Whether your’e soloing in a Cessna 172 or soaring the skies in a Phenom 300, there are some valuable pointers that single pilot operations need to be consistently self-briefed on. The basis of Crew Resource Management grew out of the 1977 Tenerife airport disaster where two Boeing 747 aircraft collided on the runway, killing 583 people. A few weeks later, NASA held a workshop on the topic, endorsing this innovative training. A younger concept that has been quietly adapted is Single Pilot Resource Management (SRM). SRM is defined as the art and science of managing all the resources — both on-b ..read more

Considering the chaos of 2020 that created havoc in the aviation industry, a lot of pilots found themselves without a job and wondering what to do next. Being in the contracting game for over 7 years, I found the market slowly flooding with quite a few aviators wanting to try their hand at contracting. First and foremost, it is hard to break into this particular avenue in aviation successfully, and it takes a certain type of self-managed person to do it properly. Let's start with an easy list of contract pilot pros and cons: PROS: Scheduling is a very smiled upon aspect for contract pilots, T ..read more

Being a successful, strong and marketable aviator requires implementing powerful habits in your personal life. Good productive habits are EVERYTHING when it comes to success in your career. Even the tiniest changes to your daily routine will breed a more stable mood, lifestyle, and overall general well being. Here are 5 powerful habits of successful pilots: PUT YOURSELF FIRST. This may seem like an easy feat, but when so many responsibilities fall on your shoulders, both at home and in the flight deck, the tiniest tasks that aid in your overall wellbeing tend to be the items that fall to t ..read more

Most of us in the professional traveling community are finding ourselves home for the holidays more than we would like to be during the 2020 tribulations. Fall is such a whimsical season of refreshing change and a little mischief in the air can be felt particularly in the month of October. Family time must go on, even YOU need a break from your break at home. My husband and I decided to have a little budgeted road tripping fun and take a 4 day break in the Ozark Mountains buried in Arkansas, and visited the Historical District of Eureka Springs. It was about a 6 hour drive for us and worth ev ..read more

Most of us in the professional traveling community are finding ourselves home for the holidays more than we would like to be during the 2020 tribulations. Fall is such a whimsical season of refreshing change and a little mischief in the air can be felt particularly in the month of October. Family time must go on, even YOU need a break from your break at home. My husband and I decided to have a little budgeted road tripping fun and take a 4 day break in the Ozark Mountains buried in Arkansas, and visited the Historical District of Eureka Springs. It was about a 6 hour drive for us and worth ev ..read more

[ GUEST POST By Cheryl Conklin | wellnesscentral.info Even if you’re eager to venture out into the world after so many months of self-isolation, the idea of leaving home for more than a quick walk or hike can feel a bit overwhelming. Whether you’re fearful about the coronavirus or you’re unhappy with your appearance after falling off the diet and fitness wagon while sheltering in place, there are some things you can do to adapt to this next phase of the pandemic. ,Aubrey, an Air Transport Pilot, business owner, and the face of CollectingCopilots.com, ,offers some sound advice on embracing the ..read more

Its like we are sitting in the midst of a rickety playground (the world), and these really awful fire ants (the pandemic) won't stop crawling all around us. We are hoping our scabbed up knee is healing (our ego's) and were desperately trying to rip off this ugly, super sticky, over-used bandaid (social distancing/quarentine/economic decline...you name it) that just won't peel up from the skin. SO we mentally pick at it, hoping to grab a strong enough corner and endure the pain all at once quickly, yet the more we struggle and fight to get it over with, the pain is insurmountable and the banda ..read more

Every pilot, no matter where you are at in your flying career, has faced a situation that has shot your confidence in your abilities. Whether it be during a training event, before a flight with a new crew, or during "under-pressure" situations, walking away from that aircraft never felt so ugly. WE (crew) HAVE ALL BEEN THERE! We're not perfect flyers and we never will be! Getting stuck in a low self-confidence rut can be hard to get out of, ESPECIALLY in training or (heaven forbid) after an incident. If you stay there in that low head-space, it will take you even longer to bounce back. Story ..read more

Ya’ll! 2020 has been INSANE with work and moving and scheduling (lets not forget the pandemic). I wrote a blurb over a year ago (twice) about establishing my thoughts and emotions to take better care of myself and go figure, I fell into the SAME trap, and guess what? Im the culprit that keeps setting this ensnarement. How many times do you focus on a resol ution to better yourself for the next year and end up over worked, tired, cranky, unhealthy and waving the white flag at the end of the year? We are going to break this together!!! First, I want to share with you my previous story, and afte ..read more

The Puns of  Ups & Downs If you have been in aviation for more than 5 years, you know the cyclic nature of our industry. Any hiccup in the economic world results in a ripple effect echoing through military, commercial and business aviation resulting in both upswings and downswings. Being involved in a financially sensitive business like ours, with relatively poor returns on invested capital, begs for preparation with all who are involved. Over the past few years, we aviators have enjoyed continuing growth of world economies, good performance of airlines and the financial and emo ..read more