Hobbies you've sacrificed for Aviation

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Mtns2Skies

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With @Ted 's sale of his aircraft and return to his other hobbies it got me thinking... what other hobbies have you sacrificed for aviation?

From @NealRomeoGolf 's Cello thread...
NealRomeoGolf said:
Here's my rig. I could've gotten a nicer one but I spend all my money on airplanes now. And yes, my door is decorated for Christmas. Don't ask.
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If I didn't spend all my money on airplanes, I'd have a collection of off road vehicles from rock crawlers to overland rigs... and a machine shop to bolster it.
 
If I wasn’t spending money on the airplane I’d have other hobbies...

Oh, wait. It’s a Rotax powered experimental. I actually do have other hobbies. :)
 
I was a professional woodworker with my own business. I used to make antique reproduction furniture and then got into making pretty elaborate shadow boxes for military retirees. After I got into custom work I decided to call it quits because people couldn't give me the right measurements, they wanted a certain shade to match some other esoteric item in their house, etc.

I still have all the machines and tools in my garage and someday when I can no longer fly, I'll take it up again but for now, they gather dust.
 
None....I had to quit skiing for medical reasons (trashed my knees), so I took up flying.
 
I more or less gave up golf, figuring that both hobbies competed for time on the same nice days.

I also gave up my season tickets to Georgia Tech Football. Fall is when we get the best flying weather around here and going to a game takes a whole day off the table.
 
I have other hobbies, and like my current balance of activities. My only complaint is work gets in the way of fun.
 
None.

I ended up doing very little woodworking, but that wasn't due to flying. Some from lack of time due to how my wife does things, some from frustrations from some mistakes, some from just how our days changed as the kids got older.

We downsized and the new place doesn't have a space for that, so I sold off all the equipment other than the portable/hand power tools and the mini lathe.

Now without the downsizing work I've been flying more.



Sent from my SM-G781U using Tapatalk
 
I know that Austin started this thread with me, but like @NealRomeoGolf I have a music hobby background, having played pipe organ for 10 years or so. I have one in my house (1952 Allen TC-1) but barely play it, and it started making funny smells. Probably time to retire it.
 
RC (3D helis mostly), motorcycle road racing, scuba....
 
I gave up my RC heli problem as well. I figured if I had to burn 45 minutes driving and preflighting, it might as well be for full scale...
 
aftCG said:
Hookers and blow. I think I made the right choice.
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Beat me to it. LOL

Cant say I really gave up any for aviation. I may have prioritized them with aviation winning, but I pretty much do what I want in my free time.

I mean technically I read less history books the years I studied for the CFI, I suppose... watched a bit less stuff on naval and other history...

Wouldn’t say I have it up though.

On the flip side it probably hasn’t been an all out push to build my own battle cruiser yet either... they’re kinda spendy.
 
I quit dirt biking after investing all my AMUs into pilot training. I plan to continue flying personally as long as I can afford it.
 
I gave up absolutely nothing. I'm closer to 70 than 60, still riding endurance horses, riding dual sport motorcycles, and competing in Long range rifle competition.
Oh, I have a young wife and a 18 month old daughter that brings me joy every moment. Never surrender.
Dave
 
I haven't "given up" any of my hobbies, but I sure don't spend as much time with them as I used to after getting married and having two children (both under 5yrs old at the moment). I still play soccer, but on a more beer league level. I gave up playing adult baseball because there were just too many games as well as travel that I can't make work with family obligations. I used to enjoy playing 8-10 rounds of golf in a year, more im lucky if I get one! I have a boat and jet ski that didn't see the water this year, so no water skiing/fishing. I keep saying it will all eventually slow down and I'll get to go back to my sports/hobbies, but I doubt ill play enough to get competitive for most of them. C'est la vie.
 
I’ve balanced all my hobbies over the years. When I started flying I certainly has to pick and choose what to spend time and money on. Now that I’m in my 3rd decade of flying, I’m not sure what hobbies I’m not doing that interest me (scuba, flying, cycling, raising kiddos, etc).
 
