Dave English
@daveenglish.com
👨🏼✈️ Airbus & glider pilot.
✈️ Posting my perpetual pursuit of piloting perfection.
📚 Writer at Plane & Pilot magazine.
🇬🇧 Really English.
🖥️ Online at www.InnerAirmanship.com.
(X handle was @artairmanship.)
✈️ Posting my perpetual pursuit of piloting perfection.
📚 Writer at Plane & Pilot magazine.
🇬🇧 Really English.
🖥️ Online at www.InnerAirmanship.com.
(X handle was @artairmanship.)
Pinned
Dave English
@daveenglish.com
· Oct 22
#pilotlife #flying #mastery
The best pilots work on improving themselves, not proving themselves.
✈️
(Hello Blue Sky)
The best pilots work on improving themselves, not proving themselves.
✈️
(Hello Blue Sky)
“They navigate with their stomach.”
Do you see the wind? Feel the AoA? Groove with gravity?
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/18/s...
Do you see the wind? Feel the AoA? Groove with gravity?
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/18/s...
A Voyage Into the Art of Finding One’s Way at Sea
www.nytimes.com
November 18, 2025 at 4:58 PM
“They navigate with their stomach.”
Do you see the wind? Feel the AoA? Groove with gravity?
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/18/s...
Do you see the wind? Feel the AoA? Groove with gravity?
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/18/s...
“I hate it if someone calls me a thrillseeker or an adrenaline junkie because I am not. I like the whole planning.”
Felix Baumgartner, before his record-breaking 2012 skydive from the edge of space.
www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/o...
Felix Baumgartner, before his record-breaking 2012 skydive from the edge of space.
www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/o...
Human error caused crash that killed record-breaking skydiver Felix Baumgartner
The paragliding crash that killed extreme athlete Felix Baumgartner in July was caused by human error, an investigating prosecutor said on Tuesday
www.theguardian.com
October 7, 2025 at 7:18 PM
“I hate it if someone calls me a thrillseeker or an adrenaline junkie because I am not. I like the whole planning.”
Felix Baumgartner, before his record-breaking 2012 skydive from the edge of space.
www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/o...
Felix Baumgartner, before his record-breaking 2012 skydive from the edge of space.
www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/o...
"An auto-landing never feels as good as doing it yourself, and a bot cannot write a truly informative and artful aviation article. A bot might get most of the facts right, but will always miss the feel, smell, and emotion of flying.”
Kevin Garrison avbrief.org/flying-is-an...
Kevin Garrison avbrief.org/flying-is-an...
Flying Is an Art - AVBrief
There is so much more to flying that a computer cannot comprehend.
avbrief.org
August 8, 2025 at 4:10 PM
"An auto-landing never feels as good as doing it yourself, and a bot cannot write a truly informative and artful aviation article. A bot might get most of the facts right, but will always miss the feel, smell, and emotion of flying.”
Kevin Garrison avbrief.org/flying-is-an...
Kevin Garrison avbrief.org/flying-is-an...
#flying #safety #riskmanagement
“The fundamental thing is you have to figure out an alternative to your problem and be willing to give up on a goal.”
John King. In a great article about 50 years of teaching flying to more people than anyone else ever.
www.ainonline.com/aviation-new...
“The fundamental thing is you have to figure out an alternative to your problem and be willing to give up on a goal.”
John King. In a great article about 50 years of teaching flying to more people than anyone else ever.
www.ainonline.com/aviation-new...
August 5, 2025 at 8:57 PM
#flying #safety #riskmanagement
“The fundamental thing is you have to figure out an alternative to your problem and be willing to give up on a goal.”
John King. In a great article about 50 years of teaching flying to more people than anyone else ever.
www.ainonline.com/aviation-new...
“The fundamental thing is you have to figure out an alternative to your problem and be willing to give up on a goal.”
John King. In a great article about 50 years of teaching flying to more people than anyone else ever.
www.ainonline.com/aviation-new...
“A year from now, you will wish you had started today.”
Karen Lamb
Karen Lamb
May 12, 2025 at 4:12 PM
“A year from now, you will wish you had started today.”
Karen Lamb
Karen Lamb
#mastery #deepwork #flying
“Where is your Self to be found?”
“Always in the deepest enchantment you have experienced.”
