At a crossroads in the hobby

Flying, for me, is really strange. I still get a few slight nervous butterflies when I head out to the airport, but calm down once the engine is running. Get a little puckery on some landings... in general, don't have that totally relaxed, this-is-second-nature feeling like I do behind the wheels of my land-based vehicles. Some days, I just have to force myself to go flying. Here's the weird part, though... IMMEDIATELY after every flight, I want to back up again... right away.. and wish I hadn't come down. Spend the entire drive home in my car grinning from ear to ear.

My goal for the next month or two is to fly as often as possible.. at least a couple times a week... and get to the point where the drive TO the airport is just as enjoyable as the flying and the ride home. Hard to describe.. anyone else (low time folks, obviously... I doubt any truly experienced pilots get the pre-flight jitters or whatever that feeling that requires willpower to overcome) deal with that, or am I just weird?
 
MuseChaser said:
My goal for the next month or two is to fly as often as possible.. at least a couple times a week... and get to the point where the drive TO the airport is just as enjoyable as the flying and the ride home. Hard to describe.. anyone else (low time folks, obviously... I doubt any truly experienced pilots get the pre-flight jitters or whatever that feeling that requires willpower to overcome) deal with that, or am I just weird?
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Not weird. The day I don't have at least a little pre-flight knot in my stomach is the day I stop flying. Makes me feel alive, and focused!!
 
MuseChaser said:
Flying, for me, is really strange. I still get a few slight nervous butterflies when I head out to the airport, but calm down once the engine is running. Get a little puckery on some landings... in general, don't have that totally relaxed, this-is-second-nature feeling like I do behind the wheels of my land-based vehicles. Some days, I just have to force myself to go flying. Here's the weird part, though... IMMEDIATELY after every flight, I want to back up again... right away.. and wish I hadn't come down. Spend the entire drive home in my car grinning from ear to ear.

My goal for the next month or two is to fly as often as possible.. at least a couple times a week... and get to the point where the drive TO the airport is just as enjoyable as the flying and the ride home. Hard to describe.. anyone else (low time folks, obviously... I doubt any truly experienced pilots get the pre-flight jitters or whatever that feeling that requires willpower to overcome) deal with that, or am I just weird?
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BTDT
Still get nervous if weather forecast is iffy and going on a cross country.


Tom
 
MuseChaser said:
Flying, for me, is really strange. I still get a few slight nervous butterflies when I head out to the airport, but calm down once the engine is running. Get a little puckery on some landings... in general, don't have that totally relaxed, this-is-second-nature feeling like I do behind the wheels of my land-based vehicles.
Click to expand...
I walked away from professional flying about 15 years ago and have done only a very small amount of recreational flying since. There are several reasons for that but one of them is because by the time I'd walked away I had completely lost that nervousness. That nervousness is a good thing. Its a lot more work to stay safe without it IMO.
 
MuseChaser said:
Flying, for me, is really strange. I still get a few slight nervous butterflies when I head out to the airport, but calm down once the engine is running. Get a little puckery on some landings... in general, don't have that totally relaxed, this-is-second-nature feeling like I do behind the wheels of my land-based vehicles. Some days, I just have to force myself to go flying. Here's the weird part, though... IMMEDIATELY after every flight, I want to back up again... right away.. and wish I hadn't come down. Spend the entire drive home in my car grinning from ear to ear.

My goal for the next month or two is to fly as often as possible.. at least a couple times a week... and get to the point where the drive TO the airport is just as enjoyable as the flying and the ride home. Hard to describe.. anyone else (low time folks, obviously... I doubt any truly experienced pilots get the pre-flight jitters or whatever that feeling that requires willpower to overcome) deal with that, or am I just weird?
Click to expand...

I thought I was the only one. It's generally worse when I'm going up with an instructor. I hate making mistakes and want to be awesome so I obsess over how I might screw up. Once I'm up, it's not a problem. I find each goof-up is a lesson learned and I know not to do that next time.

Only time I've gotten nervous is when there's a very strong crosswind. Once on base I thought, "What in the world am I doing up here and how am I going to get this thing landed?" Then I just thought, "I know how to do this. I've been taught by great instructors, I've done this before. Just do it!" And I was fine and the feeling afterward was great and I want to go right back up and do it again. :D

To address the original post, I work as a senior software developer, mostly spending my time fixing up crappy legacy code. Usually the only sense of accomplishment is just making it through another day. Every time I fly, I know I've done something few other people can do and done it using my own skills. By sharing that with kids or other adults, when I clear the runway I know I've done something good.
 
