Perspectives

Short Memory Written By: Paul Wickstrom

In the decade before 2020, some may have doubted that hiring and growth could do anything but skyrocket. In the airline world, pilots were leaving one legacy for another or making the move from ULCC to legacy without hesitation. Why not work for the dream company or have the ideal domicile?

Then came the summer of 2020, filled with uncertainty for everyone. In corporate flying, many were concerned that face-to-face meetings would be avoided, making flight departments far less critical and therefor easier to cut. In the airlines, large numbers of furloughs were certain at every carrier.

Those who had seniority or job security of any kind seemed to be thankful for it. Those who didn’t, planned for the worst, including looking for options outside of flying. I believed that the deep cuts we anticipated at most airlines would have been enough to compel those who were thinking of making a jump, to stay put and enjoy what job security they had.

Fast-forward to just a year later, and the short memory of pilots is more evident than ever. Pilots are back to jumping around from ULCC to legacy, from one legacy to another, from legacy to cargo, etc. It is as if the tenure they have with an airline can easily be replaced at another one. Do pilots have the impression that nothing more can happen to turn the industry upside down again? A look at the rest of the world shows a very different situation than that found in the U.S. Things are very slowly starting to show signs of improvement outside of the U.S., so the idea of leaving any kind of flying position for the most junior spot should be unthinkable.

If you are a pilot who finds yourself in a position of deciding to make a move, likely you have talked to friends in the industry to get their opinions. This is a good first step. But keep in mind that often, friends will offer support yet be less likely to provide help in making a decision. A great resource to consider is Professional Pilots of Tomorrow (theppot.org). PPOT is a mentorship organization that will pair a mentor with a mentee to provide guidance through that decision process of whether to make a move. One of the greatest offerings that PPOT has is a large network of pilots across the entire industry, airline and non-airline, who are equipped to offer counsel and are excited to talk to you.

A career move is never one that should be taken lightly. If you are hesitant to reach out to someone, consider what you have to lose and what you have to gain. You can only benefit from learning others’ perspectives. Those who will be honest with you, who may phrase things differently from your friends and family, and who may potentially give you new ways to look at things can only help you make sound decisions – decisions that you will live with for the rest of your life.

About the Author

Paul Wickstrom grew up an aviation enthusiast which led to his first flight as part of the EAA Young Eagles program. After that flight there was no doubt what he wanted to do. In his professional career, Paul as worked as a CFI, CFII, MEI, flown the Embraer ERJ-145 for large regional and is now an Airbus A320 pilot. Read More...

BAGGAGE

The Importance of Body Language and What It Says about You Eight ways to improve your body language

Written By: Reini Thijssen

Afirst impression is made even before a single word is said. Appearance and body language speak volumes which make it all the more important to understand non-verbal communication. Understanding non-verbal communication makes it easier to gauge your conversational partner, and it can help improve how you convey your message. The following Body Language Checklist can help you improve your first impression!

What is body language?

Body language is a form of non-verbal communication. Non-verbal communication is all communication that is

not contained in words. The content, the words, is verbal communication. The combination of verbal and non-

verbal communication gives meaning to the content. Body language combines these elements: 1. Facial expression: The face is the primary indicator we rely on to interpret a person’s emotions. Seven micro-expressions involve facial twitches lasting less than half a second: anger, disgust, happiness, sadness, fear, sadness, contempt, and surprise. 2. Clothing: Certain styles and colors send a message. The way we dress is often used to signify gender, age and economic class. 3. Eye contact: Eye contact during a conversation is very important and shows interest. However, too much eye contact can appear aggressive. 4. Gestures: Everyone uses their hands and arms in different ways. For example, arms can indicate a defensive position. Crossed arms are often viewed as a closed posture. The arms can also hang loosely with the shoulders back, which is usually a sign that someone is relaxed. Hands can emphasize the message or indicate an honest, open attitude by showing open palms. 5. Voice: Voice includes the volume, the rate of speech, and pitch. A slow, monotonous voice can convey bordom. A high-pitched, fast speech can sound nervous. 6. Posture: Posture is the general position of the body. In general, comfortable people will keep their heads up and look at you directly. Slightly leaning back indicates feeling relaxed, leaning slightly forward indicates active listening.

