| Flying an airplane can be likened to running a business. | | | | Most other times during a business’s |
| At some points in the life of a business, during the | | | | “flight,” small corrections and tweaks are |
| startup and initial growth for example, it is necessary to | | | | all that is necessary to keep the company moving in |
| “hand fly” the business - you as an | | | | the direction you want it to go. This is, of course, |
| entrepreneur (pilot) must “control” the | | | | assuming you have a good business plan (flight plan) |
| business directly and make large changes to its | | | | and a good team (crew). You also must be in a |
| direction. In an airplane this is during takeoff and | | | | well-designed company (stable aircraft). See The |
| climbout and only lasts a few minutes. In business, it | | | | Aviation of Business post on Tradeoffs for more on |
| may last a few years. | | | | business design and aircraft design. |
| Airplanes are amazing pieces of machinery. During | | | | There ARE times during cruise flight when a business |
| some portions of flight, it is required that a pilot make | | | | (or an airplane) DOES need to be hand flown - any |
| large changes and major corrections to the path of | | | | time a change of direction is necessary. In aviation, it is |
| the aircraft. Takeoff and landing are obvious places | | | | all about navigation or avoidance of other aircraft, and |
| where this comes to mind. This is called “hand | | | | in business it is during times of change, when a new |
| flying” an airplane. | | | | direction is needed to grow to the next level or to |
| Other times, however, it is unnecessary to “hand | | | | outmaneuver competition. |
| fly” the plane - during straight and level | | | | Times to hand fly an airplane / business: |
| “cruise” flight for instance. During this | | | | - Takeoff / Startup |
| phase of a flight, the pilot will use what’s called | | | | - Climbout / Initial growth phase (combination of trim |
| “trim” to make very slight corrections to | | | | and hand flying) |
| the flight path of the airplane. If it is descending slightly, | | | | - Change in direction / New business opportunity |
| the pilot will use “nose up trim” to stop the | | | | - Traffic avoidance / Response to competition (can be |
| descent. If climbing slightly, “nose down | | | | proactive or reactive) |
| trim” will be used. Some aircraft have trim for | | | | - Initial descent / Considering exiting (combination of |
| rolling (aileron trim) and turning (rudder trim) as well. I am | | | | trim and hand flying) |
| not talking about any kind of “auto-pilot;” | | | | - Approach to landing / Decision to exit made |
| this is just a way to more carefully and precisely | | | | (combination of trim and hand flying) |
| control the plane once it is in “cruise” flight | | | | - Landing / Exit of business (sale or other exit |
| and flying at a constant altitude and in a constant | | | | strategy) |
| direction for some length of time. | | | | The reason it is important to understand this is that it is |
| In business, startup and initial growth are not the only | | | | possible to “hand fly” an aircraft (and a |
| times when a company must be "hand | | | | business) when it should be “trimmed.” It is |
| flown." If you plan on selling or in some other way | | | | very easy to “overcorrect” when you |
| “exiting” the business, you will also need to | | | | hand fly an aircraft during cruise flight… this will |
| “hand fly” for awhile. You may not be | | | | cause large changes in altitude and direction because |
| “hand flying” the business directly, but you | | | | the pilot feels the need to directly control everything |
| will be directly and significantly involved in the process | | | | the aircraft does with relatively large control |
| of finding a buyer and negotiating a fair price for both | | | | movements. But in a stable aircraft, small adjustments |
| of you. This roughly coincides with the approach and | | | | with trim allow the plane to “fly itself” - |
| landing of an airplane - again a time when the pilot | | | | and that is exactly what aircraft (and businesses) |
| must be significantly involved in the aircraft’s | | | | should be designed to do. |
| control. | | | | |