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When Confidence Outpaces Preparation: Stepping Up Your Mental Game

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The Schiff Show logoMore from The Schiff Show · Episode 13

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Captain Brian Schiff and Tammy Barlette dissect how a successful attorney bought "too much airplane," skipped ahead in training, and paid the ultimate price. They examine the accident from both aeronautical and mental perspectives: overconfidence, cognitive traps and the learning curve of complex, high-performance aircraft.

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Chapters & program details from theschiffshow.tv

Chapters 15
  1. 0:00 Avemco message and WINGS credit
  2. 6:20 Meet guest Tammy Barlette
  3. 11:40 When confidence outpaces preparation
  4. 15:00 Accident review: losing control on the Greensboro ILS
  5. 18:00 A rushed briefing, fuel and spatial disorientation
  6. 21:40 Cognitive overload and the root cause
  7. 25:20 Procedures: complex endorsements and advisory guidance
  8. 28:00 Tammy's upgrading student and his confidence gap
  9. 32:00 Debriefing the root cause: mental performance
  10. 41:00 Building confidence even with experience
  11. 45:40 Identify stress points before you fly
  12. 51:40 Game show: wing loading and gusts
  13. 55:00 Static port, slips and indicated airspeed
  14. 1:01:40 Visual illusions on approach: slope and perception
  15. 1:05:00 Final thoughts and thanks

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About This Course

THE SCHIFF SHOW Episode 13 – "When Confidence Outpaces Preparation: Stepping Up Your Mental Game".

Hosted by renowned pilot and aviation expert CAPTAIN BRIAN SCHIFF

With special guest presenter TAMMY BARLETTE

A thought-provoking episode of THE SCHIFF SHOW that dissects how a successful, highly educated attorney bought “too much airplane,” skipped ahead in training, and paid the ultimate price. We’ll discuss how intelligence, confidence, and a big checkbook can combine into a deadly form of overconfidence when pilots outfly their experience and underestimate the learning curve of complex, high-performance aircraft.

In this presentation, Brian Schiff and Tammy Barlette break down the accident from both the aeronautical and mental perspectives, highlighting the human factors, cognitive traps, and decision-making errors that led a competent professional to make fatally dumb choices in the cockpit. Pilots will learn practical strategies to recognize when ego is driving the airplane, safely manage the “step up” to more capable machines, and build a mental game that is at least as strong as their bank account and logbook.

Pilots will walk away with practical techniques to:

  • Recognize when ego is PIC and the brain is just along for the ride.
  • Plan a sane, structured transition to higher-performance aircraft.
  • Build a **mental** game that keeps them from becoming the cautionary tale other pilots learn from at the next safety seminar

Our special guest is Tammy Barlette. Tammy brings deep knowledge of mental performance training to the discussion.

Many in-flight performance issues are actually cognitive margin problems rather than competence problems. As demands stack—new aircraft or avionics, IMC, approach changes, emotional pressure—mental bandwidth gets saturated, which can lead to stress-induced errors or even spatial disorientation. Training teaches procedures, but mental performance determines whether pilots can think clearly and access those skills under stress. Topics like early recognition of overload, emotional regulation, reframing emergency declarations as workload-management tools, and understanding how passengers increase cognitive load would help viewers see that the goal in overload is stability first, not speed or progress.

Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from a tragic event and enhance your operational safety and piloting expertise.

* * * * * * * * *

The Schiff Show is a monthly aviation education variety show hosted by Brian Schiff and sponsored by AVEMCO. It is offered for FAA WINGS credit. Brian will discuss a specific theme across five program segments on the second Thursday of each month. The themes will be chosen from a hit list of common accident causes. Each episode will be one hour long and focus on a particular causal accident factor, and will include the following segments:

  • Accident Review
  • Regulatory Review
  • Training Topic
  • Technology Tips and Tricks
  • Knowledge and Trivia Questions

Registration is not required. Go to TheSchiffShow.tv at 7:00 PM Central Time on the second Thursday of the month and join the show. All episodes are archived on TheSchiffShow.tv and available to watch (for WINGS credit) anytime after the original air time. (NOTE: you must be watching live to participate in the game show portion.)

The Schiff Show promises to be an hour well spent, which will fly by while you have fun and learn to be a safer pilot.

