Walking into the National Museum of the Air Force, you expect to see rows of aircraft stretching across time, each representing a milestone or era in aviation history. From the fragile gliders of the late 1800s to the cutting-edge stealth technology of today, the museum showcases the evolution of flight in a way few places can. But if you take a step back, you’ll notice something deeper—the story of how learning truly happens. It’s not neat, linear, or predictable. It’s full of stops, starts, failures, and unexpected leaps forward.

As you move through the museum, you see this evolution firsthand. The journey into human flight didn’t begin with the Wright brothers—it started long before, with early experiments in ballooning and lighter-than-air travel that was used in the Civil War. These innovations laid the groundwork for countless inventors racing to be the first to achieve heavier-than-air powered flight.

The Wright brothers may have been the first to succeed in 1903, but their breakthrough was built on years of trial, error, and incremental progress. The path from their fragile Flyer to modern aviation isn’t a smooth climb; it’s a story of risk-taking, refinement, and rethinking what was possible. It’s a reminder that your own learning follows a similar path—and that building your learning capacity matters now more than ever.

The Slow Climb and the Sudden Leap

If you trace the history of flight, you can see how progress unfolds in ways that don’t always make sense in the moment. After the Wright brothers’ initial success at Kitty Hawk, aviation advances were gradual. Planes improved slightly over the first few decades of the 20th century, but major transformations were slow and incremental.

Then, in the 1950s, everything changed. The pace of innovation skyrocketed—jet-age breakthroughs boosted speed, stronger materials made planes more durable, and engineering advancements improved aerodynamics. What triggered this shift? Was it because necessity forced innovation because of the Cold War? Was it the rise in collaboration and knowledge-sharing among engineers? Or did failure play a pivotal role, helping identify what didn’t work and creating space for breakthroughs?

You’ve likely experienced something similar in your own learning journey. Sometimes, progress feels painstakingly slow. You put in the effort, but growth seems almost imperceptible. Then, just when you least expect it, a breakthrough happens. Learning isn’t always about steady forward movement—it’s about being ready for the moment when a leap forward comes.

Think about learning to drive. The hours of practice before your test may feel endless, and even after passing, you're still not an expert. It’s not enough to drive in a video game—you need real experience to understand the road’s nuances, especially when it comes to challenges like ice, snow, or heavy rain. Comfort behind the wheel, confidence through practice, and guidance from others shape your learning. Like flight, mastering something takes small steps, setbacks, and those moments when everything clicks.

How Well Do You Set the Stage for Learning?

The museum also reveals something crucial: learning is a team sport. The Wright brothers didn’t work alone; they built on existing knowledge, tested ideas, and refined their approach. Later engineers didn’t just develop new aircraft; they studied failures, borrowed ideas from other fields, and worked together to rethink what was possible.

This is true for you, too. Your learning capacity isn’t just about effort—it’s about the conditions you create for growth. Think about these key areas:

• Awareness and an Open Mind – Are you receptive to new ideas, even when they challenge what you already know?
• Taking Risks with Learning – Are you willing to experiment, fail, and try again?
• Effort and Commitment – Do you stick with learning, even when it feels slow or frustrating?
• Evaluation and Reflection – Do you take time to assess what’s working and what’s not?
• Learning Support Team – Who do you learn with? Do you have mentors, collaborators, or a network that helps you grow?

When these elements are in place, your ability to learn expands. You become more adaptable, more resilient, and more ready for the unexpected.

Mastery is Changing: Are You Keeping Up?

In school, you may have learned that mastery means reaching a point where you fully understand something. But walking through the museum, you see that mastery is never a fixed destination—it evolves.

Aviation engineers never stopped learning just because they mastered one aircraft model. They had to rethink everything as new technologies emerged. The same is true today. Decades ago, air travel took 40 years to solidify. The mobile phone revolutionized communication in under 20 years. Now, new knowledge is emerging even faster.

What does that mean for you? It means that learning isn’t just about acquiring knowledge—it’s about rethinking what you know, staying curious, and being willing to adapt. The ability to learn quickly and effectively is now more valuable than any single skill.

A Moment That Changed Perspective

The most powerful lesson in learning came during a stop at the Southeast Asia War Gallery. We stood in front of a black Vietnam-era helicopter called the Black Mariah. It looked different—none of us had ever seen a black combat helicopter in movies. As we read about its covert missions and its unique ability to cut through jungle canopies, our curiosity about the aircraft deepened.

Then, an older gentleman approached us and said, “That’s my helicopter. I planned and flew secret missions for a year in Vietnam in this aircraft. In fact, I was the first person to go into Cambodia.”

Suddenly, the helicopter wasn’t just a piece of history - it became personal. His story brought it to life in a way no museum plaque ever could. Over the next 20 minutes, we learned what it was like to fly landing in jungle canopies and the complexities of communication channels for these secretive missions. He explained that the helicopter was originally painted black because they had run out of the traditional camouflage paint. Once it was painted and named Black Mariah, it would have been hard to repaint it green.  

This is how learning works. Facts alone aren’t enough. True understanding happens when you connect knowledge to experience, reflect on its meaning, and engage with others who can challenge and expand your perspective.

Your Learning Capacity Matters More Than Ever

Walking out of the museum, it was hard to process everything we had seen. Flight didn’t advance in a straight line, and neither does learning. It’s a messy, unpredictable process, full of setbacks, failures, and detours. But each challenge, mistake, and re-evaluation fuels progress.

The real question is: How well do you set the stage for learning?

If you want to strengthen your ability to learn, adapt, and grow in an ever-changing world, start by assessing your own learning capacity. Download the learning capacity worksheet from Design Your THRIVE Career Crossroads edition to learn how well you set the stage for learning and growth.

The faster the world changes, the more valuable your ability to learn becomes.

Are you ready to make that leap?