Hazardous Attitudes

Embry Riddle Aeronautical University has identified and described 5 different hazardous attitudes that a pilot may possess.  These negative attitudes get in the way of good decision making and cloud a pilot's judgment.  They are:

1.  Resignation--this pilot gives up easily when problems arise and things don't go as planned.

2.  Anti-Authority--this pilot tends to not heed advice and constructive criticism from other pilots.

3.  Impulsivity--this pilot makes decisions and acts on them without thinking them through properly.

4.  Invulnerability--this pilot is invincible, nothing bad will ever happen to him.

5.  Macho--this pilot knows it all and can handle anything, and isn't afraid of showing it off to everyone else.

Or, to summarize in the words of my private pilot instructor, "Bad things don't happen, and if they do, they'll never happen to me, but if for some strange reason it does happen to me, it surely couldn't be as bad as they make it out to be, and if it is as bad as they say, then there's nothing I can do about it anyway."

I'll leave it to those who know me to figure out which ones I struggle with.  Suffice it to say that I have a real "winning" combo.  And I do struggle with these on a daily basis, that's why there are rules and regulations we follow to keep us safe.

Classic resignation

Prospects aren't looking too good

Mouth open, fighting back!

Today, I found Lucy torturing a poor little baby lizard.  At first, the lizard was fighting back and even trying to chase Lucy off, but it soon became very apparent what hazardous attitude this little guy possessed.  Yep, that's right, resignation.  As soon as things didn't go as he had planned, he just rolled over and gave up.  Unfortunately, it didn't end too well for him.  I would have hated to be in his airplane.  If only he had thought of the resignation antidote:  "I'm not helpless, I can make a difference!"