Standards.

Jay Silvernale is our Senior Assistant Chief Flight Instructor of Standardization. A long title, for sure, but barely reflects his responsibilities, depth of knowledge and passion for aviation. Jay sets and holds us to a high level of standards as pilots and instructors. Some people think he holds us to an impossibly high standard, but I know he always holds himself up to everything he asks of the rest of us, so I know it is possible.

Why is that such a big deal? When you, as a pilot, or all of us as an organization, consistently hold yourself to a high standard of knowledge, skill and understanding, people recognize it, come to expect it and appreciate it.

Such a reputation goes a long way in this industry. I am sure this is true of many others too, but the aviation community is a relatively small one and it is not uncommon for a person's reputation, or an organization's, to precede them.

How do we continue to maintain our reputation for the high standards we have had for the last four decades, through this time of rapid growth? At the risk of stating the obvious, it starts and ends with each and every one of us.

It may be daunting to talk to Jay about aviation standards, his CFI class might even go so far as to describe it as intimidating, but as hundreds of people have said over the years, if you get past Jay, you are good to go, anywhere. He holds us all up to a high standard, including yours truly, but he is correct in his belief that high standards in aviation lead to great things, including a high level of safety, successful advancement and generally good times.

I fly because it is fun, a great way to get somewhere in a reasonably short time and it gives me a chance to see the world from a perspective not everyone gets to experience. I love to give rides to "first-timers" in the Citabria (or anything else, but that's another story). Dolly Parton said "it takes a lot of money to look this cheap". It takes a lot of work to have this much fun.

Every flight requires a successful outcome, so like most of us, I work very hard to make it look easy, challenging myself to hold myself to the highest possible standard of skill and safety on every pre-flight flight and post-flight operation. We owe it to ourselves, our industry, our passengers, and the people on the ground to do nothing less.

See you around the airport.