Let’s imagine you find yourself on an airplane, in the sky, without a pilot. You are in a non-normal situation.A useful guide to your initial actions if you’re in such a pickle is a simple mnemonic called ANC: Aviate, Navigate, Communicate.  So, aviate. You need to keep the plane in the safe, stable flight you found it in.

Up In The Sky With No Pilot

Use the control wheel and the horizon displayed on the attitude indicator to level the wings. If it’s gin-clear outside and the real horizon is obvious to you, feel free to use it.Next, take a look at the altimeter and the vertical speed indicator. Pick an altitude as your target—a simple number near your current altitude, like 10,000 or 15,000 feet. If you’re climbing away from your target, then very gently push the control column forward—that is, away from you—until you’ve stopped climbing.

Get On The Steering Wheel!

If you’re descending, then pull the control column back, toward you, until you’re not descending anymore. Be gentle, as it’s easy to overcorrect. Now, look at the airspeed indicator. Pick a target speed toward the higher end of the safe range. It’s impossible to give numbers for every airplane, but try 100 knots in a small plane, 250 knots in a small airliner, and 280 knots in something like a 747. If your speed is higher than your target, pull the throttles or thrust levers back slightly to reduce power. If it’s lower, then add power.

Picking A Speed After You Have Control On The Aircraft

The goal is to reach an equilibrium in which your speed and altitude are safe and stable. Note the pitch attitude and power setting at which this occurs. The problem, as you’ll soon realize, is that the inputs required to correct one aspect of your flight path will almost certainly upset another one. The best way to catch any unintended changes early is to move your eyes between the primary instruments in a consistent pattern. This pattern is called the scan, and scanning is something you have to constantly do.

Maintaining Being Alive

Sometimes (Scan!) just (Scan!) maintaining (Scan!) level (Scan!) flight (Scan!) requires you to hold an awful lot of forward or backward force on the controls. This brings up the important concept of trimming. Trimming, you might say, is a way of resetting the conditions under which the controls feel neutral. Or to put it another way, a perfectly trimmed plane would carry on doing what you want it to, even if you were to let go of the controls.

Trimming The Controls

Planes are typically trimmed by adjusting the positions of the panels and surfaces on the wings and tail that act on each of the three axes—roll, pitch, and yaw. Imagine an engine failure on a plane that has one engine under each wing. You’d need a lot of rudder input to keep the plane flying straight ahead as It’s tiring to hold that rudder position for a long time—and if you trim correctly, you won’t have to.

How To Trim The Plane

In routine flight, pilots most often trim in pitch, especially after a change of speed. Look for a trim wheel, or trim switches on the control wheel. If you find you have to hold a forward force on the controls to maintain level flight, slowly roll the wheel or switch forward until that force is no longer necessary. If you’re constantly pulling back, then trim backward.

Trim Wheel And Trim Switch

Navigate a safe flight path (in relation to mountains, storms, air traffic zones, and other aircraft) and communicate with the folks who need to know what you’re doing, or who can help you to achieve a safe outcome. For a trained pilot, navigation is a more immediate priority than communication (hence the order of the mnemonic, first A, then N, and last of all C). But for you the opposite is true, because unless you can see an airport right in front of you, you’re going to need outside help to remain clear of terrain and to find a runway.

The Next Step: Safe Flight Path And Communication

Radios work like a party line. Everyone tuned in to a given frequency can hear what anyone else says, but only one person can speak at a time. It’s basically a giant conference call in the heavens, one that can be quite intimidating for new pilots.To speak you need to press and hold a “Transmit” button, then release it when you’ve finished, just as you would on a walkie-talkie.

How To Talk In The Radio

There’s probably a button or switch on the control wheel, often on the back. If you’re sitting on the left side of the cockpit then it’s likely to be under your left index finger, a carefully chosen position that allows you to speak on the radio without removing your hand from the controls. Some switches rock up to transmit, and down to speak via the intercom that goes straight into the other pilot’s headset.

Finding The Radio 'Transmit' Button

You might also look for a “hand mic,” a microphone with a transmit button right on it. As you search for the transmit switch, keep in mind that on some control wheels and sidestick controllers there’s an autopilot disconnect button, often red, where your thumb might land. You do not want to press that.A pilot transmission often follows a standard four-part format: whom you’re addressing; who you are, expressed as a call sign, or identifier, that’s absolutely unique to your aircraft or your flight; where you are; and what you want.

