Developing a Relationship – Lessons Learned from the ICAS 2014 Conference
By Anna Serbinenko
Anna Serbinenko posing by her poster at her booth at ICAS.It was 3:30 a.m. on Monday. We boarded our school’s Seneca V and completed the run-up check already. Ahead was almost 900nm of IFR, and we should be in Vegas by noon. The schedule was tight; there was not a minute to lose. My Multi-IFR student, Tony, was briefing the departure plate. Pierre, another student, was getting cozy with Delphine in the back. Weather justified the IFR departure with 800’ ceilings. Almost two days of flight planning prior to that, already for half an hour on the ground warming up engines, doing the run-up, entering the flight plan–everything to make sure there wouldn’t be any surprises when “the game was on” at take-off. We were now on our way to the International Council of Airshows (ICAS) conference in Las Vegas, Nev.–the place and time that would define the 2015 Air Shows season.
ICAS conferences are filled with training sessions, special events, exhibit hall time for business deals and lots and lots of networking. Many inspiring events will touch your heart and bring out the better you, fired up to make the next airshow season the best one ever.
It was the second day of the conference and first day of the exhibit hall time. Tim LoDolce and Margaret Skillicorn from the Truckee Tahoe Airshow (California) stopped by my booth, and right after “Hi, how are you”, Tim said “We want to hire you. Do you have a contract to sign?” Music to each performer’s ears! And how come a relatively new performer like me would so “easily” get hired by a reputable–and very-hard-to-fly–show, as Truckee, Calif.?
From left to right: Margaret Skillicorn, Anna Serbinenko, and Tim LoDolce at ICAS.Well, the answer is that it was anything but easy. I started talking to Tim about that show a while ago when my inexperience was compensated only by enthusiasm and motivation. We had a friendly, and very educational chat at that ICAS, explaining to me that when I took off at 8,000-10,000 density altitude (DA), my Decathlon would probably feel more like a glider. We discussed how airshows are concerned about safety of the events and that I need more experience with high DA airshows, and, and, and… I could have been discouraged. Or I could have learned from it and took it as a guide for my next steps. I chose the latter, and here I am: scheduled to fly Truckee Tahoe Airshow on July 11, 2015!
I am a business person, and the combination of flying and business experience brought me where I am. I am happy to share these common sense “secrets”:
- Be humble and always learn
- Apply what is learned
- Keep the connection
- Filter the BS
- Give it all of yourself
- Go back and succeed
Later that day, Tim came by again and asked if I would join their group for dinner. We ate in a nice Italian restaurant in Rio Hotel. Tim and Dave shared exciting stories of their military flying careers, and Margaret reminded me to send her high resolution pictures for the promotion. It was a very warm welcome into the Truckee airshow family, and I cannot wait to go there in July!
Check us out online!
www.annaserbinenko.com (by Canadian Flight Centre www.cfc.aero )
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