Do you have many aviation friends?

denverpilot said:
Low numbers but a solid few good friends from each stage of life and social group. Lots of acquaintances from them also.

The thing the OP mentioned about folks doing their own thing after school, is completely normal. And overspending on crap is a national pastime and definitely worth avoiding.

Have numerous friends who thought their debt-driven lifestyles were a good idea. Big house, fancy cars, lots of toys. No control over their stuff, it controls them. Most of them are divorced over money fights and now arguing over how to sell the crap heh haven't paid for yet decades later, or those with stronger marriages have had at least one bankruptcy. Some have three.

Will I go out to dinner or to life events if they ask and see them? Sure. Still love them as people. But they're often headed right back into consumer debt spending talking about whatever junk they're going to buy next to make themselves happy. It's awkward at that point since you know any sort of agreement is just enabling an addict.
Click to expand...

Yea well said...I think this will be quite a few of my friends in the next 20 years...sadly
 
Cooter said:
I guess it depends on what level of friendship we're talking about. It seems that the friends formed earlier in life, like in college, have a better chance of being your close friends because you can be more invested in the relationships. Not that the relationships themselves were a goal necessarily, but because the time spent hanging was. It was easier to be fully engaged because there wasn't as much competition for your time, and there was less distraction. In college, your friends are kind of everything, socially speaking. In a lot of cases, you live together, eat together, etc. There are way fewer boundaries than there are later in life, so conversations are more free and revealing. Add alcohol and it frequently becomes way too revealing.

I'm not saying that friends can't be made later, but it's just more difficult because so much more of your life is tied up in family and work. I prioritize time with family over time with friends. So I rarely get together with other guys and just hang out. Most often kids are present and the time with friends centers around some activity that keeps the kids entertained and the parents distracted.

That's my 2¢ diagnosis.:)
Click to expand...

Well said
 
I think I got interested in aviation starting around middle school. No one I know was interested in aviation at all throughout middle school and high school. Joined an Aviation Explorers Post in high school so I was around several teens from other high schools in the area who like aviation.

In community college I think I only know one guy who has at least a PPL.

When I transferred to a 4-year school out of state, I was majoring in aviation administration so plenty of students interested in aviation. Made some friends in the same major as me and also made friends who are at least private pilots or in the aeronautical science - professional pilot major. A couple of my friends also had their A&P mechanic license since they went to Aviation High School in New York. After college graduation, some of my friends went to work for airports or airlines in a non-flying aviation job. Others went on to become professional pilots. A friend of mine who is a CFI even started his very own flight school at Republic Airport called AFAF Aviation!

Starting my first airport operations job at Essex County Airport only a couple of my coworkers/managers are pilots or like aviation, the rest I think just view working at an airport as just another job.

Once I starting working in airport operations at PHL I had a bunch of coworkers/supervisors who are pilots or at least interested in aviation. Some were student pilots who never completed primary flight training, others had a PPL and/or instrument rating. One supervisor has a commercial pilot certificate. One coworker used to serve in the Air Force I think as a parachute rigger and another coworker is currently serving in the Air Force Reserve part time.

At PHL, I think there was talk in the past among my airport operations officer coworkers that they were planning to start a flying club but I don't think it ever got off the ground.
 
Last edited:
I don't have a lot of close friends that live nearby. I can say that all my friends at the hangars are good friends with a couple of close ones. Contrary to an earlier poster, the military sucks for having friends because you know that whatever friendship you form will be separated within two to three years because one or both of you will get orders somewhere else. This is why I say I don't have a lot of close friends that live nearby. Having said that, there is potential here on this forum for me to have quite a few more friends (middle name Russ, you're included although I'm probably close to twice your age) if we could finally hook up for breakfast or a fly in someday. My closest buddy is my CFI and was my trainee in ATC at one point. He flies for Boutique now and lives in Phoenix while keeping his Arrow at Falcon Field in Mesa. On Fridays and Saturdays, he will either fly down to Tucson or I'll fly to Mesa. Sometimes its training for my instrument rating, sometimes its just a "lets just go somewhere new" flight.
 
