Page 85 - Never Fly Solo

58 | NEVER FLY SOLO
peacetime duty that requires unnecessary risks. But guess
what? Sometimes we don’t have a choice. This is particularly
true in combat, where lives are literally on the line. For exam-
ple, I remember taking off for several combat missions in Ser-
bia in driving rain and gusty winds. It was stressful, and the
drag (fear, anxiety, stress) was great, but my wingmen and I
simply had to suck it up and get the job done. We had no
choice but to reduce our induced drag.
Sooner or later, you’re going to have a tough, dark day
with thunderstorms and turbulence. You’ll feel a lot of weight
on your shoulders. Perhaps you’ll lose a sale, miss out on that
promotion, hear bad news from a friend, experience a health
problem, or get into an argument with your boss. Even so,
you may still need to give that product demo, make the cold
call, run the board meeting, or tend to that patient. The job
has to get done. Like a fighter pilot in combat, you may not
always have the luxury of a choice.

THREE Rs FOR REACHING NEW HEIGHTS

So what do you do when you must fly under adverse condi-
tions? Here are three ways you can maximize lift and mini-
mize drag and still keep flying in tough environments.

Refocus

Focus on what you love. On my night combat missions when
I would sense a claustrophobic panic attack coming on, I had
a special contingency plan. I would open up my checklist and
look down at a picture of my niece and nephew, Jennifer and
Harrison. Looking at them got me focused on those I really
loved and distracted me from my fear. Love lifts; fear drags.