Parker, Colorado, resident Lynn Krogh is a retired pilot with over 45 years of experience in the aviation industry. Lynn Krogh holds a BS in technical education from Arizona State University and an AS in aviation from Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, California.
Starting his piloting career, Mr. Krogh worked at Executive Aviation Services in Long Beach, California. He served as a charter pilot, flying distinguished clients throughout North America, such as Colonel Tom Parker, renowned Elvis Presley’s manager. Lynn Krogh also served as the company’s director of operations, overseeing activities and ensuring compliance with Federal Aviation Administration regulations and aircraft safety.
Lynn Krogh also served as a pilot at Continental Airlines in Los Angeles for eight years, flying passengers to Hawaii and North America on the Boeing 727. Mr. Krogh also served as a flight engineer, ensuring proper operations and communications on the Boeing 727 and McDonnell Douglas DC-10 aircraft. His notable accomplishments include the Flight Engineer Rating, a professional certification demonstrating expertise and proficiency, and an Airline Transport Rating to showcase his mastery of aviation knowledge.
Years later, Lynn Krogh joined United Airlines in Denver as a pilot. He operated the Boeing 727, 237, 757, and 767 aircraft and the Airbus 320 and DC-10, managing over 20,000 hours of accident-free flying.
What is your typical day, and how do you make it productive?
I try to stop by the office of each office employee to see what they are working on and how I can help. Many times, they have questions for me that I am able to answer right away.
How do you bring ideas to life?
I try to get my employees to understand what and why we are doing something. I ask them if they see any issues or problems with it and then ask how we can move forward with the idea as it relates to them.
What’s one trend that excites you?
I am excited to see more and more people flying private aircrafts every day. People are discovering the value of private flights, and they are using us more all of the time. This is a nationwide trend that continues to grow.
What is one habit that helps you be productive?
I try to tackle an issue right away instead of waiting. I find that waiting to deal with something usually makes it worse. Then it can take more time and effort to get things done later. Do it now.
What advice would you give your younger self?
I would be more involved with the local business community. You can then find common ground and work together to solve common problems. You are not an island and can use networking to help your business.
Tell us something you believe that almost nobody agrees with you on.
I don’t think that most people believe that they should work as hard as I have. I try to pack as many things into a day, week, or month as possible. Most people do not think I should try to do so many things, but I find that I enjoy staying busy. For example, most of my life, I had two full-time jobs. Most people do not agree with me that it was a good idea.
What is the one thing you repeatedly do and recommend everyone else do?
Work hard, play hard. I think working very hard at what you do will give you the satisfaction of completing things and then you can enjoy your off time more. I also recommend that a person finds what they enjoy doing and do that for a job. Then you won’t feel like you are working much because you enjoy what you are doing.
When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, what do you do?
I try to remember why I was doing something and what it will accomplish. If trying to do too much at one time, I prioritize what is most important and get that finished first so that I can go on to the other items that need to be completed.
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business or advance in your career?
Making safety number one. People expect that safety is important in any aviation company, but you have to work at it to make it happen. Many organizations talk about it, but it takes leadership from the top to really implement a good safety program. It also takes money and a commitment from all employees, but it pays off when you have a perfect safety record.
What is one failure in your career, how did you overcome it, and what lessons did you take away from it?
We took some of our money from our primary business and invested it into another unrelated business. We didn’t really understand that type of business, and it was a distraction from the main business. We learned to stay focused on the main business and not go off on tangents chasing other ideas.
\What is one piece of software that helps you be productive? How do you use it?
We have a system called JetInsight that tracks all of our aircraft and our pilots. It keep us up to date by the minute with what aircraft are available to fly and which pilots are legal to fly. The software will not let us assign a pilot to a flight if that pilot is not rested and legal to fly that airplane. This software has improved our productivity and kept us safe and legal at the same time.
What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?
Donations to charities are the best money I’ve spent. Also, giving money away to people who have served me in some way. Every time I give away some money, it makes me feel good because it shows I appreciate what someone has done for me. I think it helps them as well, especially when they don’t necessarily expect it.
Do you have a favorite book or podcast you’ve gotten a ton of value from and why?
Great by Choice by Jim Collins is a business book that I’ve benefited from reading. That book explains how some companies have done well and how they did it. It did studies of specific companies to learn what made them great and how they kept that culture going. I have adopted many of the strategies and applied them to my company, and I think it has helped us succeed.
What’s a movie or series you recently enjoyed and why?
I haven’t spent any time recently watching TV or a movie. It has been quite a while since I did, but if I did take the time, it would involve a subject about business or a person who was a success in business. A documentary on something like that would be a thing I could justify spending time watching.
Key learnings
- Make safety a priority in all you do.
- Work hard, play hard.
- Do something you enjoy.
- Help others when you can.
- Use tools to be more productive.