Miscommunication through body language

It is crucial to realize that body language is continuously observed and interpreted when communicating with others. If the content of your words does not match what you think and feel, people tend to rely on tone and body language. When your conversation partner notices a discrepancy between what you say verbally and what you convey non-verbally, they might question the message. For example, when giving a compliment while frowning, the other person might be skeptical and not believe the compliment. In other words, if what you say matches what you feel and think, your message will likely come across as it was intended.

Much of our body language is intuitive, and you might not even notice that you are communicating with your posture and facial expressions. For example, rubbing your hands because you are nervous, or frowning because you are thinking inject meaning. Sometimes you do not realize what you are showing; meaning that we often do not know how others might interpret our body language. However, conclusions are frequently drawn from body language, sometimes outweighing the words we say. When someone says to have a good time while sitting in a corner with their arms folded, do you believe what they say or what they convey with their body language? Misinterpretation of body language can lead to miscommunication and work to your disadvantage.

The Body Language Improvement Checklist

1. Relax

Take a deep breath through your nose and release your breath slowly through your mouth for 4 seconds. Repeat this a few times. This exercise relaxes both your body and face, making you look more relaxed right away.

2. Posture

With the last deep breath to relax, shrug your shoulders. With the exhale, let them fall backward entirely. Pull them back slightly. People with straightened shoulders come across as more open and self-assured. This can help improve your mood as well.

Standing upright shows confidence, authority, and energy. Pretend a string is pulling your head and shoulders up to the ceiling. Your weight should be evenly distributed, with your feet firmly on the floor.

3. Eye contact

You appear more confident when you make eye contact while talking to others. Making eye contact is not the same as staring. Making eye contact while the other person is talking shows interest and empathy. Extra plus: People tend to find good listeners more likable, so let them talk.

4. Smile

A friendly smile shows comfort and sends the message that you are at ease. Again, it is all about the proper dosage. However, when in doubt, smile.

5. Mirroring

Mirroring means following the movements of your conversation partner to show interest and attention. For example, if your conversation partner puts his right leg over his knee, you do the same. Most people already do this unconsciously, but it can be helpful to pay extra attention to it. For the advanced users: Too much or

conspicuous mirroring can come across as too intense.

6. Clothing and presentation

Nothing is more personal than one’s clothing style. Wearing clothes that make you feel comfortable can make you feel powerful, even on the phone. Pay a little extra attention to your wardrobe. Give consideration to which colors and fit suit the situation?

Making a professional impression is more than clothing. For example, also make sure that you keep perspiration under control. Make sure to have fresh breath, and keep your hands clean and tidy.

7. Hands

Keeping both hands in sight shows confidence. Keeping your palms visible is a sign that you are approachable and not a threat. Also, pay attention to what you do with your hands and hand gestures. Fiddling or twisting thumbs can appear bored or impatient. In addition, always give a firm hand to comes across as confident.

8. Active attitude

An active attitude shows interest ¬– that you are motivated and interested in the other person and the topic of conversation.

When you listen, you adopt an active attitude by: • A slightly bent-over posture, upright, with the shoulders and toes toward the conversation partner. This open body language implies attention and focus. • Do not move your body away from the conversation, but lean forward and focus eyes, ears, and energy on the conversation. • Do not cross arms and legs, and do not multitask. Put your phone away if you do not want to appear disinterested and/or disrespectful. • Offer frequent, small encouragement such as nodding your head, humming, “Mm, mm,” or saying, “Keep going.”

Final thoughts: Be yourself

The checklist can be helpful and used in various situations, professionally and privately. However, there is one important thing to note: When overthinking about how you come across and focusing on every move, it is impossible to concentrate on the conversation. Listening is the most crucial action during a conversation. People find a conversation partner who listens more sympathetic. Do not be too hard on yourself, and be yourself!

