Be Mindful.
Be Skilled.
Be Safe.
Dr. Aaron M. Glassman
With over 25 years in the air, advanced degrees in aviation human factors, management, and IT strategy, and full-time, tenured faculty at one of the largest aerospace university in the world....Aaron enjoys taking a deep breath, jumping in, and thinking through interesting aviation topics in a fun and entertaining way! When he isn't rockin' his day job or recording podcasts, you will find him consulting for airlines or working fun aviation-related projects as well as helping pilots level up as an FAA Safety Team Representative and Gold Seal Flight Instructor. Aaron has won awards like "Hampton Roads Finest Pilot" from Angel Flight Mid-Atlantic and his thoughts have been featured in books on leadership as well as published in journals focused on aviation analytics and problem solving with data.
Fun Fact: His daily driver is now a Beechcraft Baron 58 stuffed with family and an Australian Labradoodle.
Captain dave lubore
A professional pilot for over 40 years, Dave has served with the Air National Guard as a fighter pilot, worked for 7 airlines, and flown everyone from his friends and family to sitting US Senators and former presidents. There isn’t an airplane he hasn’t met and moved around the sky, from Piper cubs to Mach 2 fighter jets and advanced commercial airliners. Dave’s passion is for education and learning, translating his myriad experiences into lessons for the next generation of pilots. In his spare time, he is an amateur musician, playing guitar and having performed with regional acts from Virginia to the Midwest.
Fun Fact: Dave met his wife while she was a flight attendant on his first flight for Presidential Airways because there isn't a cliche he won't embrace.
Captain Jim Gibbs
Jim started his aviation career from a small grass strip close to Greensboro North Carolina in 1972 and flew his last flight from Khandahar Afghanistan in 2012. Having worked for both large and small airline operations and training departments around the world Jim has seen a lot of changes in the industry in the last 50 years. In addition to the flying part, Jim’s other love is teaching people how to do things well. He has an undergraduate degree in Education from UNC-Chapel Hill and a Masters in Educational and Social Research from University College of London. The passion at this point in his career is helping the new rising stars in aviation to balance the need for precision of execution and standardization of procedural skills with knowledge, good communication and decision making. Jim is an independent contractor who does consulting work with an emphasis on designing training currirulums for airline pilots and analyzing safety data.
Fun Fact: He has almost 25,000 hours of flight time and is typed in the B727, 737, 757, 767 and served as a B777 examiner.
mindfulness and beyond
life is a series of connections
The thinking processes we find successful on the flight deck are almost universal. One cannot be an aloof goof and do well zinging across the sky in a pressurized tube.
This is why The Mindful Pilot is so universal. If you are a mindful pilot, you will be a better life partner, motorcycle rider, and can likely dock a boat without 4-letter words.
This is what this site is all about; simply doing better and being better by embracing what we know works on the flight deck and in our general lives all while having fun, embracing humor, and growing our minds together.
Fun Fact: Aaron grew up starring at airplanes. Nothing has changed with the next generation. It must be genetic!
Why the mindful pilot?
One thing we have noticed is that mindful pilots are generally better pilots. Those who have the ability to reflect openly, remain present in the moment, focus, while also scanning and absorbing their surroundings in a curious and proactive fashion more quickly master aviation and more safely command an aircraft. This doesn't mean that amazing pilots don't come in all shapes and sizes, only that those who embrace a mindful approach to aviation tend to be extremely successful.
All of your hosts have had substantial roles in aviation training and over the years pieced together what works (and what doesn't!). These podcasts and this website are not all about mindfulness in the purist sense, but more about how to apply mindfulness to a host of different topics. Those who can lean in and learn with us will surely benefit. This is why we say, be mindful, be skilled, and be safe!
- Aaron, Dave, & Jim
P.S. None of us are attorneys or went to law school. We'd probably flunk the LSAT but we can fly airplanes which makes us cool. What you see and hear on this site is not a substitute for quality flight training from a qualified instructor. Use this information at your own risk. A good risk...but your risk.
