July 24, 2023 by Mike Manazir – (4-5 minutes)

“Ooooh, this is looking good,” I said to the Weapons System Operator (WSO) in the backseat. I shoved my butt back in the ejection seat and hunched over just a little bit into an offensive crouch with my shoulders rolled away from the seat of my F-18F Super Hornet.

I descended to 400 feet and accelerated to 500 knots, pointed at the back of the ship with just a little bit of offset to the left of the wake. I grinned in my oxygen mask. Just as the back of the ship disappeared under my nose, I wrapped the Super Hornet into a hard 90-degree bank angle—a pure knife edge—and hauled back on the stick, grunting against 7.5 GS through 180 degrees of turn.

In the mighty Tomcat, that same maneuver, flown with the wings all the way back at 68 degrees wing sweep, would arc out to about a mile abeam the ship, the perfect distance away from the carrier to start the final approach turn to land.

Ah, but the Super Hornet is not the Tomcat. When I yanked that stick into my lap, the three flight control computers gave me the best turn capability the aircraft wing is capable of, automatically throwing down slats and flaps to give the best performance. I snap rolled the jet out of my break, expecting to look a mile to my left and—uh-oh, I was right over the top of the left edge of the ship, looking straight down at the Landing Signal Officer (LSO) platform. This is not the right place to be to start my final turn to landing. Not even close. Like a mile off. It was ugly.

I landed, got the plane parked and shuffled back to the ready room to debrief my flight. The LSO team walked in, all seven of them grinning at me. “Captain, what the hell?” The senior LSO was an experienced Super Hornet pilot. His call sign was Face. He called out “Hey Cap’n, grab a cuppa joe and let’s sit back here and chat.” The Lieutenant, was about to school the ship’s Captain.

Face settled into his ready room chair, took a swig of coffee and cocked his head at me. He gestures with his free hand as a model. “Sir, you have to break the F/A-18 twice. You break hard 90 degrees, then push forward on the stick, in zero G ballistic flight and count—one potato, two potato—and then you haul back on the stick again for the final 90 degrees. The jet squats while it rapidly decelerates. Then ease the G and snap roll right. When you roll out, voilà, a mile abeam. Dirty up (put the gear and flaps down, the tailhook is already down during the break) and bring her in.”

The next day, undaunted, at 600 knots and 400 feet with a little bit more of those air show angles, I broke that F-18 twice. Hard. I didn’t even think about it. I just did what Face taught me and that’s when my experience helped me. Same intensity. Different procedures.

Face met me in the ready room, grinning again and said with a gleam in his eye, “Next time, stroke the afterburners right at the break, Cap’n, then have fun slowing her down.”

Lesson learned. A skill I had mastered in the F-14 did not work in the F/A-18. Keeping up with industry trends is crucial for staying competitive in today’s fast-paced business world. Here are some smart ways to do that:

• Subscribe to reputable industry publications, magazines and newsletters that cover the latest trends in your field.

• Conferences and trade shows are excellent opportunities to network, learn from industry experts and gain insights into emerging trends.

• Join professional organizations, industry forums and online communities where you can connect with like-minded professionals.

• Identify influential figures in your industry and follow them on social media platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, or industry-specific forums.

• Create curated lists or follow relevant hashtags on platforms like Twitter, LinkedIn and Reddit.

• Invest time in ongoing learning to enhance your knowledge and skills.

• Keep an eye on your competitors and their strategies. Subscribe to their newsletters, follow their social media accounts and monitor their website updates.

• Build relationships with industry partners, mentors, or advisors who have expertise in your field.

• Stay updated with market research reports, industry surveys and whitepapers published by reputable firms.

• Stay curious. Read books, listen to podcasts and explore different media formats to gain diverse perspectives and insights.

Remember, it’s not just about consuming information but also actively engaging with it, reflecting on its implications for your business or career, and adapting accordingly.

The greatest danger in times of turbulance is not the turbulence itself,
but to act with yesterday’s logic.

-Peter Drucker

Lead from your heart. Lead to Win.

Take Action

Mike’s Leadership Forum

• Do you have a comment or question to make on today’s blog?
• Do you have a leadership issue you would like us to process in a future blog?
• Do you need a speaker for an upcoming leadership event?
• Click CONTACT for comments.