About the Author

Reini Thijssen is a Mental Health Counselor and avid traveler. She moved to the United States from the Netherlands in 2019 to pursue a career in counseling. She is a writer for Aero Crew News and specializes in helping aerospace professionals. Read More...

FITNESS

Nutrition Matters – Even on the Weekends

Written By: Eric Ray

Over the years I have completed many fitness programs (those late-night order from the comfort of your own home kind), maintained a certain level of physical readiness (because of my military career), and after all this time, still enjoy being physically fit.

The nutrition side of my life would be okay, and especially better during the periods I was working defined programs or working on improving my prowess for the military’s semi-annual physical fitness test. Looking back, I could reasonably work a defined/outlined nutrition plan for something bordering on 90 days. I did have some success with this approach, but it was never sustainable beyond completion of any program.

I never truly focused on what good nutrition was and what it could do for me. I would inevitably cheat on the weekends. I figured, why not? It’s the reward for working hard, right? I had this mindset: I will just push harder or add more cardio during the week to make up for extra treats. That’s the fallacy of being able to outrun a crappy diet.

I knew I had to change my nutrition and make it something I could enjoy and live with beyond 90 days. Over the last year, I have adopted a new approach. I work the nutrition plan and adjust my caloric intake as necessary to keep my energy levels up and the fat off. This has allowed me to drop nearly 30 pounds over the last year and has helped me to keep it off.

Here’s what I learned:

1. You must determine YOUR own caloric needs. There are

many online nutrition calculators available that will help you determine that number. Use them.

2. Don’t be overly restrictive. That leads to binging. Find an approach that allows you to still eat things you like in moderation. Start reading food labels. You’ll be amazed at serving sizes!!

3. Know what your triggers are and work to limit them. Reduce your temptations by not having those “trigger things” in the pantry. Peanut butter with chocolate is one of mine. I can eat a whole box of peanut-butter patty Girl Scout cookies – in one sitting!!!

4. Be disciplined in your approach to nutrition. Don’t think “cheat days.” Try to eat consistently every day and understand that it’s okay to have the occasional “free” meal. Enjoy living life and being out with friends and family, especially now as we are trying to reconnect after this last crazy year.

The whole point of making any meaningful change, whether its health, nutrition, fitness, or whatever gets you to your #PAARLife, is to discover and become the best version of YOU!

About the Author

Eric Ray is a certified personal trainer and nutrition coach. He is the co-creator of the Hii360 Coaching Method and current president of Hii360 Coaching. Read More...

MONEY

Using an HSA as a Retirement Account

Written by Gary Krasnov, AIF®, CLTC®

There are few vehicles as tax efficient as a Health Savings Account (HSA). I like to think of HSAs as a ROTH on steroids. As you know, in most cases1 with a ROTH account, you can invest after-tax dollars that grow tax free and are withdrawn tax free in retirement.

With an HSA, you can deposit pre-tax dollars that grow tax free and when withdrawn for qualified medical expenses (QME) are distributed tax free. An HSA may be the most powerful wealth-accumulation tool available to you. First, let’s review the current rules for HSA accounts.

THE RULES FOR HSA ACCOUNTS

To contribute to an HSA, you must be enrolled in a high-deductible health plan (HDHP) and cannot be covered by any other traditional health plan. For example, if you are covered by Tri-Care, you cannot contribute to an HSA even if you are also enrolled in an HDHP at work. Contribution limits for HSA accounts are indexed for inflation and for 2021, the limit is $3,600 for an individual (compared to $3,500 in 2019) and $7,200 for an employee with family coverage (compared to $7,000 in 2019). If you are 55 or older, you are also allowed an additional $1,000 as a catch-up contribution.

For a medical plan to be considered an HDHP, it must meet the following criteria; the annual deductible for 2021 must be at least $1,400 for an individual and no less than $2,800 for a covered family. The total annual deductible and other out-of-pocket expenses cannot exceed $6,900 for an individual and $13,800 for a covered family. (This limit doesn’t apply to out-of-network services.) These amounts are also indexed for inflation.

