Training Industry Quarterly - Fall 2008 - (Page 42) [CASEBOOK] Freedom Fliers: Inside U.S. Naval Aviation Training BY TIM SOSBE got to be able to put that bomb on the target the first time,” he said. “If you’re a Coast Guard pilot, you’ve got to be able to fly that helicopter and get that rescue in the high seas in bad weather done the first time or else people’s lives are at stake. With stakes that are that high, you’ve got to be able to do it right.” The outcomes are just part of the mission. Guadagnini’s team is creating a culture that breeds success. “We have to train not just the skill, but the correct mindset, so we have people willing to do the right thing that it takes to accomplish the mission successfully every time,” Guadagnini said. “Failure in our line of work is not an option, or the American way of life ceases to exist.” Naturally he’s gravely aware of the stakes and the mission. But he also knows a simple truth: Flying is fun. “It’s fun because we get to teach somebody a skill that’s valuable to them and it’s valuable to the country,” he said. “We get people into our programs who want to be there. They’re all volunteers. In fact, we have A s learning leaders, you’re used to dealing with mission-critical education, the types of training and workforce development that provides a solution to some pressing need for the organization. Profits may hang in the balance, and careers. The stakes are indeed high and the pressures are noteworthy. Now imagine that you were dealing with something that’s more than mission-critical, something like a critical mission. Imagine if it wasn’t just money and careers at stake, but lives. Imagine the pressures if your job-performance success factors included a body count. Imagine if your professional plate included the personal freedoms of more than 350 million people. Now we’re talking high stakes. As Chief of Naval Air Training for the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Coast Guard, Rear Admiral Mark D. Guadagnini and his staff prepare professionals less than a decade out of their teens to excel at the most crucial tasks in the most horrendous of conditions. “When it gets to actually flying an airplane in combat missions, you’ve 42 Training Industry Quarterly, Summer 2008 / A Training Industry, Inc. ezine / www.trainingindustry.com/TIQ
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