The importance of celebrating your wins

Enjoy the Journey and Celebrate Your Accomplishments along the Way

Kristin is a Captain on the 737 and President of  Northern Spirit, the Winnipeg Chapter of Women in Aviation International & Girls in Aviation Day Winnipeg.

There’s More than One Path to Success

My first aviation job was actually a summer position as a flight attendant and I continued to work as an FA while I was in flight college to help offset the cost of training.

I was fortunate to have access to talk to airline pilots at work, and anytime I had a chance I would ask them “What’s the fastest way to the airlines?”. More often than not, their advice was “Any job that offers flying time is a good place to start”. 

I was highly motivated and focused on reaching my goals so it was disappointing not having a clear path ahead of me. The job I ultimately landed on after graduation was flying an 18 passenger airplane at a small commuter airline. I logged over 4000 hours there and gained invaluable experience in decision making skills, crew resource management, and leadership. 

My classmates and I all ended up at the same place, around the same time, even though we took different routes to our destination. 

Over the years I realized that the pilots I talked to while I was a student were right, there isn’t one pathway to get to the airlines, there are  many pathways to get to the airlines. All flight time is valuable and the more experience you gain, the more you learn.

Don’t be in Such a Rush that You Miss the Experience

The path to success is rarely a straight line, it’s often a journey with unexpected twists and turns, and the aviation industry is well known for its bumps along the way.It’s easy to be so focused on reaching long term goals and getting the next job that you miss out on the experiences that are right in front of you. 

Every flight you log is time you are learning. You may not realize it in the moment, but every flight has external factors that require you to make decisions; runway surface conditions, crosswind limitations, weather and visibility to name just a few. Every time you make a decision it’s compiled with other learning experiences that increase your growing competency and confidence. 

I look back at the long days and challenging situations from early in my career and see how much I learned about myself too. You build character and grit, determination and compassion in a way that is hard to describe.

Spend time with the people you work with, explore the town you’re living in and embrace the life you have in front of you. The flying stories and shared experiences will build a connection with your peers that will bond you for years and years. 

Chances are some of your colleagues will become life long friends and you’ll look back fondly, and probably even laugh, at the stories from back in the day. Enjoy the journey and soak up all the experiences along the way.

Focus on Milestones and Celebrate Your Successes

When you start training for your pilot licence it feels like every flight you log is a milestone to celebrate. Your first 10 hours, your first solo, 100 hours, 200 hours, and it seems like it will take forever to reach 1000 hours. 

But then you do another flight, and another, and soon you have logged 1500 hours. The years fly by and you have 5000 hours, then 10,000 hours. I can hardly believe that I logged my first flight over 25 years ago, but here I am with 15,000 hours in my logbook. 

No matter how big or small, it’s important to take pride in your achievements and celebrate them. Your success will inspire others to reach their own goals, and that is amazing. By celebrating how far you’ve come, you acknowledge all of the hard work and determination you have dedicated to reach your goals. And that feels good. So speak up, post, and celebrate your successes, because you have earned it.

A career as an airline pilot is more than just a job. It’s a lifestyle and a journey. You never know where your path will take you, and maybe that’s part of the allure, but I know that every path can lead to success. Oh, and enjoy the journey!