Your contribution to an HSA is not subject to federal income tax, state tax (except in Alabama, California and New Jersey), or FICA taxes, if made through your employer’s HSA plan.

Distributions from an HSA are tax free if used for QMEs of your own, your spouse or anyone who is a dependent on your federal tax return. QMEs can be defined as any out-of-pocket health care cost that would be allowed as an itemized deduction on your tax return, unless you actually received a deduction for that expense. (Otherwise, you would be “double-dipping.”) QMEs can be any medical, dental or vision expense. The premium for your HDHP is not a QME because you are already using pre-tax dollars.

Reimbursement from an HSA for a QME does not need to be taken in the year the expense was incurred (so save ALL QME receipts), but the QME must have occurred in a year you were covered by an HDHP and you did not receive a tax deduction for the medical expense.

If you have an HDHP, you may not contribute to a Flexible Savings Account (FSA). The good news is that unlike an FSA, an HSA does not have a use-it-or-lose-it provision, and it is portable. The money you contribute is yours until you use it and becomes part of your estate when you pass. You also do not need to submit proof of a QME to withdraw money from an HSA, just save the receipts for the QME in case you are ever audited by the IRS. Another difference between an HSA and an FSA is that with an HSA you can change your contribution rate throughout the year.

If you make a withdrawal from your HSA prior to reaching age 65 for a non-QME, the withdrawal is subject to both income tax and a 20% tax penalty. After age 65, the same non-QME withdrawal is subject to income tax only.

Once you go on Medicare Part A, you may no longer contribute to an HSA but, of course, can continue to make withdrawals from your HSA. Most recently, Fidelity estimates that a couple retiring in 2019 at age 65 will incur $285,000 in medical expenses in their lifetime², not including any costs for long-term care.

“WHAT SHOULD I CONTRIBUTE TO FIRST?”

Let’s take a quick look at the tax treatment of these different accounts.

Pre-Tax Contribution Taxed at Withdrawal 401(k) YES YES ROTH NO NO

IRA* YES YES

HSA YES NO

*For the purposes of this discussion, we will assume you are below the income limits that would otherwise exclude you from making these contributions.

Now let’s look at what this could mean to you in spendable dollars in the future. To keep things simple, I will use the following assumptions: 25% effective tax rate, 5% annualized growth, $1,000 yearly contribution, 10 years from first contribution to first withdrawal. We will also assume there is no company match to your 401(k).

Total Contribution Account Value at First Withdrawal After-Tax Spendable $ 401(k) $10,000 $13,206 $8,584

ROTH $7,500 $9,905 $9,505

IRA $10,000 $13,206 $8,584

HSA $10,000 $13,206 $13,206

As you can see, an HSA can yield over 30% more in spendable dollars than any other savings vehicles.

401(k), ROTH, IRA, HSA … What if I can’t fund them all? First, I am assuming you do not have a lot of high-interest credit card debt. If you do, that is priority number one. Build a budget, stick to it and get those credit cards paid off. If that means no Starbucks or cable, make the sacrifice; in the long run, you will be much happier.

If you currently are not in a position to contribute the maximum allowable to your 401(k) and an HSA, I would recommend that you contribute enough to your 401(k) to receive the full company match and then contribute as much as you can to an HSA. Please remember that the intent is not to use the money in the HSA to pay current out-of-pocket expenses but to leave the money in your HSA invested for medical expenses incurred in retirement.

As your income rises and you have excess cash flow, contribute the maximum allowable amount to your HSA, then increase your contributions to your 401(k) with the goal of maxing out your contribution ($19,000 in 2019).

SAVINGS PRIORITIES

To review, here is the priority for retirement savings: 1. 401(k) contributions sufficient to capture all your company match 2. HSA 3. 529 plan contributions (if needed) 4. Unmatched contribution to retirement savings plan (401(k), IRA)

Why do we save during our working years? This seems like a simple question. To support ourselves in retirement, of course. Part of that support will require us to pay the many medical expenses we incur during our golden years. How

better to do this than saving pre-tax dollars, investing them, watching them grow tax-free and withdrawing them tax-free to pay our medical expenses? An HSA is the only current vehicle that allows you to do this.

