Let it go.

Maxmosbey

Maxmosbey

Final Approach
Joined
Aug 23, 2007
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5,247
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San Juan, PR/Ames, IA
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I need to get serious.
I'm just going to do a little thinking out loud here. You guys can comment. I got my private pilot certificate in 1968. I flew off and on over the years. One time I took a twenty-six year layoff, but got back into it four years ago, give or take. I flew around for a couple of years, then lost my medical. No big deal. I can live without flying. I got my A&P in 1970. I worked for a while with a crop dusting outfit, spent four years in the Navy working on helicopters, worked another year or so in GA, got a job as a police officer and worked part time for a couple of years, then didn't do anything much with airplanes until I retired from the police department. When I retired I went back to work in GA, worked a couple of years, got my IA. Then I got offered a pretty good job not related to aviation, worked that for a while, and did a little aircraft work on the side. I quit that job, didn't do anything for a while, then got a job with parks and rec as an aquatics supervisor and lifeguard. This summer I turned down some airplane work.I just don't make enough money at it and I just don't feel like it. Another thing is that I don't feel like I'm staying competent. I've started even turning down my friends.

In February there is a two day symposium that I need to go to if I want to keep my IA. A lot of guys like me, who don't do enough work on aircraft to keep their IA current, go to the symposium in order to stay valid. I'm thinking of skipping it this year. First of all, I don't think that I am going to work on airplanes anymore. To tell you the truth, I make more money working as a lifeguard/lifeguard supervisor than I would make as an A&P, at least around here. That is kind of depressing in itself. Not to mention that I am getting rusty as far as being a mechanic is concerned.

OK, the only problem is that I worked pretty hard for that IA. I invested a lot of time and money in it. It is also the last thing that ties me to aviation. If I loose that, I'm just flat out of it. I'm on the spectator side of the fence. As it is, if I do go, it will get to the point where my A&P is not current, which will essentially make my IA invalid as well, so even if I do go to the symposium, it won't change much. It might delay the inevitable for a year. So there you are. Do I spend a couple hundred dollars and a weekend going to presentations about Cleveland Brakes, and Goodyear tires, or do I just throw in the towel?
 
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go for it. come down here in the spring i have three condition inspections that will need done :)
 
I got my Class-A CDL w/ Tanker and Hazmat endorsements about 6-7 years ago. I got my Class-B Passenger endorsement ~4 years ago. I haven't used the Class A in ~4 years and I haven't used the Class B in ~2 years. When I got new driver's license in GA last year, I kept all of the endorsements I could (except HazMat b/c that is stupidly expensive just to renew). I may never use any of the endorsements again, but if the opportunity should arise, I can raise my hand and say "Hey, I can do that!" If something came up where I needed those endorsements, but I had let them lapse, it would take a while to go through all the hoops to get the endorsements again, so I keep them 'just in case'...
 
At some point in our life we all stop doing things we've done before, and for a variety of reasons. Some are able to walk away and never look back, some need a gradual withdrawal to be sure they aren't leaving something behind that they might want later.

I've made some aviation-related decisions over the years that have all fallen into both the immediate and drawn-out categories. I don't think anybody else can make the call, but based on your comments I'd say it's time to go. You don't need a ticket to help somebody if you want, and can get paid for wrenching without any paperwork.

If there's no money in it, no future in it and you don't really enjoy it, it's like the punch-line for the despondent guy who was asked why he didn't quit his job cleaning up after the elephants in the circus. "You mean give up show business?"
 
tonycondon said:
go for it. come down here in the spring i have three condition inspections that will need done :)
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I had this same conversation with Matt this fall. I'm not sure that I want to lay awake at night worrying about your gliders and wondering if there is something I missed, something I didn't research, or something that I didn't have the right tools to check, because I don't do enough airplane work to stay on top of it. The other thing is that this spring you are going to want to fly, and I'm going to be busy hiring lifeguards, training them, and getting the pool ready for opening day. So you might have to wait until fall for me to get down there. That isn't going to work for you probably.:D
 
Question is..How important is the couple hundred buck and your time? I assume its not, but I don't know. SOunds like you are already throwing in the towel. SOunds like you are done now, so why go back?
 
Wisdom is knowing when to throw in the towel.

Not to get mushy, but 'what does your heart say'?
 
If you don't enjoy supporting your friends flying, then quit, life is too short to be doing what you don't enjoy.
 
I think you've already made up your mind and you are looking for someone to agree with your decision. :)

Wouldn't it be wonderful if our lives weren't linear so we could look over the next hill and see what's coming? That would make decisions a whole lot easier! :dunno:
 
So far I've let a few licences lapse in my life. I don't regret most of them but I do wish I'd kept one of them up to date. I suggest not letting the IA lapse until you are so sure you're done that you wouldn't even discuss it.

Sent from my ADR6300 using Tapatalk
 
Not enough info. How much would it cost and how hard would it be to get it back if you let it lapse?
 
denverpilot said:
Not enough info. How much would it cost and how hard would it be to get it back if you let it lapse?
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The IA requires you prove you have been active in the industry for the 3 years prior to the request for a new test.

take and pass the written test and do the FSDO interview.

