National President's Message

Old Dog, New Tricks?

By CDR Emily “ABE” Stellpflug, USN

As a former MH-60S pilot now transitioned to the CMV-22 Osprey, there are many moments that I struggle to learn and adapt to a new aircraft and mission. Years of experience in any craft can make a person resistant to change and growth. Can an old dog learn new tricks? The short answer is—we must. To be masters of our craft, we must remain curious and eager to evolve as our aircraft, threats, and tactics shift.

There is a Zen Buddhism concept called Shoshin meaning “beginner’s mindset.” This concept “refers to having an openness, eagerness, and lack of preconceptions when studying a subject, even when studying at an advanced level, just as a beginner in that subject would." Most of us learn best when being exposed to material for the first time. That is probably why we still remember ditties from flight school such as “down, right, idle, turn." The “beginner’s mindset” challenges a person to approach a problem or new skill with the same curiosity as if seeing it for the first time.

What is it about being an old dog that can make a person resistant to learning and change? I can think of many factors that may come into play—ego, fear of failure, stubbornness, laziness—just to name a few. Those are barriers that must be overcome as we hone our skills as aviators. Each time we step into a debrief, we should have an open mind and set our egos aside in order to learn and grow from that event. That is a critical piece of our aviation culture and key to success.

This Rotor Review explores "Lethality through Learning" and the importance of our Rotary Force being willing to learn and evolve. I would challenge each of us to read the articles with a beginner’s mindset in order to discover all that this issue has to offer!

Fly Safe! V/R ABE NHA Lifetime Member #481