CONSULT A PROFESSIONAL

Please remember that the following recommendations are somewhat generic, and I have to make assumptions on earnings and tax brackets. For recommendations specific to your situation, please give us a call at (800) 321-9123 or request a call by visiting raa.com/HSAarticle, and we will be happy to provide more specific advice. [1] ROTH contributions are income dependent. Consult your tax professional for specific advice. [2] According to an article published by Fidelity Investments in April 2019 titled, “How to plan for rising health care costs.”

Source: Geisler, G. Ph.D. (2016). “Could a Health Savings Account Be Better than an Employer-Matched 401(k)?” Journal of Financial Planning 29 (1): 40 - 48.

Disclaimer: This article is intended for informational purposes only and should not be construed as individual investment advice. Actual recommendations are provided by RAA following consultation and are custom-tailored to each investor’s unique needs and circumstances. The information contained herein is from sources believed to be accurate and reliable. However, RAA accepts no legal responsibility for any errors or omissions. Investments in stocks, bonds, and mutual funds may increase or decrease in value. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Any of the charts and graphs included in this article are not recommendations for the purchase and sale of any security.

About the Author

Gary Krasnov serves as the vice president of Airline Strategy and Compliance for RAA. Gary joined RAA in 2016 as part of the Advisor Financial Services merger where he was a partner and CCO. Read More...

SQUALL LINE

Mammatus Clouds

Clouds formed by descending air

Written by: Craig Pieper

As summer lingers and thunderstorms continue to increase, you might see an unusual weather phenomenon – a mammatus cloud. (In pronunciation, the stress is on the first syllable.) This cloud is formed when cool moist air sinks into warm dry air, which is the opposite of how most clouds are formed.

Clouds are typically formed when there is moisture present and the temperature and dew point are equal, i.e., 100% saturation. Clouds form when sunlight is reflected by the earth’s surfaces and warms the air around it. This warmer air rises and as it rises into the atmosphere it decreases in temperature. If it stays warmer than the air around it, it will continue to rise. When these molecules of air reach the point where the temperature has cooled enough to equal the dew point and moisture is present in the air, these molecules of air will then begin the process of forming a cloud. This process is called sublimation. If these molecules of air continue to be warmer than the

air around them, they will continue to rise. This is the start of a cumulus cloud. If there is enough lifting force, moisture and instability, this cloud can develop into a thunderstorm.

Mammatus clouds are most commonly found with extreme thunderstorms. Mammatus clouds look like pouches hanging from a cloud. Typically they are found on the underside of the anvil of a thunderstorm or extend from

the base of a cumulonimbus cloud. Additionally, they can also be found under altostratus and cirrus clouds and

volcanic ash clouds. Typically, the moisture inside these clouds is composed of ice crystals.

Mamma is a Latin word, which means ‘udder’ or ‘breast’, which is attributed to the appearance of the cloud¬ – much like a cow’s udder. These clouds can stretch for

hundreds of miles in any direction and are said to last between ten to sixty minutes.

For the longest time, I believed that these clouds were associated with tornadoes, but this is not always the case. In researching this topic, I learned that they typically form in the dissipating stage of a thunderstorm on the underside of the anvil after the upper-level winds have blown the top off and these dense moist cold air particles have lost their updraft and begin to descend back to the earth into warmer dry air. Some of my research has indicated mammatus clouds may form because of a tornado, but seeing mammatus clouds, does not mean there is a tornado associated with that towering cumulonimbus cloud.

While these clouds can create amazingly beautiful, aweaspiring sunsets and cannot necessarily be associated with severe weather, it is highly recommended to avoid flying in or around them as they are generally associated with turbulence, wind shear and icing. Enjoy the sight, but only from a safe distance.

About the Author

Craig Pieper - Craig Pieper is the Publisher and Founder of Aero Crew News and a second generation airline pilot. Read More...