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:
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.
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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:
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 for "When Confidence Outpaces Preparation: Stepping Up Your Mental Game"
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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.
CLICK HERE to learn more on Captain Schiff's Website!
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.
Click below to access the course quiz and earn immediate WINGS Credit
CLICK HERE to go to the WINGS Quiz
Step 1 - Login to your FAASafety WINGS account
Step 2- Take Quiz - Receive Immediate WINGS Credit
If you are not registered on the FAASafety website you may do so below
CLICK HERE to register on the FAA Safety website
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