How has flying changed your life?

kimberlyanne546

kimberlyanne546

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Kimberly
I have a question for you:

In what way has flying changed your life?

For example, I went to college but did not complete my degree. I have enough experience in what I do for a living (10-15 years) that it has not been a factor in regards to employment opportunities.

So getting my certificate, for me, was a big deal - if only because of the accomplishment factor.

I think it may end up having other benefits - such as increased confidence, going after what I want, setting personal goals and sticking to them, etc.

What expected or unexpected pathways has aviation led you down?
 
The first thing was, it helped restore my self-esteem after my divorce!
 
Horses have done way more for me than planes. "They will make you better in areas you didn't think were related". Very true :)
 
I've never flown a horse, but aviation has been a huge plus in my life. I learned in college and added my ratings through grad school. I've used airplanes ever since for personal and professional travel, enjoying sites and experiences non-flyers will never know. Through flight instructing I've met some of the finest people on this planet who've blessed me beyond measure. It's truly been the third best thing in my life, after faith and family.
 
sba55 said:
Horses have done way more for me than planes. "They will make you better in areas you didn't think were related". Very true :)
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I was just thinking about horses. One of my very first "dream solo flights" for myself will be a VFR day (yeah right) so clear so early in the morning that I can fly the little plane out & down the coast to the untowered Half Moon Bay airport . . . . all before 8am. And I am not a morning person. This is because they have a stables there where if you arrive before opening time and let them know you have riding experience, they will give you a reduced price and your own horse for 2 hours - alone - without a guide - on the beach. Best feeling in the world.

When I volunteered for a short time for an organization that donates theraputic riding lessons to children with disabilities - and saw the DRAMATIC effect it had on them - I knew there was something about horses.
 
I'm prouder of my pilot's certificate than I am of my diploma from the University of Wisconsin. So let's get THAT out of the way. College was an easy joy ride for me, a blur of parties and angst.

Learning to fly, on the other hand, was something I wanted to do my whole life, and I had to bust my ass to do it. I didn't get the chance to fly until I was 35, when I finally put all the puzzle pieces together (and had a boss who was a pilot himself, who kept kicking me toward the FBO.) I had two little kids underfoot, a wife working part time, and a house payment, when that opportunity finally presented itself. It was the worst possible time to do it -- but I jumped, because I knew I would never get another chance.

How has it changed my life? It would be easier to list how flying has NOT changed my life. When I earned my ticket, I was a mid-level manager in a newspaper, with a little money left over from selling my first business.

Since that job didn't provide the income I needed to pursue my newfound addiction -- and "addiction" is an accurate descriptive term -- just a few years later we moved to Iowa and I founded a company that distributed periodicals all over the state.

This business provided the income and rationale to purchase our first airplane -- and we've never looked back.

Would I have done any of that without the impetus of flying? No way.

Then, in 2002, thanks to a variety of things coming together in my life, (and thanks to the input of a lot of people who hang out here), we purchased our first hotel, up in Iowa, and started down the long road of creating a pilot's dream destination hotel. For the next 8 years, we traveled the country, accumulating artwork and memorabilia for our aviation themed hotel.

Then, in 2010, we discovered this wonderful island, and decided to create ANOTHER pilots destination hotel here. This has kept us busy ever since.

NONE of this would have happened without flying. None of it. I would still probably be a mid-level manager at a newspaper...somewhere...struggling to survive in a dying industry.

Instead, I'm living the "glamorous" 24/7 life of a small businessman :rolleyes: (I'm still working as I type this -- it's after midnight), albeit one that gets to hang out with pilots all day long.

Example: Today we have pilots at the inn from the Netherlands, Dallas, Chicago, and Waco -- one of whom is celebrating his birthday. Fun times!

So...flying changed my life vastly for the better, and it continues to do so in ways that I cannot begin to describe here. It opened my mind, my heart, my ambitions -- and, best of all, I've been able to share it all with my wife -- who became a pilot, too, back in 1997!

Flying IS life. :)
 
kimberlyanne546 said:
When I volunteered for a short time for an organization that donates theraputic riding lessons to children with disabilities - and saw the DRAMATIC effect it had on them - I knew there was something about horses.
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Felix and I were just talking about this in chat. One of our horses just went on loan to AWARE in San Marcos.
 
It's allowed me to avoid real work for the last 35+ years.
 
I love to fly and I have been involved in various forms for a bunch of years. But the question posed was how has it changed my life. My simple answer is the people I have met in aviation. They have enhanced my life so much. Thanks to all of you.
 
