Passion for Learning

My father taught me that nugget of wisdom years ago.  It is fitting on so many levels and definitely applies to times when I have anxiety or unwarranted fear.  The type of fear that keeps one off roller coasters and sometimes public places has useful properties yet the side effects can be completely useless!  Especially when flying.  I’ll bet there are many pilots who experience fear while flying.  It’s often quoted that flying is made up of hours of boredom peppered with moments of panic.   For someone like me who is prone to anxiety it makes it even more difficult to overcome not only the mental and physical challenges but also these ghost challenges that the mind conjures up.

In aviation we call them human factors.  For instance did you know that as you climb higher and higher, the brain receives less oxygen.  The brain doesn’t naturally assume “oh this is because I am high up in an airplane” it just senses a lack of oxygen.  A suffocating feeling at best.  If you were not trained to “know better” you might actually panic, and get into a mode where you actually ARE in danger instead of just THINK you are in danger.   See the fine line there? (more…)