The Right Attitude & The First Flying Job!

For those of you who found my blog via Freshly Pressed a little over a month ago, you’ll recall the post I wrote about my boyfriend Andrew completing his Flight Instructor Certification for helicopters. I’m ecstatic to update you guys that within a month of getting his cert done, he has found his first commercial flying job! To even have a chance at a job within a month of finishing this level of training is pretty unheard of, much less actually landing the thing. Many heli pilots spend 6 or more months trying to get that first job. Obviously we’re pretty excited!

The other great part is that he will be flying around the state of Texas mostly, so for now he will not have to move halfway across the country. Always a bonus when we don’t have to live far apart! He just left Monday for his first gig, flying rides at a small town fair in East Texas. And could it get better? Why yes, it does. His birthday it today… and he has deemed this the best present he could have gotten. I know not everyone believes in the universe working with you, but I sure do. And I definitely happen to think the universe is pretty darn in-tune with him right now. Good stuff. I could not be happier for him.

I thought I’d share something he wrote last year to some fellow helicopter pilots. I think it really applies to being successful in any field and says a lot about what attitude can do for you…

“Attitude… The attitude you have every day when you walk into the flight school will have a big effect on how successful you are at this pilot thing. I don’t mean just having a good self concept and being confident that you can learn this stuff, but even after that when you’re getting close to [Certified Flight Instructor] and wondering what your next step is going to be.

I look around at the 20 or 30 people I know who started about the same time as me. Only a few have jobs. Why? Part of it is that they went into flight school with a good attitude. They knew they could learn the material and they did. What’s more, when the bottom fell out of the helicopter job market, they kept trying. They kept a good attitude, they moved when needed, and they just kept at it until someone gave them a shot.

They’re all people who carry themselves well, who act professionally and really don’t complain too much. This is not an industry for whiny people. There will be many times in your career where you may end up back at square one and have no idea what the next move is.

I’m not saying the ONE factor that will GUARANTEE a job is a good attitude, but let’s face it… People don’t want to hire miserable people as the face of their company. They want confident, happy people who know when and how to deal with the frustrations that come with a down economy. Sure, a good part of at least two of those jobs was being in the right place at the right time, but there were 100 people behind them going for the same job, too.

Anyway, when going into this helicopter thing, just know it’s not always blue skies and calm winds. It’s tough out there, and you will have to learn how to keep your head up.”

Nicely done sir. I look forward to giving some future updates every few months about what he’s up to and where he’s flying… lots of rides at fairs around Texas, a  tactical shooting course or two (i.e. people shooting targets out of helicopters for training), and perhaps even some cherry drying up in Washington state! Oh the adventures =)