3 Common Errors

My Belief

I am a few years removed from teaching young pilots the basics of flying in the clouds. This type of flying is also known as flying “IFR” (Instrument Flight Rules) and after thousands of hours of flying it comes as naturally to me now as walking. Even as such, I still remember the common errors that pilots make when doing this type of flying. These errors are labeled as 1. Fixation, 2. Emphasis 3. and Omission.

Traditionally cockpit flight instrument panels have been laid out in a “6 pack” format. Instruments that display Airspeed, Altitude, Attitude, Heading, Vertical speed, and Bank Angle have been placed in front of the pilot in a way that looks similar to a 6 pack of drinks. These instruments are what gives the pilot all the information that he needs when he is unable to see outside the aircraft. The previously mentioned errors are what pilots must continuously evaluate while he scans all of these instruments. He cannot let himself fixate on any one instrument because he will miss what the others are telling him. For a similar reason he can not let himself place any particular emphasis any individual instrument. And obviously it would be detrimental to the flight if he were to completely omit any of the instruments during his scan.

I was speaking with a buddy of mine who is also an airline pilot. We were chatting about how both of us put special emphasis to the point of fixation on our budgets. In this bad economy it is a hot topic for everyone. We both feel that we want to honor God with our money by being good stewards of it and debtors to no one. We both agreed that fiscal discipline is important, but it is not the only thing God called us to do. For us especially, we must not omit all the other things God has called us to do in this life. He also called us to be God fearing men and women that live a life of service and sacrifice to our family and friends. He called us to do the work of an evangelist and spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ to everyone on earth. As we talked we both admitted that it is easy for us particularly to become fixated on this one thing and omit all the other responsibilities the Lord has given us. There is only so much time and energy in a day and it is my prayer that God would help me multi-task to accomplish all that He has set before me.

Scripture

Eph 2:10

¹⁰ For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Application for Life

I believe the keys to life are organization and discipline. There are so few hours in a day and for me to live the life that God has set for me I must utilize all of them. The only way I can do this, is if I rise in the morning and plan out my day. I know that I want to devote time in the morning to my relationship with Jesus. I know that I want to devote time to paying my bills and continuously evaluating our budget. I know that I want to spend time being a godly father and husband to my daughter and wife after school and work. I know when I go to work, the gym, or to play that I want to preserve my testimony and look for opportunities to speak about Jesus. Once I have organized my schedule, I pray the Lord gives me the discipline to stick to it. With God’s help, I will accomplish all that he has for me and not just get stuck or one or two things.