Important Skills Pilots Acquire From Flying

Important Skills Pilots Acquire From FlyingImportant Skills Pilots Acquire From FlyingA certain set of skills is required to become a pilot, a few of which are technical but many are applicable to various parts of your non-pilot lives. A survey done by Brown Aviation Lease determined that pilots come away from flight training with five skills. Core Professional Pilot Skills No matter what type of pilot you become, you will generally need a core set of skills to succeed in this career. Here are four types you will need to develop to get ahead 1. Confidence Your ability to take action and make decisions with assuredness because you are certain that you can handle the consequences of your actions. You are sure of yourself backed by your training and practiced decision making. 2. Multi-Tasking You can simultaneously and effectively manage and take action on multiple priorities and projects at once. 3. Time Management You have the ability to manage complex tasks and deadlines within given parameters of time that are critical to mission accomplishment. 4. Problem Solving You have the ability to solve complex problems that might prove challenging to another partie. Your problem solving involves an ability to simultaneously consider a variety of options and variables to come up with a speedy solution 5. Adaptability You are able to swiftly take into consideration a variety of changing circumstances and change your behavior or actions quickly to take advantage of the differing opportunities. Application of Pilot Skills to Different Careers You can apply these skills valued by pilots to almost all careers. Heres how. Ability to Make a Decision and Make It Quickly Why this is an important skill for pilots Most people, given enough information, can make a sound decision that results in a positive outcome. But when flying an airplane, time and resource constraints, as well as other stress-adding factors like scared passengers or turbulence, can make decision-ma king a bit mora challenging. How you can apply this skill to your career Most jobs dont have life-threatening outcomes possible from everyday decisions, but you also need to make decisions quickly and correctly. For instance, you dont have time to research proper techniques for calming a person down when a client is screaming at you right now. In other situations, you may have time to research and make decisions but this process can lead to analysis paralysis. Once you have enough information to proceed, you can proceed confidently. Remember, its rare that only one right way exists to take action. When to Adapt to Rules and When to Break Them Why this is an important skill for pilots Pilots have a strict set of rules to follow from regulating bodies and various other sources. The federal aviation regulations, for example, set the basic operating rules for flying within the nations airspace. Following these rules is paramount to keeping everyone alive. And there are other rules, too, like the rules that the airplane manufacturer publishes in the aircraft manual, which are often suggestions that, if not followed, could kill. And a pilot flying or working for a company will also be subject to following specific company policies and procedures. These rules are all meant to keep people safe and alive, but, at times, breaking the rules is the safer optionlike busting an ATC clearance or company protocol because an urgent situation compels you to do so. Pilots know that following the rules is ideal, but breaking them is sometimes the better option. How you can apply this skill to your career Rules and regulations exist in any industry and serious consequences can occur (though not often deadly) for not following through. Sometimes, though, doing the right thing can mean breaking a rule. Examples for When to Break the Rules Example 1You may have a rule that customers are never allowed behind the counter, but if an employee collapses behind the counter, you would a bsolutely want to let a nurse who was shopping come behind the counter to help.Example 2Bereavement leave may be limited to three days, but if an employees mother dies halfway around the world, you would find a way to ensure that she can attend the funeral. Ability to Think Analytically and Creatively Why this is an important skill for pilots A pilot cant be just a numbers person or just a creative person to be a good pilot. Its not left-brain or right-brain. Flying requires critical thinking in both realms. Pilots have to know the numbers for the airplane. They have to know the procedures and the checklists. But they also have to know how to use them appropriately, when to deviate from them, and how to think through a problem thats not on a checklist, which is where the creativity part comes in. Both skill sets come into play equally when flying. How you can apply this skill to your career While you can always hire a person to balance out the creative and the analytical, havin g a basic understanding of both realms is helpful. If youre the creative person negotiating with a client, you need to understand the numbers or youre at risk of selling yourself short. Likewise, if youre the financial person and you cant recognize good creative work, you may make errors on that side. Ability to Trust Something Other Than Yourself Why this is an important skill for pilots Most people want to be in control. People are happiest when theyre in control of a situation. Its the same for pilots. A pilot at the controls knows what the airplane is doing, knows how hell react, and is content being in control of this machine. But he also needs to trust the Air Traffic Controllers and the instruments- when flying with no visual references- in the clouds, for example- a pilots ears and eyes can play tricks on their brain, often telling them that the aircraft is in straight and level flight when its actually in a steep spiraling descent. Pilots have to observe and interpret t he instruments in this situation instead of their own gut instinct. They have to fight against their gut reaction and instead rely on feedback from the airplane and its instruments to make proper decisions. How you can apply this skill to your career As human beings, you are taught to trust your own body, brain, and your gut to tell you when things arent happening as they should. And usually, youre right. But sometimes the numbers disagree with your gut or your manager says this isnt the correct path. You need to understand when your manager has the bigger picture and how the numbers come together and follow them. It can be difficult but it can save you from disaster. Ability to See Details and the Big Picture Why this is an important skill for pilots Performing a preflight inspection on an aircraft is a good example of this. Pilots use (or should use) both a big-picture and a detail-oriented view when inspecting an airplane for flight, and with all factors involved in flying. W hen first walking up to an airplane, the pilot should make sure that things look normal overall, that the airplane looks like its in good shape, is free of icing and the pilot needs to take a visual inventory of the surroundings. That is the detail-oriented part. Then while flying, of course, the pilot needs to see how the entire plane, the flight plan, and the information from air traffic control go together to pilot the flight to a successful conclusion. How you can apply this skill to your career Checklists arent just for beginners. In fact, surgeons use them to save lives. You can use them to ensure you dont miss any important steps in your projects. A completed checklist allows you to sit back and view the big picture in confidence. They work together to ensure good results. Pilots Have Skills That Apply to Your Career These five skills are just a handful of skills that pilots develop. They happen to be useful skills that cross over into other portions of your lives. What skill s do you think pilots have that are useful in other aspects of your life?