A biography for Gordon Bethunehasn’t been written yet.
“Every pilot thinks they're the best pilot in the world. I think I'm the best pilot.”
“The substitute for knowledge is money.”
“You don't lie to your own doctor. You don't lie to your own attorney, and you don't lie to your employees.”
“Most businesses fail because they want the right things but measure the wrong things, and they get the wrong results.”
“I just want to be able to get on an airplane and enjoy myself in Disneyland, not sit there worrying about all these assassins.”
“Somebody who knows what they're doing, who has a good track record, they come across as very articulate, bright and looking for a challenge - that's absolutely my kind of hire.”
“I was a mechanic in the Navy. And mechanics in the Navy are like mechanics in airlines. You may have more stripes than I do, but you don't know how to fix the airplane.”
“It's difficult to have everybody like everything you do. I don't know anybody that's perfect and doesn't have a zit somewhere.”
“What you measure and reward is what you're going to get.”
“If you say three things in a row that make sense, people will vote for you.”
“Whether I'm at the hangar or at the airport or on an airplane, I get respect. And that's the best part of my day.”
“No one is going to stick their head out of the trenches for someone they don't respect or trust. You can get shot doing that.”
“I've spent my life as an airplane mechanic, pilot, aircraft manufacturer and airline CEO who never lost a life or an airplane. I am considerate of the risk we take every time we fly. I also know we need to fly and always to improve safety.”
“Watches are the only jewelry men can wear, unless you're Mr. T.”
“A bankruptcy judge can fix your balance sheet, but he cannot fix your company.”
“It all sounds almost silly, but the fact is that the only way to change a corporate culture is to just change it.”
“It's not about market share. If you have a successful company, you will get your market share. But to get a successful company, what do you have to have? The same metrics of success that your customer does.”
“It's the old adage: You can make a pizza so cheap, nobody will eat it. You can make an airline so cheap, nobody will fly it.”
“You're only as good as your dumbest competitor.”
“Grounding airplanes to cover your butt would never have let Orville or Wilbur change the world. We would still be spending weeks to cross the Atlantic to do business in London.”