Are Pilots Crazy?

John Baker

John Baker

Final Approach
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John Baker
I've heard this more than once from non aviators. Myself I think my deck is probably missing a card or two, what with my background and all, but I honestly believe some sanity runs in my family.

I know my uncle was a world war I Ace with six kills to his credit and even on my maternal side there is another world war I pilot in the north Africa campaign ( British, both of em.) (actually, Irish and Scottish, respectively)

So, what do ya think? You crazy?

John
 
I used to be crazy, but we're better now. ;)
 
Me??? I must be certifiable, as I enjoy flying airplanes without engines....:D
 
vontresc said:
Me??? I must be certifiable, as I enjoy flying airplanes without engines....:D
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Yeah, you glider goobers... you have engine failures and go "Whee!" :smilewinkgrin:
 
When two subsets of the population have dramatically different perceptions, the larger subset tends to label the smaller subset "crazy". Sometimes it's best to just interpret it as a compliment.
-harry
 
Well...Either we're crazy or they are...

As I see it, there's not a lot of us and there's an awful lot of them..And they all act exactly the same way, and do the exact same things while living in their little happy pigeonholes with no interest in doing anything slightly out of the pre-packaged cookie cutter lifestyle that was handed to them when they were hatched. If that's not a sign of being flat out fruitcake nutters insane I'm not sure what is. If it was up to them, we would all still be cowering up a tree in the middle of prehistoric Africa terrified of the scary monsters in the bushes below that go bump in the night. :loco:

Blessed are the cracked for we shall let in the light.

<--- Caractacus Potts
 
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I am a FW pilot and also fly Gyros. Most pilots I talk with about flying gyros call me crazy, whats up with that? I feel the same way Frank Cason said in his post and most of you pilots that tell me I am crazy are just another set of a cookie cutters.

I think if I am crazy, then so be it I will take the label. Life its self is crazy why not just comment yourself all the way.
 
Actually, I've been categorized not as crazy "as the FAA." Further, "How can they allow a guy who's blind in one eye and deaf in one ear to legally fly an airplane?" Those "friends" don't seem impressed by my explanation that I've not failed any medical examinations regarding those afflictions. Then "they" remind me about my having walked away from my upside down airplane, then buying a couple more over time.

"You crazy, man?" Each to his/her own opinion, I guess.

HR
 

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Lawreston said:
Then "they" remind me about my having walked away from my upside down airplane, then buying a couple more over time.
"You crazy, man?"
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IIRC the conversation goes something like this:
They: "What do you mean you didn't quit?"
We: "Huh? Why would I quit?"
They "But..you crashed."
We: "Yea. So what?"

When you walk away from balling one up, (airplane, motorcycle, or whatever else) then instinctively get right back on the horse because you know you belong there, you suddenly enter a whole new realm of crazy in their eyes.
 
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Expounding on what Frank said, Crazy is a label. I don't do labels. So I guess I'm, uh, .......

Actually, when my sanity has been questioned (even once being accuse of having a death wish) the context was perceived risk. My answer to that is everyone accepts risk and attempts to manage it. Pilots are more aware of that. That's when they invaribly respond, Wow, I never thought of it like that. :rolleyes:
 
I'm blind in one eye, have a glass one, but my hearing is just fine. I don't believe I want to bend my airplane all up though.

I went to bed at ten o'clock last night and now it's almost twelve thirty the next day. (0030) I rarely have insomnia, yet here I am, wide awake wondering if I'm crazy because I can't sleep.

Anyway, I'm gonna try again.......goodnight.

John
 
When I am ignoring the voices, I can convince most people I'm almost normal! :D
 
0730, I guess it worked. Think I'll shower and go and have a cholesterol burger at the neighborhood coffee shop.

