PERSPECTIVE
Do Not Flow : Chart A New Path !
By Joseph Lunani
This rainy season has been a totally new experience for me . Not that I have never experienced a rainy season before but there are profound insights that this particular season has brought as I crisscrossed the country for work . I encountered foggy situations , muddy roads , rain concealed potholes , slippery stretches , water-clogged sections , failing motor parts and so much more . Each experience helped me make mental notes on the lessons that now inform each journey I take . These lessons also form the basis of this article .
I have had the pleasure of working for and with Mr . John Scher as an IT Manager for his group of companies . One thing that stood out about him was his meticulous planning and project management expertise . His military training and air force experience are always clear in how detailed his planning go for meetings , business presentations and project execution . This also influenced his daredevil hobby of base jumping . John Stephen Scher served in the Royal Airforce . An Air Service man flies but more specifically is trained to fly out of the plane as and when it is clear the vessel of flight is no longer useful or otherwise . Therefore , setting up a parachute , packing it together with an essential pack for survival in case you have to jump out and sky dive comes natural to those that serve in the Airforce .
Since we are human , the setup to ready any flight is done with a checklist and the aide of other people . As an Air Service Man , you start with your health . You ascertain that all your vitals are ok and has been for at least the last 48-72hours . This includes the eye test , the balance test , the ear test , body temperature , blood pressure and can be as detailed to the point of checking the oxygen levels even a psychological or and psychiatric tests .
Then you check your vessel of flight . The recent flight history in regards to
We have to accept that no matter how prepared we are disasters do happen . Even with all the checks and outstanding professional input , parts of a flight vessel may fail . Sometimes it is professional negligence that occasions disasters and at other times it is out of our hands . Nature has anger issues . the vessel ’ s performance in addition to the integrity of its parts the wings , the engine , tires , cabin , communication equipment , the gauges plus the controls . Once the vessel checks are done you move unto the flight route and map out all the possible risks including weather . The weather checks cover wind speed , humidity , temperature , cloud cover , rain among others . As a rule and best practice this checklist information has to be documented and certified by other professionals .
Skydiving and base jumping therefore calls for similar checks . The last time I checked Mr . John Scher was documenting his jumps and was working to outdo a previously set target of successful jumps . Base jumping has its thrills and chills . It requires all machismo a person can marshal to voluntarily throw themselves and pull their parachute just as they are about to pass the perceived safe height or altitude if you like .
Base jumps are done over cliffs , over gorges , mountain ranges , tall buildings and high masts . It is risky . It is almost insane . It is adrenaline pushed to the frontier . Gear is key , having a robust parachute , helmet , padded skydiving suit and a failsafe parachute .
Now for thrills many jumpers do this in their normal clothes with little gear and with one hand holding unto their recording camera . They push themselves over the edge and increase the chills without the comfort of the checklists we
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