It's not the plane, it's the pilot

​There's a scene early in Top Gun Maverick when one of the trainees wonders out loud how the less advanced plane he will be flying in an upcoming mission can compete with the enemy's advanced aircraft.

Tom Cruise - like only Tom Cruise can - reminds him, "it's not the plane, it's the pilot."

I reflected on that this weekend. We live in a world constantly searching for the next advancement - that innovation that will set us apart. One that will make us safer or faster or better or all of the above.

To date, though, we haven't advanced beyond the human variable. At the end of every advancement - it's still the pilot, not the plane.

Granted, there are a lot of advancements that leave us better equipped to do life in a more advanced way, but nothing advances beyond a human's capacity to manage it - to trust in it - to believe they are the right person to get their hands on that advancement.

I think about running shoes. They've come a long way. But put them on the feet of a runner who hasn't come a long way with their training - those shoes become useless. And, on the other hand, I know a lot of runners out there who train in their bare feet. Runners who can outrun a lot of advanced shoes.

I think one of the problems we have in our culture is a lot of us have forgotten it's not the pilot, it's the plane. There are a lot of us sitting around wishing for the perfect plane to come along to solve our problems, when if we'd simply believe just how well we could pilot the planes we already have - well, problem solved.

Late in the movie, there's a scene where Tom Cruise begins questioning his own chances in a fight scene while flying an inferior plane. That trainee Cruise had once encouraged turns the tables. He says to Cruise, "remember, it's not the plane, it's the pilot."

It's Monday. I want to start this week with a reminder - it's not the plane, it's the pilot. And you - you are a much better pilot than you give yourself credit for.

Sure, there are a lot of people out there with fancier equipment - maybe they have fancier everything. But they are NOT you. And you can make up for the lack of a lot of fancy equipment.

Be reminded of that this week. You ARE the pilot. And I for one believe in you.

And if you get a chance, return that favore to someone else this week. Remind them:

"Remember, it's not the plane, it's the pilot."