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I’ll answer by telling you how I feel and what I am doing about it. Similar to you, I got my certificate in December 2014 and flew “some” over the next couple of years. Money was a slight issue, but not the main. None of my family or friends care anything about flying so I was doing exactly “boring holes in the sky”. Secondly, POA, is really the only community I have with flying, I have tried making flying friends and it’s hard. I became friends with @Hank S through POA, but we both work a lot and haven’t flown together in at least a couple of years although I consider him a friend. So, I have gotten rusty. Recently, I committed to get current just for the sake of being current. When I call the FBO I find out they don’t even have any planes to rent anymore. There is a class D nearby I can rent from, but like others have said, it’s a busy flight school and hard to rent and even harder to rent to go somewhere. Somewhere the thought crossed my mind, I could build an airplane.......so I started reading a lot. I joined Van’s Air Force forum and within a couple of days I have invites to go fly from at least 5 people and invited to come see builds going on by 7 or 8. I “think” this may be the thing for me, I want more than just the flying, I want to share it with people. It’s a long commitment, but a doable one and I can spread the cost out over time, still fly enough to remember how, and have a group to share it with. I hope this works for me, I believe it will. Don’t know if this helps at all, just my ramblings.
 
@MuseChaser that is me, maybe at a 1/3 level? It led to me cancelling more flights than I made and I haven’t flown since 2008 really. Anxiety.

I would be soooooo happy after my flight. Couldn’t wait to go back. And then the same pattern.

I think flying more often is the key. When I pursued my IR I flew 2x a week religiously. The anxiety was way down (I was also flying with a CFII too, so maybe that played in). But for me, the lack of confidence in my skills played a big part. Fly more often . . . More confident.
 
@Mike Smith I have found, over 26 years with my PPL, the FBO Flying universe to be the least friendly.

The old AOPA board and the group here seem really friendly, and organize meet ups. IRL - I have one friend who is a CFII and an acquaintance here and on FB who is a good guy and pilot who I never speak with IRL and I’ve put myself out there. Gone to the FBO (rarely a warm welcome if they don’t already know you) and really not met anyone.

Maybe the EAA chapter build community is tighter as you help each other, but as that’s well out of my skill set or interest, I’m left being disappointed hearing others stories of great friendship.
 
Doylestown has an assorted C152/C172/PA28-161/PA28-181 rental line. VanSant has a Cub for rent. Also, Philadelphia Glider Council in Hilltown is a really nice glider club, might be a fun and new way to get your flying fix.

All are probably < 45 min from where you’re moving.

Jim
 
For me, flying is it's own reason to exist.
I will admit that I'm less interested in "mission" these later years then I am in "fun".
"Fun" can be a little hard to describe, even harder for others to understand. I've been known to spend an hour or more just doing turns around a point in a strong wind, just to get as perfect as possible.
Other times I play grass strip bingo, just flying to as many grass strips as I can in a day.
Spins never get boring.
Find a plane that you can have fun in and just have fun.
 
orange said:
I have my PPL since 2015. I flew about 30-40 hours per year in the first 3 years. But my last flight was in August 2018. I just lost the urge to fly. How many Hudson flights can you take? I wanted to take longer flights, even overnights, but then when looking at the costs, it became costs prohibitive for a flight more than a couple of hours each way, very easy to reach $1000 bill for a relatively short flight. Normally, it wasn't an issue but i built a new house starting in the fall, so I needed to be tighter with the frivolous spending. Also, the flight school I was renting from frowned upon long rentals and overnights because they are a busy school and needed the planes. Eventually, stopped renting altogether due to very heavy student need for their planes.

The urge to fly is still there just not very strong. But now, later this week, I'm moving about 7 miles east of KABE- Lehigh Valley Airport in PA. I did some brief research and see there a couple of flights schools there, but the only thing I saw was 1 school that rented Diamonds. I have never flown a plane with a stick control, don't know how I would like it.

I know some of you have posted on my thread in the past about flight school, I'll have to go search it out when I get some free time once the move is all settled.

My issue is that if I don't pick up the flying now, it'll be too long and I'll lose the urge for good. I know people stop for years and go back but I don't think i can just pick it up against after 10 years. Or would want to. At least if I go back now, there will be new places to see, not that same NYC Bravo triangle.

