stoop to help a child.

There’s truth in that saying. I’ve seen it happen. Occasionally I try to be helpful myself. It’s relatively easy to do, frankly. It’s worth a try at least.

As adults we’re physically, emotionally, and intellectually superior to most kids — at least in theory. Based on our greater experience and familiarity with the options available to us in most situations, we should be head and shoulders above the kids we work with. That being the case, almost anything you do can be helpful — assuming you actually do something and that the thing you do is intended to have a positive result.

Not all adults are equally committed to getting the job done. There are instances where the adult in question has almost no interest in getting the job done — even if they’re being paid to do it. [Read more…]

It’s a sad fact, but for pretty much the entire time I’ve been involved in aviation, the total number of pilots has been hovering at a less than impressive total, or dwindling to an even lesser figure.

Fortunately, that scenario isn’t a permanent condition. The numbers fluctuate from year to year. Over the past decade the numbers have been relatively flat. Sometimes they go up a bit, other years they take a slight dip. But nothing monumental has happened to the overall number of men and women who are qualified to pilot an aircraft.

This past year, the numbers inched upward again. The number of people walking around with a valid FAA pilot certificate in their possession is up by nearly 25,000. That’s good news. Very good news. [Read more…]

Until not very long ago, there were only two serious indicators that Christmas was just around the corner. They were, in order of importance, the arrival of a Sears and Roebuck catalog in the mail, and the calendar pinned to the kitchen wall.

As anyone with first-hand experience can attest, anything and everything you could possibly want was listed in that catalog. From dishes, to dolls, to go-carts, and boats — even entire homes could be purchased in kit form from that one magical book.

Today things have changed, of course. Christmas has busted out all over the place. It seems every retailer in town has become overstocked with items destined to be found under the tree a few weeks from now. [Read more…]