Flying High

Brikman explains The Squadron’s vision and how it can inspire personal, organizational, and corporate excellence. We spend some time discussing the importance of learning from previous experiences, a lesson that applies equally to fighter pilots and businesses of all kinds, with Brikman relating that even disasters can be rife with teachable moments. Then, our introduction completed, Brikman moves ahead into the hands-on part of our workshop, asking if anyone in the room has any experience flying a fighter jet, a question that elicits loud laughter.

“It takes three years to learn how to fly an F-35,” intones Brikman with a smile. “You will do it in 15 minutes.”

The next quarter of an hour passes by in a blur, as Brikman takes us through a “For Dummies” version of flying an F-35. He warns us that our choices will be flying “fast” or “extremely fast,” requiring us to make decisions and perform at top speeds, all while adapting to a new environment. The terms “stick,” “throttle,” “pitch,” and “roll” take on all-new meanings; nothing is simple or intuitive here, not even doing something as basic as changing direction. While commercial airliners make the kind of turns we’re all accustomed to in our cars, fighter jets take a different approach, tilting completely to one side until one wing is pointing straight down at the ground, and then leveling off so that they are parallel to the ground again once they are headed in their desired direction.

“The reason we do it ninety degrees is because unlike a commercial jet, there’s no one here in the back of our aircraft having his coffee…” Brikman explains, miming a cup of coffee spilling all over the floor. We all laugh, and I remind myself that it’s just a simulator, and the floor is only a few inches away.