Talking On The Radio While Flying A Plane

Use your flight number or the aircraft registration (it will probably be on a placard in the cockpit).Give your altitude and position—as best you know it—and a concise summary of your situation. Then release the transmit button (important!) and listen for a reply.If you don’t hear one, transmit again. If you still don’t hear a reply, it’s time to change frequency. Look for the radio’s control panel (below), which will have multiple digital displays of numbers in a certain format—typically three digits, a decimal point, and then a few more digits, such as 134.975.

Life-Saving Communication: Do It Right

If no one has responded to your initial call, the frequency to enter now is 121.500 MHz, the universal emergency frequency. Select this in the standby field, then swap the standby frequency into the active field by pressing the bidirectional arrow button. Change the frequency on all the panels you can find. Also, press every radio panel button with a “1” or “L” on or near it, to make sure you’re transmitting via the correct radio, and not, for example, repeatedly making a PA (public address) to the cabin. Then transmit your call.

What To Do In Case Of Radio Silence

Now that you’ve established communications, it’s time to navigate. Ask the controller for a direction to fly in to keep you clear of terrain and perhaps also bad weather—in some parts of the world the controllers can see weather systems on their screens. When the controller decides that you need to turn, he or she will give you a heading (known as a “vector”), measured in degrees, such as 090 degrees for east. Look down at the heading indicator and then gently turn the control wheel in the desired direction. You don’t want to roll too steeply.

Navigate The Plane

As you roll, you’ll need to pull back on the control column a little and probably add power too. That’s because some of the lift that was keeping you in level flight is now being deployed “sideways” to turn you. If you don’t create more lift, you’ll start to descend. Pulling back creates that lift (and the more steeply you bank, the more you need to pull). But it also creates more drag, so you’ll need more power to maintain your speed. And so it goes on. That’s why the scan is so important.

Pulling The Aircraft

Now you know how to keep the aircraft flying—to aviate. The controller you’re in communication with is helping you to navigate. In fact, you’ve earned a pause for another cup of tea (but actually, keep on scanning). Nor should you miss the chance to have a little fun (the technical aviation term for “fun,” by the way, is “familiarizing yourself with the feel of the airplane”). Try some gentle turns or climbs or, for extra points, combine them in a climbing turn. Enjoy!

Breathe Again

Up in the sky in the cockpit with no pilot.

Print this out and bring it with you on your next flight. Just in case.

Stashed ideas

How to Fly a Plane in an Emergency Situation

<ul>
<li>Velocity measures displacement. Speed is the distance traveled over time.</li>
<li>A lot of people think in terms of one dimension (speed) and are passed by people who think in multiple dimensions (velocity).</li>
<li>You need to distinguish between tasks that offer a lot of speed and those that offer velocity.</li>
</ul>

Speed vs Velocity

<ul>
<li>Saying yes to everything is a quick road to mediocrity.</li>
<li>You need to distinguish between tasks that offer a lot of speed and those that offer velocity.</li>
<li>Busywork is doing work that keeps you occupied but doesn’t get you where you want to go.</li>
<li>Instead of asking how many tasks you can tackle given your working hours. Ask how many you can ditch given what you must do to excel.</li>
<li>Doing more isn’t always moving you ahead.</li>
</ul>

How to use this at work?

<ol><li>To the extent possible, ruthlessly shave away the unnecessary tasks, priorities, meetings, and BS.</li><li>Don’t rely on your willpower to say no; instead, create systems that help you fend off distractions.</li><li>Say “no” to your boss: Explain that saying no means that you’re going to be better at the tasks that are most important to your job, and tie those tasks to your boss’s performance.</li></ol>

Three ways to increase velocity

It’s tempting to think that in order to be a valuable team player, you should say “yes” to every request and task that is asked of you.

People who say yes to everything have a lot of speed. They're always doing stuff but never getting anything done. Why? Because they don't think in terms of velocity. Understanding the difference between speed and velocity will change how you work.

