How do you casually mention that you own an airplane without coming off like a ****?

Stewartb said:
I have friends with biz jets and turbine helicopters. I don’t feel any pressure to apologize for what I’ve earned. This is the land of opportunity. Go get it.
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:yeahthat:

The other thing to realize is that people are going to get impressions about things that are not in-line with reality, and that just is how it is. People will see the fruits of labor and ignore what it took to get there, then be jealous that they didn't get the same result without having put the same into it.

My first car was a Jaguar XJ-S. I can't tell you the number of people who heard that and made a lot of assumptions, which amounted to jealousy and thinking we were rich. The realities were slightly different. That car cost $1,000 (granted a bit over 20 years ago, so inflation) and had no dashboard or steering wheel. It didn't move under its own power. I bought it with money I'd earned babysitting and then proceeded to put a huge amount of sweat equity into the thing. End of the day, it cost less than the cars that the parents of people who were being jealous had bought (a new Ford Focus comes to mind as owned by one such person).

Maybe I'm just used to it by now, but put me in the "IDGAF what others think" camp. Sure, I've had my share of luck along the way, but a lot of work, sleepless nights, and missing time and events with friends and family to get there. Most successful people I see have made the same or greater sacrifices.
 
Stewartb said:
I have friends with biz jets and turbine helicopters. I don’t feel any pressure to apologize for what I’ve earned. This is the land of opportunity. Go get it.
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Agreed, their response exposes a bit of their psyche, I lose interest pretty quickly in hanging around greedy, envious people.
 
Bottom line is that if you have something different than what most people have, you’ll be perceived as “rich”, regardless of actual cost, or whether you have all of the “normal” stuff.

Not much you can do about it besides cull your herd of friends appropriately. ;)
 
Racerx said:
If I tell someone, it's "I have a small plane." After the weird look, I qualify it by saying they probably paid more for their car than I did for my plane. ...
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That's pretty close to my standard line. It's a "tiny, forty-year-old plane." This is generally accompanied by me holding up my hand with fingers a half-inch apart. If the topic progresses, we get to my 22 y/o Toyota pickup, and their 60K SUV.

Wishing your wife well.
 
This thread got me thinking that maybe I should start using some DeLorean references. 1982. Mostly aluminum. Fun but not fancy. Can’t drive it in bad weather….
 
I got tired of telling people I was a pilot so I quit. I quit wearing the pilot tee shirts too. They found out anyway and I got tired of explaining that my plane cost less to purchase than their car. I also got tired of explaining my job as a controller. (yes, it can get stressful...for 5 minutes a few times every day and most the time it isn't airplanes, its the goobers they're sending me to train and/or work with)

So now, I just tell everyone I'm a professional rodeo clown.
 
[QUOTE="Timbeck2, post: 3339577, member: 26872"....So now, I just tell everyone I'm a professional rodeo clown.[/QUOTE]

now that's believable!
 
Timbeck2 said:
So now, I just tell everyone I'm a professional rodeo clown.
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Got weathered in at 7W5 - a lousy 60 miles from home - along with a couple in a Mooney. He said he was a professional rodeo rider. Are you suggesting that I should have not believed him?
 
I find, as with many things in life, it helps to not give a **** what most people think. If it's relevant, useful information in a conversation, I'll mention it. If it isn't, I won't. In the OP's example, it would have been relevant and useful information, so I would have mentioned it.
 
Lindberg said:
I find, as with many things in life, it helps to not give a **** what most people think. If it's relevant, useful information in a conversation, I'll mention it. If it isn't, I won't. In the OP's example, it would have been relevant and useful information, so I would have mentioned it.
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You've never had a boss or client get quiet when they learn about your car/plane/home then. It can make life difficult in specific settings, usually around some form of perceived pecking order.

I think it was my grandfather who said "Never let a man know you have a nickel more than he does" and I've followed that where possible. My neighborhood is an amusing mix of stealth-wealth Subarus and Toyotas and bling-wealth Porsches and Big Benzes. I'm pretty sure I know which of my neighbors are the real ballers, and which ones I'll be fighting off with a shovel when the zombies arrive. :D

...I drive the worst Subaru on the whole island. Hey ladieeeeeess. ;)
 
schmookeeg said:
You've never had a boss or client get quiet when they learn about your car/plane/home then. It can make life difficult in specific settings, usually around some form of perceived pecking order.

