1. Pilot your life
Welcome to issue no. 19 of Pilot your life. January 2011
Photography teaches a lot about perspective and so does flying, as
this excerpt from my book, Plane Reflections, illustrates.
“A few weeks after completing the flight around Tasmania, I was
invited to go flying with a friend. On this occasion, I was sitting in the
right hand seat, the passenger's seat. Even though I took control of
the aircraft for a short time, I was not pilot in command. I didn't have
the responsibility of making any major decisions, taking off or landing.
Basically, I just relaxed and enjoyed the flight.
Amazingly, I seemed to hear the radio better and I was also able to spot the aerodrome
sooner than the pilot who was more familiar with it. All I had to concentrate on was looking at
the scenery and listening.
On my coastal flight, as pilot in command in the left hand seat, I was quite busy. Feet worked
the rudders. Hands worked the control column, throttle, flaps, trim, fuel tank selector, radio,
camera and pencil (to mark the maps). Eyes scanned the instrument panel, checked the
GPS, watched out for other flying objects, looked for potential landing spots in case of
emergency, compared the map with the terrain below and checked the time etc. Radio calls
were received and transmitted and conversation was held with the passenger (when there
was one). Even the nose got into the act, sniffing for different smells like fuel and smoke.
In other words, all the senses were working at once. No wonder I had problems with seeing
and hearing sometimes – I was in overload. For people who fly a lot or are professional
pilots, all this comes naturally, but I had to really work at it. So, my perspective changed
when I swapped seats and responsibilities.
Passengers have a different perspective to pilots. Pilots who fly for a living have a different
perspective to pilots who are not commercial. Instrument rated pilots who are able to fly
through bad weather have a different perspective to pilots who must see where they are
going at all times.
We all view life differently, each person having a unique perspective, so be prepared to be
tolerant and patient and not too quick to judge. In other words, try and put yourself in the
other person's place. You never know, it just might be a better place to be!”
Here’s a photo of Muttonbird Island (foreground), near Loch Ard Gorge, Port Campbell

2. Pilot your life
National Park, Victoria. Some people perceive it to be like a question mark or a seahorse,
others see it as the top part of a coat hanger. What’s your unique perspective of this coastal
landmark?
So, another tip for how to pilot your life (personal or business) is:
Look at everything from a different perspective
Lateral thinking, imagination, creativity, thinking around the square,
all help you to see things from another angle.
Two of my presentation topics are:
Setting and achieving goals
Personal development
For a close up view of Muttonbird Island email me at fran@franwest.com and I'll send you the
photo which you can use as your desktop wallpaper.
Visit: www.franwest.com and http://au.linkedin.com/in/franwestau.
Blogs: http://pilotyourlife.wordpress.com and http://franwest2.blogspot.com.
Blog for DVDs: http://alzheimersproducts.blogspot.com.
Twitter: www.twitter.com/AdventurerFran
Phone: 61 8 82706623
Email: fran@franwest.com for speaking engagements, purchases and the first eighteen
issues of the newsletter.
If you would like to read more from Plane Reflections, you can purchase a copy in paperback
or CD format by contacting me direct.
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Bye for now,
Australia's Life Pilot
Speaker, Author, Adventurer
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