Built for Pressure, by Choice
I was born in France and raised in Israel, where serving in the military isn't a career decision so much as a rite of passage. I chose to fly. I was selected for the Israeli Air Force's helicopter track, trained on the Cobra, and by September 2004 had moved to the Apache — the aircraft I'd fly, teach on, and eventually help certify other pilots to fly, for the next two decades.
What set my path apart wasn't just flying skill. While other pilots were purely operational, I was also studying psychology and communication at IDC Herzliya (2008–2011), and later pursued a Master's in rehabilitation psychology at Ariel University. I wanted to understand not just how to fly a helicopter, but how people — pilots, crews, candidates under extreme stress — actually think and break and hold together.
That combination is rare enough that my squadron commanders noticed. By 2008 I was being invited onto certification panels reserved for senior leadership. By 2009 I was selected for the IAF's first-ever CRM instructor course. From 2020–2024 I served on the staff of the Gibush — the brutal multi-day selection process for the IAF Flight Academy — because, as one commander put it, I was a pilot who "sees humans."
