How being a helicopter pilot can teach you some things about business

Some of the things you learn in the helicopter world translate surprisingly well into the business world.

Over the years I’ve noticed that many of the same lessons that keep you safe in the air can also help you succeed on the ground.

So, I thought I’d start with the three questions I’ve been asked most often in my 25+ years of helicopter flying…

Question 2: “Have you ever had an emergency?”

Following on from Part 2, it’s impossible not to talk about training.

As a professional helicopter pilot, we are constantly being trained, tested, and assessed.

Every aircraft type we fly requires its own annual proficiency checks, instructor assessments, examiner assessments—and of course, the ever-present medical.  (This one that makes pilots more nervous than most check flights.)

But the real focus of all this training is simple: preparing for the unexpected.

We constantly practise emergency procedures, system failures, mission problems, and worst-case scenarios.

We have to understand the helicopter’s systems, limitations, and performance inside out. We rehearse emergencies again and again so that if something ever does go wrong, the response is immediate, calm, and effective.

In aviation we train for “the worst day.”

Because when that day arrives, it’s far too late to start learning.

And that brings us to another lesson that applies just as much in business as it does in the cockpit:

“Hoping it will be OK” is not a strategy.

Preparation is.