Hugo Von Hofmannsthal
www.nytimes.com/2025/03/27/o...
“Where is your Self to be found?”
“Always in the deepest enchantment you have experienced.”
Hugo Von Hofmannsthal
www.nytimes.com/2025/03/27/o...
Opinion | How to Have a Passionate Life
Why people do things that are unpleasantly hard.
www.nytimes.com
March 28, 2025 at 3:49 PM
#mastery #deepwork #flying
“Where is your Self to be found?”
“Always in the deepest enchantment you have experienced.”
Hugo Von Hofmannsthal
www.nytimes.com/2025/03/27/o...
“Where is your Self to be found?”
“Always in the deepest enchantment you have experienced.”
Hugo Von Hofmannsthal
www.nytimes.com/2025/03/27/o...
“The result is comparable to having a sky full of nearsighted pilots who are forbidden to wear corrective lenses.”
Worthwhile read. Let’s look after each other.
www.nytimes.com/2025/03/18/m...
Worthwhile read. Let’s look after each other.
www.nytimes.com/2025/03/18/m...
How Airline Pilots Are Incentivized to Hide Their Mental Illness
Is the F.A.A. really ensuring safety by disqualifying pilots who receive a diagnosis or treatment?
www.nytimes.com
March 19, 2025 at 3:25 PM
“The result is comparable to having a sky full of nearsighted pilots who are forbidden to wear corrective lenses.”
Worthwhile read. Let’s look after each other.
www.nytimes.com/2025/03/18/m...
Worthwhile read. Let’s look after each other.
www.nytimes.com/2025/03/18/m...
#airmanship #flying
“What good pilots consistently do is perfect their foundational skills. They practice — they live — on airmanship. It’s courtesy, consistency, and core competency.”
Darren Pleasance, new President and CEO of AOPA, in Pursuit of Excellence, AOPA PILOT magazine March 2025.
“What good pilots consistently do is perfect their foundational skills. They practice — they live — on airmanship. It’s courtesy, consistency, and core competency.”
Darren Pleasance, new President and CEO of AOPA, in Pursuit of Excellence, AOPA PILOT magazine March 2025.
March 2, 2025 at 5:52 PM
#airmanship #flying
“What good pilots consistently do is perfect their foundational skills. They practice — they live — on airmanship. It’s courtesy, consistency, and core competency.”
Darren Pleasance, new President and CEO of AOPA, in Pursuit of Excellence, AOPA PILOT magazine March 2025.
“What good pilots consistently do is perfect their foundational skills. They practice — they live — on airmanship. It’s courtesy, consistency, and core competency.”
Darren Pleasance, new President and CEO of AOPA, in Pursuit of Excellence, AOPA PILOT magazine March 2025.
#pertetualpursuit #flying #aerobatics #NoCompetition
“I fly for fun. No competition. No performances. But, I’m always striving to get better. So, an early morning, before a departure on the airlines, provided a perfect setting to get some seat time. …
airfactsjournal.com/2025/01/frid...
“I fly for fun. No competition. No performances. But, I’m always striving to get better. So, an early morning, before a departure on the airlines, provided a perfect setting to get some seat time. …
airfactsjournal.com/2025/01/frid...
Friday Photo: Practice : Air Facts Journal
I fly for fun. No competition. No performances. But, I’m always striving to get better. So, an early morning, before a departure on the airlines, provided a perfect setting to get some seat time. The ...
airfactsjournal.com
January 27, 2025 at 5:15 PM
#pertetualpursuit #flying #aerobatics #NoCompetition
“I fly for fun. No competition. No performances. But, I’m always striving to get better. So, an early morning, before a departure on the airlines, provided a perfect setting to get some seat time. …
airfactsjournal.com/2025/01/frid...
“I fly for fun. No competition. No performances. But, I’m always striving to get better. So, an early morning, before a departure on the airlines, provided a perfect setting to get some seat time. …
airfactsjournal.com/2025/01/frid...
Reposted by Dave English
Blue Origin VP Jarrett Jones: “This is our first flight and we’ve prepared rigorously for it. But no amount of ground testing or mission simulations are a replacement for flying this rocket. It’s time to fly. No matter what happens, we’ll learn, refine, and apply that knowledge to our next launch.”