Understanding Speed and Velocity: Saying "NO" to the Non-Essential - Farnam Street

A <a href="http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/psp/108/5/750/">new paper</a> by a team of researchers from Duke University, University of Georgia, and University of Colorado looks at not only how extremely competent people are treated by their co-workers and peers, but how those people feel when, at crucial moments, everyone turns to them. 
They find that responsible employees are not terribly pleased about this dynamic either.

Being Competent At The Workplace

A separate experiment found that not only go-getters get more tasks assigned,—but how much work it would take to get the job done always gets underestimated. 
What looks easy from the outside may not feel that easy on the inside.

Easy On The Outside

People ask high self-control people to do more for perfectly logical reasons—because they think that those who successfully demonstrate high (vs. low) self-control will perform better and accomplish more. 
So it is a reasonable thing to do, from the perspective of the partner, the manager, the coworker.

Self-Control

The results from a survey of more than 400 employees show that high performers were not only aware that they were giving more at work—they rightly assumed that their managers and co-workers didn’t understand how hard it was for them, and thus felt unhappy about being given more tasks. 
Further, in a survey that was completed by more than 100 couples, partners who had greater self-control said they also felt burden and fatigue from being relied on more at home.

Different Perception Of Work Difficulty

In our personal relationships, we should recognize that just because our high-ability partners can do something for us, doesn’t mean that we should let them. 
And if they do help us, we should recognize it and thank them for it. Otherwise, they too may end up feeling burdened by us, and less satisfied—and that should be the last thing we want to do to a good employee or a good partner.

Same Story At Home

New research suggests that competent employees are assigned more work&mdash;but they don&#39;t always like it.

The Downside of Being Competent

<ul><li>Move: Physical activity (any movement of the body) is your first line of attack in the battle against burnout. You don't need an elaborate workout routine—just do something that gets you moving. It'll be worth it. </li><li>Talk to another human: We're wired for connection: we need it to not only thrive but to survive. This is why, when you don't feel like yourself, you should talk to someone.</li><li>Meditate—or just breathe: Try to be mindful, to focus on the present. Even if you last 90 seconds and can't get more than one or two breaths in without your mind wandering, it counts.</li><li>Indulge in some nostalgia: go back in time for a bit to take a sip of the same joy you felt when you first experienced the song/movie/show/book/whatever it is that you love most. </li></ul>

How to get out of a rut

The history of gymnastics began in ancient Greece. Gymnastics was a fitness training program encompassing many forms of athletic activity, including running, wrestling and physical fitness routines. Some forms of gymnastics were included in the Olympics. The Romans continued the practice. The routines became more oriented toward preparation for training as a soldier. In 393 AD the Emperor Theodosius banned the Olympic Games, which by then had become corrupt, and gymnastics, along with other sports, dwindled.

Gymnastics in Greece and Rome

Johann Gutsmuth and Friedrich Jahn started making devices that young people could use for gymnastics. Among the devices were the ring, pommel horse, and the vault. The balance beam, the parallel bars and the horizontal bar were also developed. During the 18th and 19th centuries, gymnastics was still seen as a training exercise. But later, it became more of a sport than a military training regime.

The 18th Century Resurgence

By 1896, gymnastics was already a part of the Olympics. However, the early gymnastics had events such as running and jumping, but events were narrowed down with time. <ul><li>Combination exercises appeared in 1928.</li><li>By the 1954 Olympics, the gymnastics routines as we know them became the norm.</li><li>In the 1950s, the 1 to 10 scoring system started to be used.&nbsp;</li><li>Earlier gymnastics for men focused on power, while women focused on elegance. Over time men and women both started to display elegance and power.</li></ul>

Gymnastics as a Sport

Health

Who Invented Gymnastics?

