Plan for success

They are highly decorated world champion tennis players and sisters. What about Richard Williams, their father, the behind-the-scenes, essential key to their success? As the story goes, before the girls were even born, “King Richard,” as he would come to be known in tennis circles, developed a 78-page plan methodically outlining the steps his future daughters would take to become the world’s greatest tennis players. The manifesto included things like finding the best instructors, varied drills and practice, consistent repetition, and most important, building a mental toughness that would become the Williams sisters’ trademark. For those of us who are average humans with our own dreams and plans, it’s hopeful to think that one can just go about manufacturing success. Even in our little aviation world, would it be reasonable to believe that anyone of average physical coordination and intellectual ability could be successful if they only had the right plan in place? And if you knew that being a great pilot was your end goal, what would the perfect prep look like? I’ve been in aviation education and testing for the better part of 20 years. If I were going to “Richard Williams” an aviation education, here’s what it would include.

Consistent and deliberate practice: The Williams training plan included going to the court six days a week, in addition to hours of strength and speed training. The fastest and most cost-effective way to accomplish your goal is to do it consistently. Maybe you can only fly two or three times a week. But in between, you can still be productive. Chair fly, get in the simulator, read and read and read, listen to live ATC broadcasts, back-seat on other people’s lessons. Aviation demands dedicated daily focus to keep growing our piloting skills and knowledge.

Find the best instructors: Although the Williams family had very little money to offer an elite tennis instructor, Richard famously kept marketing his daughters to top-tier instructors until he found one who shared his vision for their future. Your instructor plays a huge role in the quality of your training. Not every CFI will be a great fit for you. Find someone knowledgeable, professional, and committed to your success. You’re not looking for a best friend, but rather someone who will continually push you out of your comfort zone, helping you to become the best pilot version of yourself. As the chief instructor at a large flight school, I have worked with hundreds of CFIs and students over the years and can tell you there’s no one-size-fits-all answer. You don’t have to find the old, grizzled war hero instructor to get the best pilot education. I’ve seen very young, inexperienced instructors turn out great students because of their recency of experience and dedication to excellence.

Varied training environment: Richard’s unconventional approach included practicing on old, poorly maintained public courts in Compton, California, where locals would heckle and threaten, and generally challenge the girls’ focus. They practiced in the rain, at night, and with waterlogged tennis balls to keep the girls constantly adapting and growing. Luckily, aviation affords us many opportunities to vary our training. You can fly different airplanes and get your tailwheel endorsement. Go fly a glider. Take a mountain flying course. Fly to a different airspace, in different weather conditions (safety first, please), towered and nontowered airports, changing elevations and runway distances.

Take the path that’s right for you: Elite tennis players train in the best facilities, under professional coaches, competing in the junior competition circuit constantly before going pro. Richard, unconventionally, was the girls’ primary coach in their younger years, training on a rough public court, and famously staying off the junior circuit, choosing instead to prioritize a path that mattered to him, with a focus on academics, religious commitments, and non-tennis physical activity before jumping straight to the pro level. In aviation, there seems to be a pedigree bias with military training or aviation-specific college programs. While I respect what those programs can offer, there is also a place for the well-rounded pilot, the one who trains at a mom-and-pop school, gets a degree in something non-aviation related, and adds fun flying like aerobatic and tailwheel. (OK, I’m talking about yours truly, but there are lots of folks like me who have had highly successful flying careers.)

Maybe your aviation experience has been limited by money and time, the world’s two scarcest resources. Perhaps you didn’t have your choice of instructors, nor did you stay consistent throughout the years. But the Williams sisters had another key to their success that we haven’t spoken about yet: an unrelenting desire to succeed. If we can keep learning and looking for opportunities to be better today than we were yesterday, I think that’s the very best plan for long-term success, in aviation or any other endeavor.

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