January 7, 2025 at 2:05 AM
Blue Origin VP Jarrett Jones: “This is our first flight and we’ve prepared rigorously for it. But no amount of ground testing or mission simulations are a replacement for flying this rocket. It’s time to fly. No matter what happens, we’ll learn, refine, and apply that knowledge to our next launch.”
#flying #airmanship #pilotlife #mastery
“Nobody wants to listen to a concert — or be on a plane — when the leader is on high-voltage tension from beginning to end. You have to learn to breathe.”
Daniel Harding, Air France pilot and orchestral conductor.
www.nytimes.com/2025/01/09/a...
“Nobody wants to listen to a concert — or be on a plane — when the leader is on high-voltage tension from beginning to end. You have to learn to breathe.”
Daniel Harding, Air France pilot and orchestral conductor.
www.nytimes.com/2025/01/09/a...
The Conductor Daniel Harding Moonlights as a Pilot for Air France
Daniel Harding scaled the heights of classical music. Then he set out to conquer the skies.
www.nytimes.com
January 10, 2025 at 3:00 AM
#flying #airmanship #pilotlife #mastery
“Nobody wants to listen to a concert — or be on a plane — when the leader is on high-voltage tension from beginning to end. You have to learn to breathe.”
Daniel Harding, Air France pilot and orchestral conductor.
www.nytimes.com/2025/01/09/a...
“Nobody wants to listen to a concert — or be on a plane — when the leader is on high-voltage tension from beginning to end. You have to learn to breathe.”
Daniel Harding, Air France pilot and orchestral conductor.
www.nytimes.com/2025/01/09/a...
www.innerairmanship.com/blog/2024/12...
“But there is something beyond — a higher point, a subtle and unmistakable touch of love and pride beyond mere skill; almost an inspiration which gives to all work that finish which is almost art — which IS art.”
Joseph Conrad, on peak seamanship, 1906.
“But there is something beyond — a higher point, a subtle and unmistakable touch of love and pride beyond mere skill; almost an inspiration which gives to all work that finish which is almost art — which IS art.”
Joseph Conrad, on peak seamanship, 1906.
December 28, 2024 at 2:10 PM
www.innerairmanship.com/blog/2024/12...
“But there is something beyond — a higher point, a subtle and unmistakable touch of love and pride beyond mere skill; almost an inspiration which gives to all work that finish which is almost art — which IS art.”
Joseph Conrad, on peak seamanship, 1906.
“But there is something beyond — a higher point, a subtle and unmistakable touch of love and pride beyond mere skill; almost an inspiration which gives to all work that finish which is almost art — which IS art.”
Joseph Conrad, on peak seamanship, 1906.
#piloting #airspeed #flying
Fantastic article on something that sounds so good — “energy management” — but really is kinda squishy. It's good to understand, and useful for thinking about things like jet descents, but is not the precision tool we are looking for.
airfactsjournal.com/2023/01/ener...
Fantastic article on something that sounds so good — “energy management” — but really is kinda squishy. It's good to understand, and useful for thinking about things like jet descents, but is not the precision tool we are looking for.
airfactsjournal.com/2023/01/ener...
“Energy Management”—Cliché or Exactitude? : Air Facts Journal
“Energy management” is not a precise term. It is used in different ways to express different things, so it almost always requires clarification. Often, a speaker will say “energy management” and expec...
airfactsjournal.com
December 22, 2024 at 10:55 PM
#piloting #airspeed #flying
Fantastic article on something that sounds so good — “energy management” — but really is kinda squishy. It's good to understand, and useful for thinking about things like jet descents, but is not the precision tool we are looking for.
airfactsjournal.com/2023/01/ener...
Fantastic article on something that sounds so good — “energy management” — but really is kinda squishy. It's good to understand, and useful for thinking about things like jet descents, but is not the precision tool we are looking for.
airfactsjournal.com/2023/01/ener...
“Like that of Ulysses, each of our lives is a miniature Odyssey, going to new places, seeing new things, understanding new ideas, and each day penetrating the biggest unkown of all: tomorrow. For each of us it should be, and can be, an exciting voyage. Buen Viaje!”
Neil Armstrong. Starmus, 2011.
Neil Armstrong. Starmus, 2011.