<ul><li>It is a complex collection of nerves and specialized cells known as neurons that transmit signals between different parts of the body. It is essentially the body's electrical wiring.</li><li>Structurally, the nervous system has two components: the central nervous system (<a href="https://www.livescience.com/29365-human-brain.html">the brain</a>, spinal cord, and nerves) and the peripheral nervous system (sensory neurons, ganglia and nerves that connect to one another and to the central nervous system).</li><li>Functionally, the nervous system has two main subdivisions: the somatic, or voluntary, component (nerves that connect to one another and to the central nervous system and the autonomic nervous system (regulates certain body processes, such as blood pressure and the rate of breathing, that work without conscious effort).</li></ul>

The nervous system

<ul><li>Nerves are cylindrical bundles of fibers that start at the brain and central cord and branch out to every other part of the body.</li><li><a href="https://www.livescience.com/18749-human-brain-cell-number.html">Neurons</a> send signals to other cells through thin fibers called axons, which cause chemicals known as neurotransmitters to be released at junctions called synapses.</li><li>A synapse gives a command to the cell and the entire communication process typically takes only a fraction of a millisecond. Signals travel along an alpha motor neuron in the spinal cord 268 mph (431 km/h); the fastest transmission in the human body, according to <a href="http://discovermagazine.com/2011/mar/10-numbers-the-nervous-system">Discover magazine</a>.</li></ul>

Nerves, neurons and synapses

Patients with nerve disorders experience functional difficulties, which result in conditions such as:<ul><li><a href="https://www.livescience.com/34723-epilepsy-symptoms-and-treatment.html">Epilepsy</a>, in which abnormal electrical discharges from brain cells cause seizures</li><li>Parkinson's disease, which is a progressive nerve disease that affects movement</li><li><a href="https://www.livescience.com/34785-multiple-sclerosis-inhibits-central-nervous-system.html">Multiple sclerosis</a> (MS), in which the protective lining of the nerves is attacked by the body's immune system</li><li><a href="https://www.livescience.com/39583-als-lou-gehrigs-disease.html">Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis</a> (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a motor neuron disease which weakens the muscles and progressively hampers physical function</li><li>Huntington's disease, which is an inherited condition that cause the nerve cells in the brain to degenerate</li><li><a href="https://www.livescience.com/18335-alzhimers-disease-criteria-mild-cognitive-impairment.html">Alzheimer's disease</a>, which covers a wide range of disorders that impacts mental functions, particularly memory.</li></ul>

Diseases of the nervous system

Of all the diseases of the nervous system, the most common difficulty that people have is pain, and much of that is nerve-related.

Pain and the nervous system

<ul><li>S<a href="https://www.livescience.com/34801-stroke-warning-signs.html">troke</a>, which occurs when there is bleeding on the brain or the blow flow to the brain is obstructed;</li><li>Transient ischemic attack (TIA), which are mini-type strokes that last a shorter period of time but mimic stroke symptoms; and</li><li>Subarachnoid hemorrhage, which is specifically bleeding in the space between your brain and the surrounding membrane that can be the result of a trauma or rupturing of a weak blood vessel;</li></ul>Infections such as meningitis, encephalitis, polio, and epidural abscess can also affect the nervous system, the NIH noted.

The nervous system and vascular disorders 

The human body has a central nervous system and a peripheral nervous system. These systems have specific functions, and can be affected by a variety of diseases.

Nervous System: Facts, Function & Diseases

Salvio D'Armate possibly invented eyeglasses around 1285. He shared the invention with Allesandro Della Spina, an Italian monk who made eyeglasses public.
The first eyeglasses had metal or bone frames, and the lenses were made out of quartz.

The first eyeglasses

<ul>
<li>In the 14th century, Venetian craftsmen made eyeglasses. The lenses were convex to correct far-sightedness. </li>
<li>In 1451 Nicholas of Cusa from Germany produced concave eyeglass for near-sighted people.</li>
<li>In the 17th century, frames of steel were invented.</li>
<li>British optician Edward Scarlett invented eyeglasses where the frame could be placed over the ears and nose.</li>
<li>Benjamin Franklin invented bifocals.</li>
<li>In 1827, Sir George Biddle Airy invented glasses to correct astigmatism.</li>
<li>In 1971, a lens was developed which combined plastic with glass.</li>
</ul>

Development of eyeglasses

Who Invented Eyeglasses? - Who was Glasses Inventor?

Déjà vu, French for ‘already seen’, is a feeling of having experienced something already. A feeling of being familiar with the current scenario as if it has happened to us in the same way before. According to a study, about 60 percent of the population has experienced déjà vu.
What makes déjà vu unique is that there is a conflict between the sensation and the actual awareness, a disorienting feeling that one has been tricked.