I could be retired already if I didn't start flying.
 
Speaking of horses, I thought learning to fly was a lot like learning to ride, especially to jump. But then I had just gone from taking years of riding lessons to taking flying lessons. I must've liked flying better because I don't think I've been on a horse more than five times since then.

I think that learning to fly gave me something to do that was all my own and not someone else's idea. The strange part, to me, is that I only thought it would be a hobby but it ended up being my working life, something I could never have imagined at the time.
 
I had my pilot certificate before I graduated from High School so it had a slightly different impact on my life. I had been in the Civil Air Patrol as a cadet for awhile when I earned my certificate, and that was where I learned self-motivation, setting goals, ect.... Flying was always something I wanted to do since I was a litte guy of about 5 years old. It hasn't really changed my life --- it has been my life. Everything from wanting to learn aviation history to trying to keep up with the future of things to come. Flying is like the blood in my body -- it's what keeps me alive :)
 
It's something I've been doing since I was 14. It's also provided me with a great career having been involved in GA, Flight Instruction, Fixed and Rotor Wing, Charter, Corporate, Airline, Avionics, Maintenance and Aviation Safety.
 
sba55 said:
Horses have done way more for me than planes. "They will make you better in areas you didn't think were related". Very true :)
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They make great dog food and glue as well.

But back on topic. When I fly there is nothing else on my mind it consumes me 1000 percent which is a wonderful release...
 
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I love flying because it's the one aspect of my life where my authority and my responsibility are equal. But the real reward is being part of the tribe - the people I've met or interacted with have been terrific.
 
This is a very difficult question. It might be easier to describe the very few areas of my life that flying hasn't positively changed.
 
Flying, staying current, maintaining two airplanes and a big hangar, I have a lot less money than I would have if I didn't fly. Still, would never have traded the experience.

Having flown in tactical jets, dropped live ordinance, played door gunner in helos at night with goggles, have all paled in comparison to the great people I have met through aviation. It truly is not the hardware but the people that have made aviation such a great experience.
 
Add me to the "it's the folks, folks" crowd.

The finest people I have known, I have met through my association with pilots and their kin. Many of you are among that number. I am truly blessed to have so many good friends, the kind of friends upon whom you know you can depend, and they all have wings.

Plus, it's a lot of fun.
 
I have come to understand how inexpensive everything else in life is!
 
Flying is amazing however I guess the way its changed my life the most is the friends that I met from across the country, most of which are here on POA, that I would have not met if I didn't fly.
 
Me too - though I have a feeling I've only met a tiny fraction of the total number of pilots I will meet before I die.

The POA pilots at the fly-in will never be forgotten. I do know that CA pilots aren't half bad either but there was something special about being on vacation and around planes and pilots for days on end.

Kimberly
 
You better put Oshkosh on your list if vacationing with pilots and airplanes turns your crank... It's complete and utter sensory overload.
 
Learning to fly at age 52 just because I wanted to funneled me into my post retirement position as an airport manager. I called it a "position" instead of a job because I don't need a job and if it was a job, I wouldn't be doing it. It is sort of like a hobby that I get paid a little for doing. Did I mention that the airport has been recognized by both the FAA and the Arkansas Airport Operators Assoc. as Arkansas Airport of the Year.
 
I have met a lot of knowledgeable and nice people through POA and through being a pilot. Became a part time charter pilot and accomplished challenges I would never have dreamed of previously. Became good friends and employee of a generous and caring charter company owner.

And yes, I found out just how expensive aviation really is.
 
Flying has made me more risk averse; or, at the very least, more risk aware. Keeps sucking the fun out of everything, dammit! :mad:
 
kimberlyanne546 said:
I was just thinking about horses. One of my very first "dream solo flights" for myself will be a VFR day (yeah right) so clear so early in the morning that I can fly the little plane out & down the coast to the untowered Half Moon Bay airport . . . . all before 8am. And I am not a morning person. This is because they have a stables there where if you arrive before opening time and let them know you have riding experience, they will give you a reduced price and your own horse for 2 hours - alone - without a guide - on the beach. Best feeling in the world.

When I volunteered for a short time for an organization that donates theraputic riding lessons to children with disabilities - and saw the DRAMATIC effect it had on them - I knew there was something about horses.
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That is incredible, yes. There's a program like that at Sonoma Horse Park in Petaluma. I just always hear how wonderfully helpful it is.

