It can be fun to think about your flight as a mission instead of a trip, but this is a dangerous way of thinking.
When flying a trip:
- You can cancel without putting others in danger.
- You can afford a very high standard of safety and cancel if it isn’t met.
- You can turn back or change your itinerary midflight as needed.
- Your primary goal is safety and the destination is secondary at best.
Military aircraft fly missions, and they do not always have the characteristics above. They are highly trained pilots flying in stressful and often very dangerous situations. Others are depending on them to fly the mission!
To all military personnel, veterans and active duty, thank you for your service!
Unless you are in the military, flying a real mission, you should always think of your flight as a trip.
When conditions change, avoid the common human factors traps and change your plan. Don’t try to be macho by pretending you are on a mission.