I think airplanes; therefore I am. At least that's the way it feels sometimes. It seems aviators spend a great deal of time seeking out parallel truths between flying and other completely unrelated activities. If you're like me (and I know I am), finding a common thread of wisdom running between divergent disciplines is more than just an idle pastime. These epiphanies strengthen our belief in the rules which governs our flying behavior.
If a general is reckless, he can be killed.
Recklessness has little survival value on the battlefield or in the cockpit. Usually accompanied by a sense of invulnerability, the reckless pilot's behavior isn't governed by his or her known physical limitations. Buzzing, improperly loading an airplane or failure to perform a proper preflight are excellent examples of reckless behavior.
If a general is cowardly, he can be captured.
A pilot must be willing to act decisively when necessary. Hesitancy, resignation or an inability to act has absolutely no survival value. For instance, the fundamental rule in all emergencies is to fly the airplane. If you have an engine failure, you maintain control of the airplane all the way to the ground.
If a general is quick-tempered you can make a fool of him.
A commentary in The Art of War says, "A quick-tempered general can easily be provoked into a rage and be brought to death." A quick temper can easily be equated with qualities of irascibility, obstinacy, and anti-authority. Pilots with an anti-authority personality are quick to disregard useful advice.
If a general has too delicate a sense of honor you can calumniate (slander) him.
Overly macho individuals are quick to defend their reputation. They are also unwilling to admit their limitations, frailties and deficiencies. More than one pilot has ended up at that big traffic pattern in the sky simply because he or she couldn't admit the newer, bigger airplane was too much for them to handle.
If a general is of a compassionate nature you can harass him.
The commentary following this quality states, "He who is humanitarian and compassionate and fears only casualties is unwilling to give up the temporary advantage for a long-term gain and is unable to let go (of) this in order to seize that." It's not too much of a stretch to see that such individuals act impulsively. They react immediately without considering consequences and outcomes. Any pilot who presses on in poor weather simply to appease his or her passengers is guilty of this.
Sun Tzu says, "Now these five traits of character are serious faults in a general and, in military operations, are calamitous. The ruin of the army and the death of the general are inevitable results of these shortcomings. They must be deeply pondered."
Have you noticed anything familiar about these five "disadvantageous" qualities? Present-day aviation psychology presents five hazardous though patterns known to put pilots at risk: Invulnerability, resignation, anti-authority, macho and impulsivity. Sun Tzu's ideas are over 2,000 years old, yet they are as applicable now as they were then. It seems that human behavior hasn't changed all that much, has it?
It's comforting to know that others, long before our time, found similar truths about human behavior. Every time I discover one of these similarities, it's pure serendipity. Part of the joy of being an aviator is asking, "I wonder how this idea is useful in an airplane?" Sometimes the answers have quite an impact.
You have a covenant with curiosity if you think about flying a lot, and ponder its relationship to your everyday activities. Don't worry. You're not likely to end up at the Betty Ford Center. There is no special wing for those inflicted with aviation compulsive thought syndrome. Such behavior is the past time of aviation writers, aviation philosophers and, in my opinion, pilots with a healthy predisposition to safety.
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