Robert Scott was 4-years-old when he decided he wanted to be a pilot. At age 12 he designed and built a canvas-wing glider, which he promptly launched from the top of a 67-foot building. He crashed into a sticker bush and was thankful to be alive. Undeterred and undaunted, he bought an old plane and taught himself how to fly it at the age of 13. No in-flight lessons, no in-flight instructor, just himself and a whole lot of trial and error. All this prepared him for a 25 year distinguished and decorated career in the U.S. Army Air Corps/Air Force. Highlights include being among the first U.S. combat aces during World War II and being the final commanding officer of the famed “Flying Tigers” air group.
During his first days as a military pilot, Scott and the U.S. Army delivered mail, by plane. No matter the weather conditions, Scott and his fellow pilots flew a daily route between their assigned cities. Snow, sleet, hail, rain, wind, fog, heat, cold and high wind failed to keep them from their destination. Technology was almost non-existent then so pilots flew by sight, sound and feel rather than with the use of automated instruments and computers. The work was always harrowing and often fatal. Nonetheless, Scott always found a way to deliver the mail to the assigned city by the assigned deadline.
You don’t have to do it daily, like the postal service, but learn to hit a baseball in adverse conditions. Hit in the rain and learn to ignore the raindrops. Hit in bitter cold and learn to swing fast enough to negate most of the sting upon contact. Hit when it’s hot and get used to the sting of the salt-drenched sweat dripping into your eyes. Hit in high winds and see the ball get blown off course and your bat-speed get altered by a gust. Hit in snow and ice and learn to stay balanced. Hit in mud and learn to shift your weight without slipping and falling. Hit whenever, and wherever, in all conditions. Deliver consistent results just like Scott and his pilots delivered the mail!
From October 2010, http://raisingahitter.wordpress.com
During his first days as a military pilot, Scott and the U.S. Army delivered mail, by plane. No matter the weather conditions, Scott and his fellow pilots flew a daily route between their assigned cities. Snow, sleet, hail, rain, wind, fog, heat, cold and high wind failed to keep them from their destination. Technology was almost non-existent then so pilots flew by sight, sound and feel rather than with the use of automated instruments and computers. The work was always harrowing and often fatal. Nonetheless, Scott always found a way to deliver the mail to the assigned city by the assigned deadline.
You don’t have to do it daily, like the postal service, but learn to hit a baseball in adverse conditions. Hit in the rain and learn to ignore the raindrops. Hit in bitter cold and learn to swing fast enough to negate most of the sting upon contact. Hit when it’s hot and get used to the sting of the salt-drenched sweat dripping into your eyes. Hit in high winds and see the ball get blown off course and your bat-speed get altered by a gust. Hit in snow and ice and learn to stay balanced. Hit in mud and learn to shift your weight without slipping and falling. Hit whenever, and wherever, in all conditions. Deliver consistent results just like Scott and his pilots delivered the mail!
From October 2010, http://raisingahitter.wordpress.com
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