Timbeck2 said:
I don't have a lot of close friends that live nearby. I can say that all my friends at the hangars are good friends with a couple of close ones. Contrary to an earlier poster, the military sucks for having friends because you know that whatever friendship you form will be separated within two to three years because one or both of you will get orders somewhere else. This is why I say I don't have a lot of close friends that live nearby. Having said that, there is potential here on this forum for me to have quite a few more friends (middle name Russ, you're included although I'm probably close to twice your age) if we could finally hook up for breakfast or a fly in someday. My closest buddy is my CFI and was my trainee in ATC at one point. He flies for Boutique now and lives in Phoenix while keeping his Arrow at Falcon Field in Mesa. On Fridays and Saturdays, he will either fly down to Tucson or I'll fly to Mesa. Sometimes its training for my instrument rating, sometimes its just a "lets just go somewhere new" flight.
Click to expand...

Hahah well some of my good friends are mid to late thirties believe it or not. My good friend is a SWA Captain and he is in his mid forties! Now that I am spreading my wings a bit more with the Cherokee we will definitely have to get together sometime
 
I have six guys from high school I'm still close to. We have an annual fishing trip we all look forward to each year. Some of my closest friends are USMA classmates and/or Army friends. Most my daily contact friends are aviation friends from various local airports.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
I have a few flying friends. The best flying friend I have is right here on POA, @Hank S. Although I think he has unfriended as I haven't seen his Mooney is a long time.
 
A few; probably more aviation friends than others. I fly alone 90% of the time, and when I don't, the other seat almost always has another pilot in it (my son is a pilot).

I flew with CAP for 14 years or so, and one of the good things about it was flying with other pilots quite a lot; the bad thing was the rest of the nonsense, of course, and the self-loading ballast we often had to haul. I still fly with those guys occasionally, as friends, (I think only one of them is still in CAP).

Time is so constrained, it's hard to squeeze in a lot of socializing; what time I have, I'd rather spend with other pilots - that said, I can go a year without getting together with a couple of the guys.
 
mscard is my only friend. I wrote letters to him when he was in PoA solitary confinement.
 
eman1200 said:
mscard is my only friend. I wrote letters to him when he was in PoA solitary confinement.
Click to expand...

That's right, he did. Joisey thing ya know but that's how we hang.

th
 
Mike Smith said:
I have a few flying friends. The best flying friend I have is right here on POA, @Hank S. Although I think he has unfriended as I haven't seen his Mooney is a long time.
Click to expand...

My left mag died at 9500 msl over SC, and spent two weeks at KFAY getting fixed. I flew home and it died again . . . Two more trips back to QAA and it's working again, just in time to have problems on the right. I'm sure it's not the new harness I put on while the magneto was going back and forth, so I ordered a set of plugs on Friday instead of flying to a deserted grass strip at the beach . . . :(

So no, I ain't been doing much flying here, at least not since March. Soon, I hope! I need to finish the IPC I started last week.
 
Rushie said:
I recently read a book that talked about how after college ... it's all downhill.
Click to expand...

Well, they say that college is the best four years of your life. So yeah, life goes downhill after that.
 
My son is 39 and thinks he's still in college sometimes! :D
 
azure said:
I'm a lot older than that and I *am* still in college... ;)
Click to expand...

Buttttt, you're not partying like an undergrad either, although I realize those faculty parties can get pretty wild. ;) :D
 
I haven't read all the replies but depending on where you live, there may be a POA meetup group for your area. If there isn't, consider forming one!

There is a very active New England Pilots FB group; except for one other pilot down in RI who I met up with a couple of years ago, they've been my only social contacts with aviation since I moved here 3 years ago. It can be hard to meet new friends in certain parts of the country, and especially after you pass a "certain age".
 
I have met many great people flying around phoenix, but usually when we hang out it is more aviation related. We should get a fly in going down here, maybe do a bbq fly in when the weather gets a little cooler.
 
bijanmaleki said:
I have met many great people flying around phoenix, but usually when we hang out it is more aviation related. We should get a fly in going down here, maybe do a bbq fly in when the weather gets a little cooler.
Click to expand...

That would be awesome!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top