"If you really value, not only the ability to keep yourself safe, but the art of flying and the science behind flying, I don't think you can avoid training like this."
– Nico Barraza, Starve the Ego Feed the Soul Podcast
Preparation Calms Fear: How Great Pilots Prepare for Life
Podcast Featuring APS EVP of Flight Operations Randall 'Random' Brooks
What happens when a professional pilot and a mental health counselor start comparing notes on preparation, fear, and human performance? A conversation that’s as enlightening for aviators as it is for anyone navigating challenges in life.
In this episode of Starve the Ego Feed the Soul, host Nico Barraz, a counselor and private pilot in training, talks with APS’s EVP of Flight Operations, Randall "Random" Brooks. Nico first heard Randy on an aviation podcast and was captivated by the clear parallels between advanced pilot training and the emotional resilience needed to face life’s toughest moments. Their conversation explores how principles of Upset Prevention and Recovery Training (UPRT) can apply far beyond the cockpit.
The Calm During the Storm
At the heart of this episode is a shared truth: the ability to handle high-stress situations with calmness and competence doesn't happen by chance. Rather, this ability is forged out of deliberate preparation.
Just as Nico helps clients prepare emotionally and develop skill sets for handling personal crises, Randy describes how UPRT equips pilots to respond in high-consequence moments when instinct can actually be detrimental. True upset recovery often requires pilots to act counterintuitively in order to override learned responses that work in the normal flight envelope but can be catastrophic in upset conditions. Pilots must also overcome the brain’s natural reactions to fear, surprise, and startle. This level of readiness demands a training intensity that builds not only physical skill, but also neural pathways that enable rapid, effective and intuitive action under pressure.
Safety and the Art and science of Flying
As the conversation unfolds, Randy and Nico touch on deeper questions of identity, discipline, and the responsibility that comes with flying. Nico reflects, "If you really value not only the ability to keep yourself safe, but the art of flying and the science behind flying, I don't think you can avoid training like this."
It’s a poignant insight that captures what it means to pursue true expertise—not just checking the boxes for proficiency but moving into the rare air of mastery. In this space, pilots gain the awareness, capabilities, and judgment to handle the most demanding situations with clarity and confidence. From here, they don’t just fly well; they lead, mentor, and elevate the profession with a hard-won understanding that can only come through experience and intention.
Enjoy this unusual and insightful discussion on what it means to be an aviator and what aviation can teach us about life...
Further Information on UPRT intensity:
- Required Intensity for Upset Training: In order to embed the skills a pilot needs to recover from an upset, training must strive to ensure those skills have become second nature. This article discusses the intensity of training required to give pilots the best chance of retaining upset prevention and recovery skills and being able to call up on them even during a highly stressful and time critical event.
- Why Upset 'Recovery' Training Is Essential to Reducing LOC-I: Why do we need upset recovery skills if we can just learn how to avoid an upset in the first place? This article provides an explanation of why "recovery" skills enhance recognition and prevention of an aircraft upset.
- Channeling Adrenaline: What are the advantages of "adrenalized learning"?
