Pilot Pilot Pilot Pilot yyyyour our our our llllife ife ife ife Welcome to issue no. 10 of Pilot your life. April 2010 When I was planning my coastal flight around Australia, Oz Flight ’99, I estimated that I could fly about three to six hours a day providing the weather was good. I built in an extra three weeks to compensate for delays due to weather etc. and expected everything to run smoothly like Pelican’s Progress, the 1978 flight which I was commemorating. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out that way. Rain, clouds, turbulence and strong winds kept delaying me, like in the east Gippsland area of Victoria where I was forced to turn back twice to two different places. After passing Cape Conran there was a white impenetrable wall of heavy rain up ahead, so I headed back to land at Orbost/Marlo. I waited on the ground, in the hope that the weather would clear, then took off. However, the weather hadn’t improved and I had to return to the airstrip.

The next day, I attempted to fly across the border into New South Wales but low clouds and heavy rain compelled me to go back to Mallacoota Inlet and land. Like the previous day, I waited on the ground, then took off, but had to back track again because the weather had actually worsened. By this time the sodden airstrip had so much water lying on it that I thought I was landing a float plane. Time to find a warm bed for the night!

During those two days I had only flown about 80 kilometres (48 miles) each day with well over 20,000 kilometres (12,000 miles) to go.

Pilot Pilot Pilot Pilot yyyyour our our our llllifififife e e e I was falling further and further behind schedule and this created a domino effect which meant I now had more work to do every day to change my plans. Very depressing and dispiriting. I had tried to tackle too much at the one time and it just didn’t work. However, in 2002, during Sea, Sky and Sand, a flight around South Australia’s coast and Outback, I put into practice the lessons I’d learnt from Oz Flight ’99. This time I planned to fly for only an hour or two each day, allowing for late departures in case of bad weather and giving me more time to enjoy the people and places on the ground. I’d taken time out to speak to several children over the School of the Air, in Port Augusta, and promised to meet up if possible. I waggled the plane's wings for John when I flew over Alpana Station in the Flinders Ranges and I met up with Jenna Coulthard and her family when I landed at Balcanoona in the Gammon Ranges.

A few days' rest was scheduled at Arkaroola, with a four wheel drive Ridge Top Tour, several walks, a bush banquet at night during a spectacular thunder storm, and some very low flying in Doug Sprigg's Auster aircraft.

An easier schedule also enabled me to combine a couple of days’ flight plans if I was forced to lose time by remaining on the ground because of rain or wind etc. The plan worked much better and I was less stressed because I tackled everything in bite size pieces. I also enjoyed the trip a lot more because of this flexibility.

Pilot your life Pilot your life Pilot your life Pilot your life In order to reach your goal, don’t try and do too much at once or have unrealistic expectations of yourself. So, my next great tip for how to pilot your life (personal or business) is: Tackle everything in bite size pieces. It’s easier to eat a block of chocolate a bite at a time than it is to try and eat the whole block at once. Two of my presentation topics are:

Oz Flight ’99: a flight around Australia’s coast Sea, Sky and Sand: a flight around South Australia’s coast and Outback For another bite size piece of Australia’s coast (in fine weather) email me at fran@franwest.com and I'll send you a photo which you can use as your desktop wallpaper. Visit: www.franwest.com and http://au.linkedin.com/in/franwestau. Blog: http://pilotyourlife.wordpress.com. Phone: 61 8 82706623 Email: fran@franwest.com for speaking engagements, purchases and the first nine issues of the newsletter. While you’re waiting for the next newsletter, the “Australia’s Coast from the Air” DVD, with over 260 photos and soundtrack, is available for only $25.00. You are welcome to forward Pilot your life to others who may be interested. If this newsletter has been forwarded to you by someone else, please contact me at fran@franwest.com and I'll add you to my emailing list. Bye for now,

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For snippets of the DVDs visit www.youtube.com/ozdragon52.