1. Pilot your life
Welcome to issue no. 12 of Pilot your life. June 2010
When learning to fly, a student pilot is taught that attitude is
everything.
However, the flying instructor mainly refers to the attitude (position) of
the nose of the aircraft in relation to the horizon.
To fly straight and level in the cruise, the pilot needs to fly the aircraft
so that it doesn't climb, descend or turn – a balanced attitude.
In order to descend, the pilot lowers the nose of the aircraft by
pushing the controls forward and decreasing the engine power. The right attitude of the nose
ensures a gradual balanced descent. Lowering the nose too much increases the flying speed
and may lead to a spiral dive if not corrected (not a good result).
In order to climb, the pilot raises the nose of the aircraft by pulling the controls back and
increasing the engine power. The right attitude of the nose ensures a gradual balanced
ascent. Raising the nose too much decreases the flying speed and may lead to a stall if not
corrected (not a good result).
So you can see that flying is about balance and attitude – the right attitude maintains balance
and the wrong attitude can potentially result in dire consequences.
Life can be exactly the same.
On Oz Flight ’99, I set out with the right attitude that I would be successful even though I
would probably have my ups and downs both in and out of the plane. If I thought that I was
going to fail, I would never have taken off in the first place.
Having this attitude also helped me realise that what was happening to me during the flight
was as important as achieving my goal. I had lessons to learn both in and out of the plane –
about life in general and flying in particular.
For some people it’s not just the destination which counts but the journey itself.
I also figured afterwards that many of my problems were due to not always being able to
maintain this attitude, particularly to situations, to other people and to myself.

2. Pilot your life
However, I did maintain the right attitude to the plane because I had done a lot of my flying
training in it, I knew that it was well maintained mechanically and I trusted it.
During the flight, I performed the daily inspections of the plane before and after flying and it
had an oil change in Darwin and a service in Broome.
I looked after the plane and it looked after me. The flight around both the mainland and
Tasmania was completed without anything going wrong with the plane.
So instead of the call sign of the Cessna 172 aircraft being NRC – November Romeo
Charlie, for me it became Nice Reliable Cessna.
NRC and boab tree, Derby Airport,
Western Australia
However, in 2002, for Sea, Sky and Sand, a flight around South Australia’s coast and
Outback, I adopted a much more positive attitude.
This time I even gave the plane a name, Spirit of Adventure, setting the tone of the journey
straight away. The call sign, which was IES – India Echo Sierra, I changed (for me only) to
In Excellent Spirits.
As usual, everything didn’t go smoothly, but instead of the roller coaster ride of Oz Flight ’99,
this time it was more like a fishing boat bobbing gently up and down on the ocean – what a
difference!
IES at Wilpena Pound,
Flinders Ranges, South Australia

3. Pilot your life
I learnt from my mistakes and consequently coped a lot better because I started out with
the right attitude and maintained that during the whole of the flight.
So, my next great tip for how to pilot your life (personal or business) is:
Maintain the right attitude.
This will enable you to cope with and learn from your mistakes.
The journey may be more important than the destination.
Two of my presentation topics are:
Attitude is everything
Success
My two call signs for business are:
ALP – Australia’s Life Pilot (showing people how to pilot their lives and navigate their way to
success) and
IPL – Improving Patients’ Lives (with my DVD productions for aged care and dementia
patients).
What are your positive call signs (personal and business)?
If you’d like to email your call sign(s) to me at fran@franwest.com, I'll send you a photo which
you can use as your desktop wallpaper.
Visit: www.franwest.com and http://au.linkedin.com/in/franwestau.
Blog: http://pilotyourlife.wordpress.com.
Blog for DVDs: http://alzheimersproducts.blogspot.com.
Phone: 61 8 82706623
Email: fran@franwest.com for speaking engagements, purchases and the first eleven issues
of the newsletter.
While you’re waiting for the next newsletter, “Plane Reflections: about life and a flight around
Australia’s coast” is available in book and CD format for $20.00 plus postage and packaging.
You are welcome to forward Pilot your life to others who may be interested.

4. Pilot your life
If this newsletter has been forwarded to you by someone else, please contact me at
fran@franwest.com and I'll add you to my emailing list.
Bye for now,
Australia's Life Pilot
Speaker, Author, Adventurer
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