Page 185 - Never Fly Solo

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ing. Despite the rare panic attack when flying cross country
or in bad weather, I enjoyed the job and earned “instructor
pilot of the year” awards and lots of great recognition. I was
a success, not necessarily because I was a good pilot but
because I worked really hard, focused on my students, and
took instructing very seriously. I simply loved to teach and
inspire my students to be the best.
When it came time to move on to my next assignment, I
was allowed to fly any aircraft I wanted. This made the choice
even tougher. I could fly the new C-17 cargo plane on nine-
hour hauls to Africa and Europe—big, roomy cockpits, box
lunches, and boredom. Or, I could fly the F-16, one of the
most amazing jets of the modern day—Mach 2, weapons and
sensors, nine Gs, deployments to remote locations, six-hour
night combat missions, and a tiny, cramped cockpit.
You obviously know which aircraft I chose.
Why? Because I didn’t want to play it safe. I didn’t want
to look back on my life and tell my children I had a chance to
fly the coolest jet in the world but instead sold out to my fear,
played it safe, and let somebody else have all the fun.
Making that tough choice released the brakes on my com-
mitment to live a challenging, exciting, full life. If I hadn’t
made that choice, I wouldn’t have had the amazing life experi-
ences, trials and tribulations that helped create the content of
this book you now hold in your hands. I would have always
wondered what it would have been like to experience the
thrill and challenge of flying a jet fighter.
This much I have learned: when you look back on your
life, it’s usually not things you did that you regret; it’s the
things you didn’t do.
Sometimes you have to step outside your comfort zone
and take a risk in order to grow. If you’re satisfied with where
you are right now, that’s terrific! If you’re a success and living