I think it was my grandfather who said "Never let a man know you have a nickel more than he does" and I've followed that where possible. My neighborhood is an amusing mix of stealth-wealth Subarus and Toyotas and bling-wealth Porsches and Big Benzes. I'm pretty sure I know which of my neighbors are the real ballers, and which ones I'll be fighting off with a shovel when the zombies arrive. :D

...I drive the worst Subaru on the whole island. Hey ladieeeeeess. ;)
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I guess I'm just not baller enough for that to matter. Or maybe my ballerness matches my outward status. Or maybe I'm just the least baller person I know.
 
Only time I mention I have a plane is when some jackwaggon makes a dumbarse comment when I am out riding my Onewheel like "Oh, mid life crisis?"..."No, I bought a plane for that, these are just fun"...usually shuts them up.
 
flyingron said:
Years ago I flew from Oshkosh to Broken Bow, NE, had lunch and then continued on to Ft. Collins. We were picking up the alcohol for my daughter's wedding at a mega liquor store out there. The manager came over and said "American Express would like to speak to you."

ME: Hello?
AX: Are you in possession of your card?
ME: Yes.
AX: Were you at the Hilton Gardin Inn in Oshkosh Wisconsin this morning?
ME: That was me.
AX: And were you in Broken Bow, Nebraska at 1 PM today?
ME: That was me, too.
AX: And now you are in Ft. Collins, Colorado?
ME: This is me.
AX: And you're in possession of your card.
ME: Yes, that was me in all those places. Would it help if I let you know I own my own airplane?
AX: Ah, that makes sense. Sorry to have bothered you.

It seems they couldn't figure out how I got between three towns so quickly that don't have air service anywhere near them.
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I had a similar experience with USAA flying across the country. In my case I had only made it to my first stop in OK (from TN) when they called. There were no further issues when I later stopped in TX then NM before
calling it a day.

Dave
 
flyingron said:
Years ago I flew from Oshkosh to Broken Bow, NE, had lunch and then continued on to Ft. Collins. We were picking up the alcohol for my daughter's wedding at a mega liquor store out there. The manager came over and said "American Express would like to speak to you."

ME: Hello?
AX: Are you in possession of your card?
ME: Yes.
AX: Were you at the Hilton Gardin Inn in Oshkosh Wisconsin this morning?
ME: That was me.
AX: And were you in Broken Bow, Nebraska at 1 PM today?
ME: That was me, too.
AX: And now you are in Ft. Collins, Colorado?
ME: This is me.
AX: And you're in possession of your card.
ME: Yes, that was me in all those places. Would it help if I let you know I own my own airplane?
AX: Ah, that makes sense. Sorry to have bothered you.

It seems they couldn't figure out how I got between three towns so quickly that don't have air service anywhere near them.
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Better that the idiots at CitiBank. I have a work TRAVEL CitiBank card. One day I left Luanda, Angola, checking out of the hotel and paying the bill. Flew to Johannesburg, South Africa to stay overnight. My card did not work on check in. After several tries, I checked in with one of my personal cards. And then called CitiBank COLLECT.

Agent says, we blocked your card because it was used in Luanda in the morning and Joburg in late afternoon. So I asked him, "Have you ever heard of an AIRPLANE?" He stammered a bit. So I asked if he realized that you could FLY from one country to another in a single day on an AIRPLANE.

He finally asked if it was me in both places. I told him YES. He said he would unblock my card. DUH. :D
 
When I had an overnight in Tampa I was buying some jewelry as a Valentine day present for my wife. Citi Bank declined my card so I had to use another card to buy the gift. When I contacted Citi Bank they said that they declined my card because I lived in NH and the card was using the card in FL. I told them that I'm an airline pilot (which at the time I was) and that my job required me to fly around the country and spend nights away from home. The Citi Bank representative said that my card would be unlocked and that a note would be added to the card that it would be used throught the US and not just near NH.
 
Well, AMEX shutoff my card in the middle of the Kruger Park and I told them I'd be in Amsterdam in a couple of days and to have the replacement card waiting. They said they couldn't expedite delivery to outside the US destinations. I told them I thought the whole freaking purpose of AMEX was international travel and why they insisted on leaving me high and dry (not really, my wife's card which has a distinct number still worked as did all of my non-amex cards).
 