Course Resources 11

COURSE RESOURCES for "When Confidence Outpaces Preparation: Stepping Up Your Mental Game"

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Presenters

Captain Brian Schiff

Presenter and Instructor

Brian Schiff is a captain for a major US airline and is type-rated on the Airbus A320, Boeing 727, 757, 767, DC-9 (MD-80), CL-65, LR-JET, and G-V. Schiff’s roots are deeply planted in general aviation where he has flown a wide variety of aircraft. His total flying time is over 21,000 hours.

He is a Gold Seal flight instructor and FAASTeam Representative and holds several flight instructor ratings. He is recognized for his enthusiasm and ability to teach in a way that simplifies complex procedures and concepts. He has been actively instructing since earning his flight and ground instructor certificates in 1985. Schiff also has been an FAA-designated examiner.

He attended San Jose State University, and earned his B.S. degree in Aeronautical Science from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and his M.S. Degree in Aviation Safety from the University of Central Missouri. He regularly teaches and conducts seminars about aviation safety and techniques to student and professional pilots.

Tammy Barlette

Guest Presenter

Tammy Barlette is a retired U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel and fighter pilot with over 20 years of military aviation experience. She concluded her career in 2018 after flying the T-37 Tweet, A-10 Warthog, T-38 Talon, MQ-1 Predator, and MQ-9 Reaper, serving as both a combat pilot and an instructor pilot. She accumulated more than 3,000 flight hours and is a graduate of the prestigious U.S. Air Force Weapons School.

Following her retirement from military aviation, Tammy devoted herself to the study of mental performance training, translating principles used by elite athletes into practical, repeatable tools for pilots. She is the founder and CEO of Crosscheck Mental Performance, where she teaches a popular online course that helps aviators build confidence, improve focus, and perform effectively under pressure.

With over a decade of experience instructing in U.S. Air Force pilot training and more than seven years studying and teaching mental performance, Tammy brings a unique and powerful perspective to general aviation. She holds a Master of Arts in Christian Ministry, is a mother of three, and is married to a U.S. Federal Agent. Today, she is dedicated to equipping pilots with the mental skills they need to thrive both in the cockpit and beyond.

WINGS Credit Details
Earn WINGS Credit FAASafety.gov course ID: 1487

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CLICK HERE to go to the WINGS Quiz

Step 1 - Login to your FAASafety WINGS account

Step 2- Take Quiz - Receive Immediate WINGS Credit

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CLICK HERE to register on the FAA Safety website

About Avemco

Without the right insurance, you’re Sierra Oscar Lima! Since 1961, no other insurance company connects you directly to an aviation underwriter, like Avemco. Giving you more flexibility, personalized service, and easy-to-read policies customized for you and your flying. Call 800-276-5199 for a free quote or visit avemco.com/schiffshow. Don’t forget to tell them you’re a listener of The Schiff Show and save 5%!

Not all aircraft insurance policies and premiums are the same. As the only direct writer in the market, Avemco never uses third-party insurance agents and instead, connects you directly with an aviation underwriter in their Frederick, Maryland office ready to solve problems and approve coverage based on what you fly and how you fly it. Avemco provides lightning-fast quotes, competitive rates, and personalized policies that are easy to read and tailored to you. Call 800-276-5199 for your free quote or visit avemco.com/theschiffshow. Don’t forget to tell them you’re a Schiff Show subscriber and save 5%!

Avemco Insurance Company never works with third-party insurance agents or brokers and believes you’re better off going right to the source instead of through a middleman. We connect you with an aviation underwriter ready to answer your questions and personalize coverage based on what you fly and how you fly it. So, unless you reach out to them yourself, you’ll never experience the Avemco advantage of going direct. Listeners of The Schiff Show save 5% and are eligible for even more savings through the Avemco Safety Rewards Program. Call 800-276-5199 for a free quote or visit avemco.com/schiffshow today.

For decades, Avemco Insurance Company has been an advocate for pilot safety by promoting and sponsoring continuous pilot training and learning. One of their initiatives has been to reward pilots who actively participate in being more proficient with savings on their insurance premium through the Avemco Safety Rewards Program. Safe pilots save by earning new ratings, getting recurrent training, participating in the FAASTeam WINGS Program, and listening to safety podcasts like ours and other Avemco-recognized courses and training. Call 800-276-5199 for a free quote or visit avemco.com/schiffshow today. Don’t forget to tell them The Schiff Show sent you for an automatic 5% off!

The Schiff Show Archives

CLICK HERE to view past presentations and earn WINGS Credit!

Content above is from the original episode page: https://www.theschiffshow.tv/13/

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