Recently, I was the keynote speaker at the Kiwanis Club of Augusta. My topic was “Tales of a Fighter Pilot.” In addition to telling flying stories, I tried to draw lessons from these events.
Here are seven examples which might be beneficial for your business.
Lesson 1: In dangerous situations, always have a plan B When an airliner flying over Germany ran into serious trouble (his airspeed indicator read zero), I joined up on his wing. I suggested, “Fly on my wing, tell me what speeds you want me to fly and we will go into Frankfurt International together.” He quickly responded, “I can’t do that, I don’t know how to fly formation.” I then chose plan B. I said, “I will fly on your wing and read off our airspeed every couple of seconds.” Plan B worked and he landed safely, and I flew back to my base at Bitburg, Germany.
Lesson 2: Trust your cohorts and they will learn to trust you. An essential element of combat flying is trust. If your wingman shouts out “BREAK,” you immediately yank your stick hard. You do not question his judgment.
Lesson 3: When a situation changes dramatically, be ready to instantly change directions. My leader got shot down over Laos. Within seconds, the mission of striking the enemy changes to rescuing the downed airman. In less than a minute, the rescue helicopters and support aircraft were alerted. A badly wounded airman was rescued that day.
Lesson 4: When you observe someone in real danger, give strong advice to avert a catastrophe. I was escorting a C-130 gunship at night. Anti-aircraft fire from the ground was very intense. The stream of tracers headed toward the gunship was really scary. I called and told the gunship pilot to go home. I was very direct, “You are about to be shot down.” Happily, he followed my advice.
Lesson 5: Speak the truth to top leaders.
When briefing the Secretary of the Air Force at our fighter base in Thailand, he asked if we had everything we needed to conduct our combat missions successfully. I said, “No sir,” and explained why. A general officer later told me that he did not like my response. However, my answer got results.
Lesson 6: When things are going downhill fast, be willing to try something new. When flying with two wingmen over North Carolina, the Traffic Control Agency asked that I get my flight on the ground fast because the weather was getting bad, fast. Rather than take a longer time by spacing my wingmen behind me, an eight-mile separation, I told my wingmen to fly on my wings in tight formation. Shortly thereafter, all three of us touched down together. Thank goodness, the runway was wide enough. Never before had I been involved in a three-aircraft landing.
Lesson 7: Be willing to violate lots of rules if lives are in imminent danger. Flying at night, I was headed to Andrews Air Force Base. Below me, the fog was rapidly filling the valleys. On my final approach, Andrews went below minimums in heavy fog. I asked what runway on the East Coast was still open. The answer was Dulles. In the next five minutes, I violated four rules. A. Flew across Washington—a big no, no. B. Lined up on a runway without clearance from the Dulles Tower. C. Told an airliner on the runway to hold his position so I could land over him. D. When the airliner began his takeoff roll, I landed behind him, touching down even before he broke ground ahead of me. By the time I completed my landing, the airport had gone to “zero-zero” in heavy fog. Did I get in big trouble for these four violations? You bet.
