The document is the 15th issue of a newsletter called "Pilot your life" by Fran West. [1] Fran had planned to go hot air ballooning at Rawnsley Park Station during a trip to South Australia's Outback but strong winds prevented the flight. [2] Though disappointed to miss the opportunity, Fran realized seeing the sunrise was a positive aspect of the situation. [3] The newsletter encourages readers to turn negatives into positives, like Fran did by making the most of her early morning.

1. Pilot your life
Welcome to issue no. 15 of Pilot your life. September 2010
During my recent four wheel drive trip into South Australia’s Outback,
I put into practice one of the tips I learnt on Oz Flight ’99, my flight
around Australia’s coast.
I had to turn negatives into positives several times.
Staying at Rawnsley Park Station, in the Flinders Ranges, was going
to give me another opportunity to fly in a hot air balloon. I rather like
the serenity of floating with the breeze, like earlier in the year in
Florida (see issue no. 9, March 2010).
In the evening before the flight, everything pointed to the right conditions for a balloon launch
the next morning. We had to get up early and meet in front of the Woolshed Restaurant at
5.45am, while it was still dark. It was also very chilly so I had on my gloves, scarf and beanie
(a sight to behold!).
The chief pilot wasn’t sounding very hopeful because even though there didn’t seem to be
much wind at ground level, the small tester balloon, with a light attached, was floating up into
the darkness quite rapidly. So the decision was made not to launch the balloons.
Very disappointing. It would have been a beautiful flight, seeing Wilpena Pound bathed in the
early morning sunlight. That was the negative side, missing out on the flight. The positive
side was that my cabin was only a few hundred metres away and I could go back to a warm
bed. Others, unfortunately, had to drive back the 24 kilometres to their accommodation in
Wilpena.
The most important positive was that the pilot had our safety in mind and chose not to fly (my
kind of pilot – safety first, second and last). Later in the day, the pilots packed up their gear

2. Pilot your life
and headed back to Adelaide, with no hope of balloon flights later in the week. I’d previously
booked another night at Rawnsley Park in a few days’ time just in case there was another
opportunity to go ballooning. Not this trip, obviously.
However, I made the most of the situation since I was already up in time for the sunrise (like
in issue no. 6, December 2009).
It was bitterly cold and my boots did get wet tramping through the dew-laden grass but it was
worth it for what I heard and saw and photographed. The magpies were carolling away in the
trees and in the distance was the faint bleating of sheep. An eagle was even soaring not far
from Rawnsley Bluff.
As the sun gradually rose, the landscape changed from the windmill silhouetted against the
night sky, to trees cloaked in gentle light and mist still clinging to the ranges. Not a bad start
to the day as I chose to look on the bright side and turn a negative into a positive.
So, the next great tip for how to pilot your life (personal or business) is:
Turn negatives into positives.
In order to get rainbows
you have to put up with the rain.
Always look on the bright side of life…
Two of my presentation topics are:
Overcoming procrastination
Turning negatives into positives

3. Pilot your life
For a close up view of the windmill at dawn, email me at fran@franwest.com and I'll send you
the photo which you can use as your desktop wallpaper.
Visit: www.franwest.com and http://au.linkedin.com/in/franwestau.
Blogs: http://pilotyourlife.wordpress.com and http://franwest2.blogspot.com.
Blog for DVDs: http://alzheimersproducts.blogspot.com.
Twitter: www.twitter.com/AdventurerFran
Phone: 61 8 82706623
Email: fran@franwest.com for speaking engagements, purchases and the first fourteen
issues of the newsletter.
While you’re waiting for the next newsletter, “Plane Reflections: about life and a flight around
Australia’s coast” is available in book and CD format for $20.00 plus postage and packaging.
“Australia’s Coast from the Air” DVD, with over 260 photos and soundtrack, is available in
PAL and NTSC for only $25.00 plus postage and packaging.
To preview the DVD visit www.youtube.com/ozdragon52.
You are welcome to forward Pilot your life to others who may be interested.
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Bye for now,
Australia's Life Pilot
Speaker, Author, Adventurer
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