I normally mention right away that I only own half a plane, and that it cost less than many cars and is 70 years old.
 
Jim K said:
I used the phrase "I'm a pilot" in an email, and I feel kind of weird about it. Actually more about the impression I feel like it gives off.
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How would "I have access to a small plane" sound? If they pry further, you could tell 'em it's borrowed from your youngest kid's college fund.
 
Most of my friends know I have a plane, but I've never had a reason to tell them I do unless they asked.

Some secrets are hard to keep.
 
dtuuri said:
How would "I have access to a small plane" sound? If they pry further, you could tell 'em it's borrowed from your youngest kid's college fund.
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"Borrowed" implies I intend to give it back. I think "stolen" is the correct term. :D
 
Every conversation:
"You own an airplane? You must be rich!"
"It cost less than my Elantra."
"Really?"
"Well, it is a 1950."
"Is that safe?"
"It is made of aerospace-grade materials and is subject to rigorous annual inspections by highly trained professionals."
[polite cough]
"Interesting. How far in advance do you need to file a flight plan to get permission to fly?"
"In general, no flight plan is required."
"That sounds unsafe. How does ATC tell you where to go and how to avoid other planes?"
"We have maps and look out the window, and, in general, don't need to talk to anyone."
"That sounds unsafe."
"Actually, most accidents are pilot error, running out of gas, things like that."
"You're kidding."
"Well, pilots are cheap and gas is expensive."
"Really?"
"Well, it's kind of a niche market, what with the lead and all."
"That sounds unsafe."
...
50_750x750_Front_Color-White.jpg
 
Albany Tom said:
Or, you could have a little more fun with it. "I have my own plane. Back in the 90's, I used to run cargo from Central America. Now I just fly for fun."
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I used to live next door to an embassy of a southeast Asian country. Our clothes line ran along the brick wall separating us from the embassy. On top of the wall was barbed wire. One night, during a big windstorm, my pants (that had been hung out to dry) got tangled and ripped in the barbed wire.

I tell people that one night I ripped my pants on the barbed wire on the top of the embassy wall.

Desert Nomad
Secret Agent
 
flyingron said:
Well, AMEX shutoff my card in the middle of the Kruger Park and I told them I'd be in Amsterdam in a couple of days and to have the replacement card waiting. They said they couldn't expedite delivery to outside the US destinations. I told them I thought the whole freaking purpose of AMEX was international travel and why they insisted on leaving me high and dry (not really, my wife's card which has a distinct number still worked as did all of my non-amex cards).
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I had the same issue with CitiBank. They would not send a replacement card to Mauritius. I had to pick it up two weeks later in Dubai. They sent it to “Dubai, Saudi Arabia”. When I finally received the envelope, Saudi Arabia had been crossed out and someone had scrawled, “Try UAE”.
 
Half Fast said:
Isn't that pretty much the same thing?
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You know, that’s a really good point…controller’s prevent one airplane from running into another, rodeo clowns prevent bulls from running into rodeo riders.

And both provide a modicum of humor in the process.
 
Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe said:
Got weathered in at 7W5 - a lousy 60 miles from home - along with a couple in a Mooney. He said he was a professional rodeo rider. Are you suggesting that I should have not believed him?
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When I was in TX, the rodeo came to town. The airport was FULL of high end twins as the rodeo people arrived. Not many singles.

So no, unless his was not a very good professional rodeo rider. :D
 
"It has less horsepower than a Honda Civic."
(casually omit whether the Civic to be compared is an LX, EX, Si or Type-R)
 
flyingron said:
Well, AMEX shutoff my card in the middle of the Kruger Park and I told them I'd be in Amsterdam in a couple of days and to have the replacement card waiting. They said they couldn't expedite delivery to outside the US destinations. I told them I thought the whole freaking purpose of AMEX was international travel and why they insisted on leaving me high and dry (not really, my wife's card which has a distinct number still worked as did all of my non-amex cards).
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I had a AMEX compromised while traveling. They shut off all transaction where the card was not physically swiped, so I could finish the trip.
 
GeorgeC said:
…"That sounds unsafe. How does ATC tell you where to go and how to avoid other planes?"
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I tell then ATC is only for airlines and as long as the plane isn’t on fire, then we’re safe.
 
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