They will remember that you did not meet the requirements of the last year you were an IA.
 
Tom-D said:
The IA requires you prove you have been active in the industry for the 3 years prior to the request for a new test.

take and pass the written test and do the FSDO interview.

They will remember that you did not meet the requirements of the last year you were an IA.
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It actually says that you have to have possessed an A&P for three years, and to have been engaged in aircraft maintenance for two years prior to application. It is kind of open ended, because it is up to the FAA guy assigned to you to determine what "engaged" means.
 
I know the FAA has been talking about clarifying what "actively involved" means. How that is playing out, I don't know. If you have your own plane, I'd keep it for sure. You might look into how that is looking too.

I keep wondering about keeping my medic stuff current. I've been an EMT for almost 10 years. Right now, a NREMT-I/99. One step below a paramedic. In VA, EMT-I's could do what a Paramedic could on 90% of the calls. In AK, different rules, can't do as much, but then, my skills aren't near as good as they were. I keep wondering about just letting the medic part go and drop to a basic. Haven't done it yet, but keep thinking about it. And I'm on the other end of a work career. Still pretty young.

It is hard to let something go that you have worked for for a long time and put that amount of effort into. I'm working on getting my IA here shortly. Sometimes I wonder if I'll end up spending 90% of my time trying to maintain all my "certs" and only 10 actually using them.
 
Tom-D said:
If you don't enjoy supporting your friends flying, then quit, life is too short to be doing what you don't enjoy.
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I don't think that it has anything to do with not wanting to support my friends. This discussion today has been very helpful for me. I'm glad that I brought it up, and I'm glad that you all gave me your take on it. Thanks.
 
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Maxmosbey said:
I don't think that it has anything to do with not wanting to support my friends. This discussion today has been very helpful for me. I'm glad that I brought it up, and I'm glad that you all gave me your take on it. Thanks.
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The rules say you only require 1 annual and the class to qualify or 4 annuals.

So you do 4 annuals for your friends and stay current.
 
Never an easy choice. I still have (and maintain through continuing education) my Professional Engineer license. I really haven't "practiced" engineering per-se in some time, but I stay current "just in case". It's a fall back, but having that license has certainly been a talking point whenever I've talked with folks about employment (or partnership, as the case may be). It's interesting to watch the reaction as I describe the similarities between desigining & building things and desigining and building companies (organic or through M&A)....

For me, the decision has been to keep it active & current, as opposed to having to retake the exams if I ever want to get back in. I spent too much time, money, and effort to get it in the first place.

The harder decision for me right now is about the plane. I don't fly nearly enough, even though I enjoy it, and it's hard to justify the time/expense of maintaining the plane. I'd probably flye even less if I didn't have the plane, but there's no sense in keeping the plane unless one flies enough to stay safe and current. An hour+ each way to the airport is impractical for a short joy ride. Too expensive to join an SR-22 frax program, and club options are limited. Sigh.
 
wsuffa said:
Never an easy choice. I still have (and maintain through continuing education) my Professional Engineer license. I really haven't "practiced" engineering per-se in some time, but I stay current "just in case". It's a fall back, but having that license has certainly been a talking point whenever I've talked with folks about employment (or partnership, as the case may be). It's interesting to watch the reaction as I describe the similarities between desigining & building things and desigining and building companies (organic or through M&A)....

For me, the decision has been to keep it active & current, as opposed to having to retake the exams if I ever want to get back in. I spent too much time, money, and effort to get it in the first place.

The harder decision for me right now is about the plane. I don't fly nearly enough, even though I enjoy it, and it's hard to justify the time/expense of maintaining the plane. I'd probably flye even less if I didn't have the plane, but there's no sense in keeping the plane unless one flies enough to stay safe and current. An hour+ each way to the airport is impractical for a short joy ride. Too expensive to join an SR-22 frax program, and club options are limited. Sigh.
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On the plane, have you considered some partners - either equity or non-equity?
 
bgdriveway said:
I know the FAA has been talking about clarifying what "actively involved" means. How that is playing out, I don't know. If you have your own plane, I'd keep it for sure. You might look into how that is looking too.

I keep wondering about keeping my medic stuff current. I've been an EMT for almost 10 years. Right now, a NREMT-I/99. One step below a paramedic. In VA, EMT-I's could do what a Paramedic could on 90% of the calls. In AK, different rules, can't do as much, but then, my skills aren't near as good as they were. I keep wondering about just letting the medic part go and drop to a basic. Haven't done it yet, but keep thinking about it. And I'm on the other end of a work career. Still pretty young.

It is hard to let something go that you have worked for for a long time and put that amount of effort into. I'm working on getting my IA here shortly. Sometimes I wonder if I'll end up spending 90% of my time trying to maintain all my "certs" and only 10 actually using them.
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I let my EMT-P and my physician assistant licenses (in VA you get a license) lapse over a decade ago. I wish I'd kept the PA license but unless you're actually practicing it's hard to do.
 
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