THE TRUTH ABOUT EXPERIENCE

"Money lost - nothing lost; health lost - little lost; spirit lost - everything lost." - Igor Sikorsky The key to a long career in any chosen profession is to never fall out of love with the work you do. Because, as the quote attributed to the father of the helicopter, Igor Sikorsky, intimates, if you lose your spirit, you lose everything. Evangelist Billy Graham took the quote a step further, saying he believed the loss of character was the greatest loss a person could experience.

- GEORGE TONKING

IN MY CAREER AS A HELICOPTER PILOT, being in a high-pressure industry, I have had a few key moments where I've had to deal with both potential losses. To succeed, I had to fail. A lot. And those failures could quite easily have pushed me towards a different vocation, or simply into the foetal position, sobbing under my winter duvet.

The early days of flying security at Protea Coin in South Africa come to mind. Not only was I severely under-experienced, but so was the industry.

"Buy a helicopter, get a pilot, and voila, we have an airwing," thought my boss, Waal. "I quickly learned, though, that the security industry and flight safety were the proverbial "oil and water." Both fraternities were in their developmental adolescence and required constant adaption. Having purchased a helicopter, Protea Coin had virtually 24-hour access to an aerial vehicle. Which meant the newly-minted security pilot, aka George Tonking, also needed to be available 24 hours a day. Both my employer and I soon learned, however, that humans and machines have limitations. I was away from home a lot, which is fine for a bachelor, but was not helpful for me, with a young family. Instead of becoming just another burned-out pilot, I sought other options.