SoonerAviator said:
I haven't "given up" any of my hobbies, but I sure don't spend as much time with them as I used to after getting married and having two children (both under 5yrs old at the moment). I still play soccer, but on a more beer league level. I gave up playing adult baseball because there were just too many games as well as travel that I can't make work with family obligations. I used to enjoy playing 8-10 rounds of golf in a year, more im lucky if I get one! I have a boat and jet ski that didn't see the water this year, so no water skiing/fishing. I keep saying it will all eventually slow down and I'll get to go back to my sports/hobbies, but I doubt ill play enough to get competitive for most of them. C'est la vie.
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Same here. Kids definitely took the wind out of my free time sails. It gets better when they get a little older. You might even get lucky and have them develop interest in something you put on hold. I just payed for a membership to the golf club so I can play with the 10 year old. So I’m happy. Quality time with one of the kids and daddy gets to play golf again.
 
Only hobby I’ve given up for flying is Saltwater Reef Tanks. That costs just about as much as flying if not more!!!

My other hobbies have been on hold for various other reasons.

SCUBA as I only do saltwater and I haven’t been to my parents timeshare on SXM since 2013. I tried freshwater and hated it.

Video games because my girlfriend, hopefully fiancé, despises them as a waste of time. So it’s kinda hard to play a few hours of PS4 with her staring at me asking about my honey do list. :D

Gardening as it’s Winter!
 
I haven't sacrificed any hobbies. The time flying offsets cycling, which I would be likely doing if I weren't flying. In fact, I took up RC aircraft flying after I already had a PPL.
 
Tarheelpilot said:
Same here. Kids definitely took the wind out of my free time sails. It gets better when they get a little older. You might even get lucky and have them develop interest in something you put on hold. I just payed for a membership to the golf club so I can play with the 10 year old. So I’m happy. Quality time with one of the kids and daddy gets to play golf again.
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Absolutely, and while I may wish I had more time to devote to those hobbies, I don't resent spending time with the kids even for a second. Both of the kids will play sports, so the wife and I will transfer what skills we have to that effort. We are "lake people", so the kids will get their fair share of boating/fishing/skiing/tubing. Once I get the flying club deal worked out here in the next few weeks, I'll take the kids up for their first flight and see if we can't plant that idea in their heads as well. :)
 
SoonerAviator said:
Absolutely, and while I may wish I had more time to devote to those hobbies, I don't resent spending time with the kids even for a second. Both of the kids will play sports, so the wife and I will transfer what skills we have to that effort. We are "lake people", so the kids will get their fair share of boating/fishing/skiing/tubing. Once I get the flying club deal worked out here in the next few weeks, I'll take the kids up for their first flight and see if we can't plant that idea in their heads as well. :)
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Yep. Kids are awesome. We bought a lake house to make it easier to have the water time. It’s a lot easier when the boat is tied up to a dock in the back yard. So far the flying bug has not bitten ... yet. I did manage to get them rides in a helicopter. Of course one of them is expressing interest. It’s the most expensive and the one I don’t have a cfi in so of course. That’s the one. Lol
 
Bill said:
I have other hobbies, and like my current balance of activities. My only complaint is work gets in the way of fun.
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Thinking back, I did cut back in a way. Back when I wanted to start flying lessons, I owned three motorcycles. I sold one to pay for my PPL, and then shortly after, I sold the second to pay for my instrument rating. I still own one motorcycle, and ride it 10-15 thousand miles a year.
 
None I’m still boating as well as flying ,keeps the wife happy.
 
Aviation has saved the world from some (but not all) of my terrible music.
 
Haven’t given anything up but I’d probably have 10+ sports cars instead of 5 if I didn’t fly. Really the amount of emphasis, passion and time commitment shifts around for me. Sometimes I’m all in on aviation and spend little time on the others, sometimes it’s the cars, working out, whatever.. Always the same things so it’s not full on ADD but almost...
 
Skydiving and motorcycles. I sold my last motorcycle to buy the wing kit for my RV-8 build. I basically have one hobby and thats building and flying EABs. Don't even watch sports on TV. I'd rather be in the shop than watching some overpaid prima donna kneeling to the National Anthem.
 
I gave up flying to maintain my Grumman. At least that is what it feels like as my plane has been waiting for shop time for it's annual inspection since October (and grounded due to waiting since November).
 
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