STAYING ON COURSE
Flying and landing with a crosswind
I remember, when I was 15 years old, learning to fly a glider. It was a process, like coaching. I had to learn one thing at the time. First, I learned where to position the nose of the aircraft in space in order to control my speed and my trajectory. I learned how to make a full 360 degree turn and control my descent. The hardest things were takeoffs and landings. When you fly a glider, you take off by being pulled by an aircraft. It is not easy to follow behind in the right position without jeopardizing the stability of the front aircraft. It is not easy to fly exactly the same path of the front aircraft when you are 200 feet behind. The landing was the second hardest thing.
Everything has to be in alignment; your rate of descent, your speed and your flight-path must be aligned with the center of the runway. Now, to make things more complicated, add some crosswind. You have to relearn everything. If you let the wind carry you off course, guess what is going to happen… you drift… and then… you arrive somewhere that is not the destination you planned. In order to reach your destination, you need to correct for this crosswind by taking an angle against it. We call this angle the wind correction angle.
I think a picture is easier to describe it… Have a look!
Flying and landing with a crosswind are super tough. Each aircraft landing gear is designed to be able to land with crosswind. However, they all have speed limits. Landing above this limit will just break the gear and you crash. Now, what is the analogy between that damn crosswind, coaching, and life.
Life comes with its own terms. We can plan, we can execute what we planned but rarely does it go as smooth as we thought. There is always something in the way, there is always some crosswind.
Is your life on course?
In June, I did a 5-day challenge where we went through the different phases to create a flight plan, a flight that would bring you safe and sound to your destination at the end of this year. In this newsletter, I will share with you three complimentary tips to help you stay on course and get to your dream destination with success.
Check your navigation
When you plan something in your personal or professional life, you set milestones or waypoints. In aviation, we use time and reference points on the ground and look to see if we are on time and on track (the time increments and the number of waypoints on the ground will vary depending on the size of the aircraft and the length of the flight). We look if we are at the right position. The important thing is to do it regularly and as often as possible. If there is too much time between checks, you may have a big deviation. Even worse, you can get lost. The shorter the interval between your checks, the smaller are the corrections to stay on course. So, in your life, make regular checks; maybe at the end of the day, the week or the month.
Take preventive action
If you see that you have some crosswinds, facing some challenges and obstacles along the way, take preventive action, take a wind correction angle. As an example, if you feel that your relationship is drifting apart, take a corrective action and point your nose against it. Question the “wind”… Where is it coming from and how strong. Don’t let yourself drift. Be in command. Be proactive and find a solution to revive the passion in your relationship.
Plan for a reserve of fuel
Flying against the crosswind will have two major consequences. It will take more time and more fuel. Whatever you do in life, always have a reserve. If you plan a new project, make sure you have a reserve in your finances, assets, resource… and extra time.
Final word
If you are the captain on board, if you are in command of your life, if you are prepared to take on the turbulences and the wind that will come on your flight path, you will have a much smoother flight; your life will have less stress and anxiety. You will be able to enjoy the flight, to enjoy life even in difficult times. Now, look out of your cockpit window… Where is the wind coming from? Do you feel it? What are you going to do about it?
P.S.: Hey guys, Hubert here!
Do me a favor, would you? If you liked this blog, would you share it with somebody that might like it?
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That would mean the world to me. My only humble desire is to serve you better.
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