December 6, 2024 at 2:55 PM
“Like that of Ulysses, each of our lives is a miniature Odyssey, going to new places, seeing new things, understanding new ideas, and each day penetrating the biggest unkown of all: tomorrow. For each of us it should be, and can be, an exciting voyage. Buen Viaje!”
Neil Armstrong. Starmus, 2011.
Neil Armstrong. Starmus, 2011.
Great article on F1 driving ‘mental toolkit’
> Visualize important challenges in advance.
> Talk yourself through it.
> Prepare for the unexpected.
> Shift focus without breaking it.
> Find your motivation and flow.
> Remember to recharge.
www.nytimes.com/2024/11/23/w... #flow #innergame #F1
> Visualize important challenges in advance.
> Talk yourself through it.
> Prepare for the unexpected.
> Shift focus without breaking it.
> Find your motivation and flow.
> Remember to recharge.
www.nytimes.com/2024/11/23/w... #flow #innergame #F1
How to Focus Like a Formula 1 Driver
To become more effective at any task, borrow from a race car driver’s mental tool kit.
www.nytimes.com
November 24, 2024 at 12:59 PM
Great article on F1 driving ‘mental toolkit’
> Visualize important challenges in advance.
> Talk yourself through it.
> Prepare for the unexpected.
> Shift focus without breaking it.
> Find your motivation and flow.
> Remember to recharge.
www.nytimes.com/2024/11/23/w... #flow #innergame #F1
> Visualize important challenges in advance.
> Talk yourself through it.
> Prepare for the unexpected.
> Shift focus without breaking it.
> Find your motivation and flow.
> Remember to recharge.
www.nytimes.com/2024/11/23/w... #flow #innergame #F1
Reposted by Dave English
#flying
“From the day you’re born, you’re familiar with the force of gravity And then one day you’ll step off, and you’ll be free of it. And how can I describe that? I can’t put it into words. But once you’ve done it, you won’t be able to describe it either.”
www.nytimes.com/2024/11/20/s...
“From the day you’re born, you’re familiar with the force of gravity And then one day you’ll step off, and you’ll be free of it. And how can I describe that? I can’t put it into words. But once you’ve done it, you won’t be able to describe it either.”
www.nytimes.com/2024/11/20/s...
Bill Moyes, Australian ‘Birdman’ Who Popularized Hang Gliding, Dies at 92
A modern-day Icarus, he set a world record for the longest unassisted flight, was arrested after soaring into the Grand Canyon and nearly killed himself several times.
www.nytimes.com
November 22, 2024 at 1:36 PM
#flying
“From the day you’re born, you’re familiar with the force of gravity And then one day you’ll step off, and you’ll be free of it. And how can I describe that? I can’t put it into words. But once you’ve done it, you won’t be able to describe it either.”
www.nytimes.com/2024/11/20/s...
“From the day you’re born, you’re familiar with the force of gravity And then one day you’ll step off, and you’ll be free of it. And how can I describe that? I can’t put it into words. But once you’ve done it, you won’t be able to describe it either.”
www.nytimes.com/2024/11/20/s...
#humanfactors #safetyII #pilot #flying
Great illustration of where most research attention is focused. And yes, of course, accidents and incidents must be investigated. But how much more could we learn from studying the performance of great pilots?
(graphic from @stevenshorrock.bsky.social)
Great illustration of where most research attention is focused. And yes, of course, accidents and incidents must be investigated. But how much more could we learn from studying the performance of great pilots?
(graphic from @stevenshorrock.bsky.social)
November 11, 2024 at 2:26 PM
#humanfactors #safetyII #pilot #flying
Great illustration of where most research attention is focused. And yes, of course, accidents and incidents must be investigated. But how much more could we learn from studying the performance of great pilots?
(graphic from @stevenshorrock.bsky.social)
Great illustration of where most research attention is focused. And yes, of course, accidents and incidents must be investigated. But how much more could we learn from studying the performance of great pilots?
(graphic from @stevenshorrock.bsky.social)
#Risk
“We’re very aware of how precious life is. What a gift it is. So we use it. It’s not up on a shelf still in its bubble wrap. Ours is all beat up and thrown in the corner. Its good. You should use something that you cherish.”
Jimmy Pouchert, in the 2024 move Fly. He died BASE jumping in 2021.
