Useful Load and Lifespan: My Wellness Logbook

By 2013, I’d settled on a forgone conclusion: my weight at 260+ pounds was only going to get worse, and the health complications that I assumed were a given among my family were a decade or so, if not mere years, away. While I built my aviation career, my health and wellness formed a textbook picture of resignation.

At my worst, I even found myself having to turn down customers because of limitations on useful load-and I was the limiting factor! Between sheer embarrassment over that fact and the stark realization that my inaction would probably end up shortening my career-and my natural life-I became determined to do something. I was sick and tired, of being sick and tired.

That “something” couldn’t be drastic, and it had to be sustainable. My presentation will focus on the three sets of performance indicators which have led me to a substantially different life. Collectively, they are responsible for significant weight loss that has persisted for 5+ years, a much more active lifestyle, more energy, greater stamina, and an overall greater feeling of well-being.

  • Priority Re-Evaluation
  • Inflammation Reduction
  • Habit Modification


We rightly spend significant time, money, and effort maintaining our aircraft. When I finally made maintaining the pilot a priority, it transformed my life. And admittedly, it’s nice not being the limiting factor when it comes to useful load!

Presenter