Any advice/suggestions?
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If the urge no longer exists, don’t fly—So what? People change hobbies all the time. I once had a large sailing yacht. I had to pinch myself every time I saw her—I adored this boat! 5 years later, meh, not so much. Onwards and upwards!
 
Sometimes a partnership is a great way to go.
I once had a 1/4 share with two guys, and a woman, it was the right thing at that time in my life. Just something to think about.
 
OP, I'm there with you. When training, I had a purpose that I was spending obscene amounts of money on. Then suddenly, that purpose was gone and it was just a cost for me to drill holes in the sky.

My advice - pick out trips once or twice a month and go places. On your trips, either land at 3 airports or do 3 landings.Every third month or so take a private pilot syllabus up with you and spend an hour flying a check ride. Use Fore Flight to record your performance and grade yourself on the ground later. Sure, its not the best proficiency, but you should stay proficient enough to not bend metal.

When you're ready, start IFR.

Join CAP.

Get a part time job at the airport.

Look for opportunities to fly - local fly ins, burgers, museums. Social Flight is a nice website for finding information.

Do something to stay involved with flying, even it's just chair flying every so often.

And in the end, if you just aren't feeling the urge, then stop. You might stop for a short time or many years.
 
orange said:
I have my PPL since 2015. I flew about 30-40 hours per year in the first 3 years. But my last flight was in August 2018. I just lost the urge to fly. How many Hudson flights can you take? I wanted to take longer flights, even overnights, but then when looking at the costs, it became costs prohibitive for a flight more than a couple of hours each way, very easy to reach $1000 bill for a relatively short flight. Normally, it wasn't an issue but i built a new house starting in the fall, so I needed to be tighter with the frivolous spending. Also, the flight school I was renting from frowned upon long rentals and overnights because they are a busy school and needed the planes. Eventually, stopped renting altogether due to very heavy student need for their planes.

The urge to fly is still there just not very strong. But now, later this week, I'm moving about 7 miles east of KABE- Lehigh Valley Airport in PA. I did some brief research and see there a couple of flights schools there, but the only thing I saw was 1 school that rented Diamonds. I have never flown a plane with a stick control, don't know how I would like it.

I know some of you have posted on my thread in the past about flight school, I'll have to go search it out when I get some free time once the move is all settled.

My issue is that if I don't pick up the flying now, it'll be too long and I'll lose the urge for good. I know people stop for years and go back but I don't think i can just pick it up against after 10 years. Or would want to. At least if I go back now, there will be new places to see, not that same NYC Bravo triangle.

Any advice/suggestions?
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Check on a flying club there, I bet it has one.
 
Blairstown 1N7 just north of KABE has a lot of glider activity...don’t know if they have a club. There is a flight school there and a very good restaurant w outdoor seating there. Seems a congenial bunch. We stop there for lunch when northbound. Watch your approach to 25.....poorly placed hill.
KABE seems to have a lot of commercial traffic.
 
I think people stop flying generally for one or more of these three reasons:
1. Money
2. Medical qualifications
3. Enthusiasm

It's like a tripod needing all three legs to hold it up. If you can fix a deficient leg or legs, go for it, but #3 can be a good reason to stop trying. The number of pilots who just give it up is staggering, and in many cases they are the ones who just lost interest and figured it wasn't worth the time, effort and expense.
 
As a person whose personality is a strange mix of pragmatism, adrenaline-junky, and voracious appetite for learning, flying fed my desire for adrenaline at first, but that wore off over time... it simply isn't the "rush" it used to be, and has now become more of a pleasant and familiar "task." The learning-new-things bug is constantly being fed by working towards my IR, but I struggle w/ maintaining interest in certain parts of the curriculum (regulations and weather theory, primarily). When I started flying, I was able to ignore and/or rationalize away the impractical/unpragmatic sides (especialoy financially) of the pursuit of the skies, but now that I have a few hundred hours under my belt and own a plane, my need for UTILITY is coming to the fore. For me to remain engaged in flying, my personality requires that I have a USE for it... so we're starting to plan overnights and longer trips now that we have some flexibility (a major prerequisite especially vfr) in our schedules. Visits to family out of town, favorite vacation spots, etc. Still haven't fully implemented those plans, but have done more one-day "local" XC flights in the past two months with my wife than I have in the past 10 years. That's helping a lot.

Edit: ROFL!!! I had forgotten that I had already posted in this thread a few months ago, but just saw my post when someone "liked" it today. I've been flying a lot more frequently... and boy, it sure HAS changed my outlook.
 