Sounds like a fun flight to KHAF. I didn't know they do that there. Of course, we have Pt Reyes here, which is simply incredible on a horse. Nobody around, either.
 
sba55 said:
That is incredible, yes. There's a program like that at Sonoma Horse Park in Petaluma. I just always hear how wonderfully helpful it is.

Sounds like a fun flight to KHAF. I didn't know they do that there. Of course, we have Pt Reyes here, which is simply incredible on a horse. Nobody around, either.
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They do, and they have been there since I was little and took pony rides, but as a horse person you may not approve of their horses or their practice. It is one of the only ways I can ride these days so I go.

I used to take dressage lessons in Golden Gate Park but then the stables shut down. San Francisco and horses? Yes. It was fun while it lasted.
 
kimberlyanne546 said:
They do, and they have been there since I was little and took pony rides, but as a horse person you may not approve of their horses or their practice. It is one of the only ways I can ride these days so I go.

I used to take dressage lessons in Golden Gate Park but then the stables shut down. San Francisco and horses? Yes. It was fun while it lasted.
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Why wouldn't I? I'm sure they don't treat them badly? You can always ride at my barn if you want.

Yeah, SF is probably not the best place for this. Too many stressed out folks.
 
kimberlyanne546 said:
I was just thinking about horses...When I volunteered for a short time for an organization that donates theraputic riding lessons to children with disabilities - and saw the DRAMATIC effect it had on them - I knew there was something about horses.
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Kimberly - if you have any info on riding therapy points of contact, especially in CO, I would love to look at it.

Thanks!

edit - back to the original question - flying is my mental health therapy. I can pretend I'm back in the Navy and pull an overhead break at BJC and make the tower supervisor spill his coffee ... ;) oh wait - I need to get that RV-6 first. :D

I grew up with horses - still love to ride, but love flying more. Much easier to clean the hangar than the barn, as well.
 
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Flying has 100% changed my life. Ok, 99.9%. Before I discovered flying, I really felt like I had no direction in life. Didn't really know who I was or what I wanted. Once I tasted flight, I was forever obsessed and changed.

I've caught "the bug".

The people I meet along the way are also a huge part.
 
gkainz said:
Kimberly - if you have any info on riding therapy points of contact, especially in CO, I would love to look at it.

Thanks!

edit - back to the original question - flying is my mental health therapy. I can pretend I'm back in the Navy and pull an overhead break at BJC and make the tower supervisor spill his coffee ... ;) oh wait - I need to get that RV-6 first. :D

I grew up with horses - still love to ride, but love flying more. Much easier to clean the hangar than the barn, as well.
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Greg - check out http://www.pathintl.org/. They list all of their accredited centers. Lots in CO.
 
Finally a hobby-- Spent too much time working -- However that did allow the maaaaaaany AU required for said hobby--
And the best part of the hobby -- the folks
:yes: :yesnod:
 
ajstoner21 said:
Flying has 100% changed my life. Ok, 99.9%. Before I discovered flying, I really felt like I had no direction in life. Didn't really know who I was or what I wanted. Once I tasted flight, I was forever obsessed and changed.

I've caught "the bug".

The people I meet along the way are also a huge part.
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It may be early still, but I was going to post that I caught the bug today. Attempted to fly tonight (but weather won't allow this). I was going to shoot three night landings at my home airport in the rental 152. Possible night flights in my future, and just in case they happen with passengers, I want to stay night current.

I flew yesterday - jeez. Can't wait to fly again. I have a "new" plane reserved on Saturday for checkout, the 172.
 
kimberlyanne546 said:
It may be early still, but I was going to post that I caught the bug today. Attempted to fly tonight (but weather won't allow this). I was going to shoot three night landings at my home airport in the rental 152. Possible night flights in my future, and just in case they happen with passengers, I want to stay night current.

I flew yesterday - jeez. Can't wait to fly again. I have a "new" plane reserved on Saturday for checkout, the 172.
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I feel like flying is one of the few hobbies that you can always experience something new and more of it to your life, if you really want.

There are many ratings you can get, many different endorsements, many new and exciting places to fly to, a ton of different types of planes. It seems limitless to me personally.

Things I want to do: Finish instrument, get commercial, get CFI/CFII/MEI, get all the same in gliders, and helicopters. Get into aerobatics... the list goes on and on.
 
ajstoner21 said:
Things I want to do: Finish instrument, get commercial, get CFI/CFII/MEI, get all the same in gliders, and helicopters. Get into aerobatics... the list goes on and on.
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Great goals! Expensive, but great!! Seriously, get your instrument, then take a break and get your glider rating. You'll have a ball and learn a lot!
 
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