The Power Curve

Behind the Power Curve - I really don't know how prevalent this saying is, I can't recall if other people say it or not.  Anyway, in my ambling way, I will endeavor to apply it.

 

It is difficult to land an airplane on an Aircraft Carrier.  You are in an aircraft that is travelling at well over 100 Knots (a knot is nautical mile per hour, a nautical mile is 6000 feet. Anyway, it is fast) and you are trying to land on a ship that is a couple hundred yards long and moving at about, say, 20 knots or less.

 

To do this, the plane lowers a hook on the back of their plane in hopes of catching a cable on the deck of the ship.  They also slow down - A LOT. 

 

The problem with slowing down an airplane is that, if you slow down enough, you tend to fall out of the sky (normally considered BAD).

 

So, if you miss the cable, because you are still moving slowly - you tend to swim.

 

What to do?  Common sense says that you open up the throttles and take off again (remember speed = flying = life = good).  Problem solved, right?

 

Wrong.  It takes time to get airplane engines to speed up.  The POWER CURVE refers to a graph of the speed needed to fly, how fast you can arrive at that speed and how much room you have between you and an abrupt lovely salt water bath.

 

To be behind the power curve means that you slowed too much, you have no way to get enough speed on the aircraft to keep it flying in the eventuality that you miss the cable.

 

This ends the geeky definition part of this post.

 

Okay, how does this apply?

 

When I used to go to a support group, often there would be someone there who basically just cut all ties and transitioned one day.  No warning to anyone, no preparation, no plan.  They just cut the power and hoped for the best.

 

Invariably these are people who lose their jobs, family, homes, friends.  Often they lose all their resources and end up de-transitioned but in a much worse place.

 

Lesson?  Look before you leap. Stay ahead of the power curve.