Stars

Last weekend, another star faded or, seeing from another angle, started shining closer to heaven!Another flying boy is gone, the kind that liked to see the world upside down, turning, spinning, always putting on a show!A commercial aircraft also crashed in Egypt, leaving several other stars shining closer to heaven. All this makes us think about the huge responsibility we have as pilots.Responsibility to ourselves, to whom we transport and to those we left in the ground, waiting for our arrival and that of their loved ones.Knowing how to work (be it by profession or leisure) in a professional and standardized environment, with high operational standard levels and flight safety has become a must.An to reaffirm that, how about a TOP TEN? May the following ten items allow us to reflect and always adjust our behavior.

1- Always keep strict limits. Safety does not allow flexibility.

2- Get prepared before the task at hand. Information and knowledge help make possible scenarios more predictable.

3- Be (and stay) proficient. Always.

4- Never transgress when safety is at stake. A job, ego or interest is not worth your life or the lives for which we are responsible.

5- Divide and delegate tasks. When you’re in charge, know that responsibility cannot be transferred.

6- Motivate, listen, be assertive. A good decision can always be improved with the help of others.

7- Seek information and be proactive reducing risks and threats.

8- When in doubt, always choose the safest. Go around, land, get on the ground and do not take off.

9- Do not accept pressure, order or threat that compromises safety. Review item number 4.

10- When transporting someone always look at that person and ask God, the entity, being or whatever you believe, wisdom and competence to safely fly this person to the scheduled destination. And may you do that with joy and satisfaction.

Extra item: have FEAR, however, in a healthy way. Turn this fear into respect for the machine, the environment and the people. Let it translate into respect for limits, minimums and operational standards.May us every day see less lonely stars shining in heaven, fewer flying boy smiles getting lost. May our work (felt as if it were our own art and call of duty) be something that brings peace, joy and comfort.PS: After writing this article, when I was revising it, another flying boy became a shining star. He was 17.I cannot help but cry (literally) for his absence and tonight, when I leave to fly getting a little closer to him and the other stars in the sky, ask them to look out for all of us that carry on ascending to the skies.Flying boy who I had not had the honor to know, I’m sorry I have not written this before, trying to do better in spreading flight safety and how important and risky is this act of flying.Rest assured that wherever I go I will seek to do more, much more and much better. And I’m sure when the time comes we will fly together, with our acrobatic flying colleague, climbing clouds in the sky, grazing on stars and comets.