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Knowing What We Know

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Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • The feeling of truly being a "real pilot" is a subjective, evolving process that often crystallizes during unsupervised flights requiring independent decision-making or through overcoming significant in-flight challenges, rather than just achieving initial certifications.
  • Pilots typically progress from initial overconfidence to a respectful humility, gradually gaining solid confidence in their abilities while always acknowledging the vastness of what they still don't know.
  • "Aha" moments of realizing one's mastery often occur after successfully navigating highly demanding or unexpected situations, solidifying competence and redefining one's self-perception as a pilot.
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Brad Hayden comes from an aviation family. His father and uncle had avionics shops, and he confesses to flying so much as a kid that he “kind of got sick of it.” Of course, that might also have been due to the airsickness he and his five siblings battled on all those hot summer flights in the back seat of a family plane. But in any event, none of the Hayden kids pursued a pilot’s license as adults.

Until this year. Three weeks ago as of this writing, Hayden, who’s the marketing director for Aspen Avionics (think affordable, retrofittable glass cockpit instruments for GA aircraft), got his private pilot’s license. At the age of 46.

FLYING Staff

FLYING Magazine is a one-stop resource for everything aviation, including news, training, aircraft, gear, careers, photos, videos, and more.

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