“We’re very aware of how precious life is. What a gift it is. So we use it. It’s not up on a shelf still in its bubble wrap. Ours is all beat up and thrown in the corner. Its good. You should use something that you cherish.”
Jimmy Pouchert, in the 2024 move Fly. He died BASE jumping in 2021.
November 10, 2024 at 7:54 PM
#Risk
“We’re very aware of how precious life is. What a gift it is. So we use it. It’s not up on a shelf still in its bubble wrap. Ours is all beat up and thrown in the corner. Its good. You should use something that you cherish.”
Jimmy Pouchert, in the 2024 move Fly. He died BASE jumping in 2021.
“We’re very aware of how precious life is. What a gift it is. So we use it. It’s not up on a shelf still in its bubble wrap. Ours is all beat up and thrown in the corner. Its good. You should use something that you cherish.”
Jimmy Pouchert, in the 2024 move Fly. He died BASE jumping in 2021.
“The real meditation is how you live your life.”
Jon Kabat-Zinn
Jon Kabat-Zinn
November 9, 2024 at 3:14 PM
“The real meditation is how you live your life.”
Jon Kabat-Zinn
Jon Kabat-Zinn
“The invariable mark of wisdom is to see the miraculous in the common.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
(my photo, Sterling airport, Greater Boston Soaring Club L19 Birddog tow plane, this summer)
Ralph Waldo Emerson
(my photo, Sterling airport, Greater Boston Soaring Club L19 Birddog tow plane, this summer)
October 27, 2024 at 12:41 AM
“The invariable mark of wisdom is to see the miraculous in the common.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
(my photo, Sterling airport, Greater Boston Soaring Club L19 Birddog tow plane, this summer)
Ralph Waldo Emerson
(my photo, Sterling airport, Greater Boston Soaring Club L19 Birddog tow plane, this summer)
❝A machine doesn't improvise well because you cannot program a fear of death. Our survival instinct is our greatest source of inspiration.❞
Dr. Hugh Mann, played by Matt Damon, in the 2014 movie Interstellar, written by brothers Christopher & Jonathan Nolan.
🚀 collider.com/interstellar...
Dr. Hugh Mann, played by Matt Damon, in the 2014 movie Interstellar, written by brothers Christopher & Jonathan Nolan.
🚀 collider.com/interstellar...
The 10 Best 'Interstellar' Quotes, Ranked
The best quotes in Christopher Nolan's 2014 sci-fi epic Interstellar capture the story's heavy themes about hope, love, and transcendence.
collider.com
October 25, 2024 at 1:51 PM
❝A machine doesn't improvise well because you cannot program a fear of death. Our survival instinct is our greatest source of inspiration.❞
Dr. Hugh Mann, played by Matt Damon, in the 2014 movie Interstellar, written by brothers Christopher & Jonathan Nolan.
🚀 collider.com/interstellar...
Dr. Hugh Mann, played by Matt Damon, in the 2014 movie Interstellar, written by brothers Christopher & Jonathan Nolan.
🚀 collider.com/interstellar...
“As we took to the skies it seemed the aircraft was almost an extension of his body, carving its way over the water and through the air as if it already knew what inputs came next.”
Niki Britton, describing Aaron Singer fly a #seaplane. #AOPA #Pilot magazine, October 2024.
#flying #onewith
Niki Britton, describing Aaron Singer fly a #seaplane. #AOPA #Pilot magazine, October 2024.
#flying #onewith
October 22, 2024 at 12:31 PM
“For me, the least appealing side of BASE jumping is the fact that it is dangerous and scary. I hate the feeling of standing on a mountain and being super scared. It’s not about the fear or the danger or the risk. It’s about the love of flying.”
Amber Forte, 2024 movie Fly.
#wingsuit #flying #risk
Amber Forte, 2024 movie Fly.
#wingsuit #flying #risk
October 22, 2024 at 12:25 PM
#pilotlife #flying #mastery
The best pilots work on improving themselves, not proving themselves.
✈️
(Hello Blue Sky)
The best pilots work on improving themselves, not proving themselves.
✈️
(Hello Blue Sky)
October 22, 2024 at 12:20 PM
#pilotlife #flying #mastery
The best pilots work on improving themselves, not proving themselves.
✈️
(Hello Blue Sky)
The best pilots work on improving themselves, not proving themselves.
✈️
(Hello Blue Sky)