Aviation Insights

Aviation Topicality

Readers of this blog can expect a wide variety of aviation related topics.  Twenty three years and counting as a military officer, 19 of them flying, nearly 16 years international flying for a major airline and some corporate flying have left me with a nice bag of tricks, stories to tell and experiences to share. So, I’ll start it off with an experience or two and afterward we’ll see where the reader input takes us. I hope for lots of feedback because it usually directs my memory to an interesting, sometimes heart-pumping, story or experience worth re-telling.  Another topic I like to share some hard learned lessons on is how to get hired to fly the heavy metal. There are many different and interesting paths that can get you to a heavy metal job. Some are better than others, some take longer than others, some are more expensive than others. One thing they all have in common is, no guarantee. Learning the details does make for some interesting conversation while crossing the country, the Atlantic Ocean or the Amazon Jungle, though. Being a military trained pilot with two sons and the thought they may someday  pursue a career in aviation, I made it a habit to ask nearly everyone I’ve flown with over the years to explain how they made it to fly the heavy metal. I did so to have the ability to offer alternatives for learning how to fly and get to the heavy metal not only for my kids sake but to share with the many people I meet every year who ask “how did you learn how to do that?” The standard answer, “ when you pull back on the yoke the houses get smaller, when you push forward the houses get larger” just doesn’t cut it any more. Learning how to fly, what kinds of airplanes to fly and what type of flying time to log is only the beginning. How to obtain and get through an interview is a vitally important aspect of the heavy metal process. What do you wear, what do you say during an interview? In both cases you must also consider the “not” part.  What not to wear or say is most definitely something to “not” forget to cover before an interview. I’m sure you get the picture there is a lot to share on the topic, shall we say a big blog’s worth at least. Finally, I’d like to share, on occasion, some ideas and potential products I’m working on with my corporation, Aloft Enterprises Inc. If you’re interested, you can check us out at Linkedin,  www.linkedin.com/in/storemerite.