John
 
Well John, I'm not a shrink but i do have a opinion on this.
We are born into this world to live up to our potentials. Some people live their live in their own little boxes,some people don't want to experance anthing new. I myself like to live life to it's fullest if that makes me Crazy well then i guess i am.
I've done alot in my 54 years such as,raced motorcycles,roadraced cars, raced boats, went to the top of a mountain and skied down it,learned to scuba dive so i can experance the life of the aquadites,learned to fly at the age of 45 so i could fell like the birds and see the world from another veiw point. all of which atleast one person said i'm crazy for doing.
But i did them anyway

And my answer to this is like the song says

I MAYBE BE CRAZY, BUT I'M NOT INSANE
i do take risks ,but i also thake the time to learn how to manage then.
Life is short, and i'm living mine the way i want too

Dave Gaiski:blueplane:
Live long and enjoy LIFE
FLY SAFE:yes:
 
Dave, that is impressive. As an ex paratrooper and Recondo I guess you could say that I've been going a little overboard as well. I took up Martial Arts in my late fifties, took up flying at sixty one.

Your right, we are here only briefly, so we should make the most of it. Some clever guy once said that "the only adventure open to a coward is marriage." John Wayne said it best: " Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway".

John
 
I have had several people tell me I am crazy. I am about to believe them. So I guess that I am crazy.

Bob
 
A shrink might argue that I have an obsessive mania when it comes to aviation, but really it's only a problem when I am not flying regularly. :D Learning to fly, having that part of my life to focus on, enjoying the challenges, thrills and and beauty of flight, and being a part of a (mostly) warm and jovial community have all doen wonders for my sanity.

I ignore assessments by "outsiders" who ignore the hazards of all the stuff they do ever day, yet think I must have a morbid fascination with death to "fly those things". They just don't get it. :frown2:

Not that there aren't pilots (most of them dead) who don't acknowledge the narrow margin of flying... but most of us accept it and turn that fear or worry into a sharp, useful tool that will keep us safer.

Tell yourself "it won't happen to me" and you're setting yourself up. Saying "I can get in real trouble up here, so I better always think of contingencies" is a more sane attitude.

Speaking of John Wayne quotes: I'm remembering his line from the movie of Gann's book The High and the Mighty:

Passenger (thinking of how often the crew flies): "Aren't you ever scared?"
Copilot (smiling): "All the time".

;)
 
I do not classify myself as crazy, but I am nuts about flying and things that fly.:goofy:
 
Parachutists are crazy. Pilots are the sane ones.
 
Geico266 said:
Those nylon nitwits where jumping yesterday @ KCEK. It was 10F on the surface, wind chill had to be -40F! :yikes:

It did look like fun though. :smilewinkgrin:
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I Myself see no good reasn to jump from a perfectly good airplane. Especially in that cold of temps.
Dave G.
 
Yep, I am Crazy!!!! Getting ready to fly a C 150 over the Atlantic For Fun!

Best Regards
Steven
 
Crazy is such a relative term. I think most of us (humans, that is) are or can be defined crazy. Maybe not clinically so, but legally so.
Call me crazy, but that's what I think.
 
Crazy? Yeah, I guess I can wear that label, but not because I fly. People who knew me 25 years ago will attest to flying being rock-solid sane compared to the way I used to live and the things I used to do. :yikes:

They like me a lot better the way I am now. :goofy:

-Rich
 
fgcason said:
IIRC the conversation goes something like this:
They: "What do you mean you didn't quit?"
We: "Huh? Why would I quit?"
They "But..you crashed."
We: "Yea. So what?"

When you walk away from balling one up, (airplane, motorcycle, or whatever else) then instinctively get right back on the horse because you know you belong there, you suddenly enter a whole new realm of crazy in their eyes.
Click to expand...

I left a plane upside down in the middle of a field, got a ride back, got into another plane and finished the field along with several more. I met with the FAA between 2 loads later in the day, they didn't think anything abnormal about that either (The plane went in because it blew off a jug and the engine ended up locking on a rod).
 
Shipoke said:
I Myself see no good reasn to jump from a perfectly good airplane.
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A jumper I knew said there was no such thing as a perfectly good airplane. I looked at his jump plane and I could see where he got that opinion. :D
 
Ghery said:
A jumper I knew said there was no such thing as a perfectly good airplane. I looked at his jump plane and I could see where he got that opinion. :D
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This is true of jump planes ghery atleast the ones i've seen
Dave G.
 
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