Déjà Vu

According to neuroscientists, déjà vu isn’t a memory error or a sign of an unhealthy mind. It happens as the frontal regions of the brain, which process billions of neurons, tries to correct an inaccurate memory, fact-checking the information it is receiving. This can happen once a month on average, but being stressed out, tired or fatigued may increase the chances of experiencing this feeling.
Dopamine, which is a mood-boosting neurotransmitter, plays a part in déjà vu, especially in people who experiment with dopaminergic drugs.

Déjà Vu According To Neuroscience

According to extensive research, the younger population experiences more déjà vu, and as one gets older, the noticing of errors becomes less frequent. This is a natural part of ageing.

Young People Get More Déjà Vus

There are cases where people are persistently experiencing the feeling of Déjà Vu. The cause can be taking a mixture of medications that can have unpredictable side effects, as in some documented cases.

Constant Déjà Vu

A lesser-known feeling is Jamais Vu or ‘never seen’. It is essentially failing to recognize or remember a situation that should be familiar to us. This is different from standard forgetting, like amnesia, but is a momentary lapse of awareness of the familiar. 
What’s intriguing is that it has the same characteristics:
<ol>
<li>It is a disorienting feeling.</li>
<li>It happens more to young people.</li>
<li>It is more likely to happen when one is tired.</li>
</ol>
An experiment to prompt the feeling of Jamais Vu involved writing a familiar word like apple or door, constantly on a piece of paper for a few minutes. 70 percent of the participants began to doubt the spelling or the authenticity of the word.

Jamais Vu: The Opposite Of Déjà Vu

Our neuroscientist expert explains how Deja vu is far from a memory fault, what causes it – and how some people experience it constantly.

What causes déjà vu? The quirky neuroscience behind the memory illusion

You have to work on yourself:
<ul>
<li>Get enough sleep.</li>
<li>Move your body throughout the day.</li>
<li>Eat well — a healthy assortment of foods. Mostly plants, and not too much.</li>
<li>Interact socially. Isolation is not good for the body, soul or mind.</li>
<li>Take some time to reflect on what you are grateful for.</li>
</ul>

There are no shortcuts to a healthy life

I'm often asked for medical advice by friends, family members, even new acquaintances: What about this diet? What should I do about this symptom? What about this medication? People are usually disappointed when I don't share their enthusiasm about the latest health fads. Members of my family, in particular, are often underwhelmed by my medical advice.

Keep Things Simple For A Healthy, Long Life

<ul>
<li>Also known as Acute Stress Response, the fight-or-flight response is a physiological reaction when we are mentally or physically terrified.</li>
<li>A stressful or terrifying situation triggers hormones that prepare our body to stay or either deal with the problem or run away towards safety.</li>
<li>American physiologist Walter Cannon first described this basic stress response towards danger.</li>
</ul>

Fight Or Flight Response

When acute stress occurs, the body’s sympathetic nervous system gets activated with a hormonal release. It stimulates the adrenal glands, releasing catecholamines (adrenaline and noradrenaline). 
Heart rate, blood pressure and breathing rate increases, lasting for about 20 to 60 minutes. Outward signs of an acute stress response include a flushed face, trembling, dilated pupils and rapid breathing.

Fight Or Flight: Chain Reaction

The Fight-Or-Flight Response is an automatic survival technique to preserve our life, and is crucial for how we deal with stress, threats, and danger. 
It primes our body to perform under pressure, making sure we are at our best when dealing with life-threatening situations, making it more likely for us to survive.

Importance Of A Fight-Or-Flight Response

The fight-or-flight response is a physiological reaction that either prepares our bodies to stay and fight or to flee. Learn how this response works.

Bite-sized knowledge
to upgrade
your career

Vera D.
@vera_qd

How to Fly a Plane in an Emergency Situation

Understanding Speed and Velocity: Saying "NO" to the Non-Essential - Farnam Street

The Downside of Being Competent

How to get out of a rut

Who Invented Gymnastics?

Bite-sized knowledgeto upgradeyour career

Vera D.@vera_qd

How to Fly a Plane in an Emergency Situation

Understanding Speed and Velocity: Saying "NO" to the Non-Essential - Farnam Street

The Downside of Being Competent

How to get out of a rut

Who Invented Gymnastics?

Bite-sized knowledge
to upgrade
your career

Vera D.
@vera_qd