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I've had my share of issues over the past twenty years since getting my PPL (money, lack of time due to family and working around the clock-including three weekends in a row and some holidays, rental frustrations,etc), but the one thing I'm glad I NEVER lost, is interest. That is something I was born with!

As a child, my father would take me and some of my siblings (on the bus) down to Newark airport (born in raised in Newark) so that we (I) could watch the airplanes. This was in the 70's when you could sit in the terminal area for as long as you wanted, even if you weren't a ticket paying customer. After a few minutes or so, my siblings were ready to go, but not me. I could have stood at that window all day long:).
Coincidentally, I started my electrical career at the same airport several years later. Dad was proud, but he agonized over the fact that he couldn't afford flight lessons for me, however, he never stopped encouraging me to pursue my dreams.

Unfortunately, by the time I could afford lessons and get my PPL at TEB, he had already passed. I'm sure he would have been my first passenger.
I have had dry spells and active periods since then, but fortunately for me, I have something to carry me over in between and that is something that I've enjoyed since my teen years.....
THE MIGHTY FLIGHT SIMULATOR! I have a pretty hardcore setup that I've built and I'm constantly making modifications to improve the experience. Currently having a custom panel built for my rig, which I will then place a hardware replica of the G1000 (which can also be configured as a six pack) to interface with X-Plane 11 (MSFS2020 as well when it comes out).

My point is, don't dismiss what a good flight sim setup can do to keep you engaged and keep you from losing that desire!
Flight sims are something that has kept me interested long before stepping into the real thing (at least 16 years before) and if I didn't have one,
I'd be one sad puppy.

orange said:
I have my PPL since 2015. I flew about 30-40 hours per year in the first 3 years. But my last flight was in August 2018. I just lost the urge to fly. How many Hudson flights can you take?
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My very first discovery flight from TEB was the Hudson scenic flight. I've made dozens of them since then, both with friends and family, as well as solo. Once with a couple of orbits around the 'Lady' at 800' MSL. So to answer your question...I personally could take dozens more:D. It never gets old for me! Especially when I'm lucky enough to get the East River/Central Park clearance.
 
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Pictures above is why I learned to fly and have shared a plane for the last 10 years. There is no amount of money that can create such intense family memories as those we generated with our Cessna. Yes, it is expensive, but sharing an inexpensive plane with partners makes it affordable to many.
 
I'm with MountainDude on this, but you don't get that with a rental plane. You get it with enthusiasm and a certain amount of money.

(See this link.)

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MountainDude said:
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Excellent pic of my hometown. What year did you make the trek to PR? I've been trying to make some time to fly the Arrow down there, but it's a pricy trek all the way from Texas. Can only imagine the fuel cost on a 182 from New Mexico. So it's airlines again this year to see the folks. Epic cross country tho. One day soon I too hope to make it via GA.
 
hindsight2020 said:
Excellent pic of my hometown. What year did you make the trek to PR? I've been trying to make some time to fly the Arrow down there, but it's a pricy trek all the way from Texas. Can only imagine the fuel cost on a 182 from New Mexico. So it's airlines again this year to see the folks. Epic cross country tho. One day soon I too hope to make it via GA.
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This was in Dec '15/Jan '16.
 
:yeahthat:
Yeah, take the fork.
You never know when a buffet will break out and you need to do your part to keep it in check. (Stay away from the starches, fill up on the expensive stuff.)
Oh. You were being philosophical.
Sorry.
Keep the fork anyway.
 
MountainDude said:
Pictures above is why I learned to fly and have shared a plane for the last 10 years. There is no amount of money that can create such intense family memories as those we generated with our Cessna. Yes, it is expensive, but sharing an inexpensive plane with partners makes it affordable to many.
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Muse chaser hates you... I think you suk.
But... I envy you sooo much, I look like the Grinch!

That's why I. WILL. FLY. AGAIN! Thanks for the inspiration!

Soon, I will have similar photos to post.. then I can suk, too! (In some other envious pilot's eyes)
 
MountainDude, you must have flown right over my house while in the north Okanogan area of British Columbia Canada. Anyone who is ever traveling this way and wants a meal, stop by, and I will throw a steak on the bbq. You can park right in front of my hangar, and I will pick you up in my golf cart and drive you to the house, or else you can walk over, it is about a 7 minute walk.
Mabel lake airpark, just at the north end of Mabel lake. If you're a golfer, bring your clubs.
 
Set a goal like a long cross country, fly it and see if the flying spirit is rekindled.
 
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