too busy enjoy the flight

Peter Ha

Peter Ha

Pre-takeoff checklist
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Nov 18, 2019
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Hey folks,
Not sure if this common but I'll put it out there.
When flying some scenic (or not) places; I can't enjoy any views outside cause I'm busy with controls, looking for traffic, or comm. My passenger(if any) does.
Only when I review my flight video after, do I see what I missed. Am I doing something wrong here? :(
How do you folks enjoy outside views while flying?
 
I'm going to go out on a limb here, and say that on a VFR flight, you should probably be looking out the window anyway. Just sayin'.
 
You are not doing anything wrong. Flying an airplane is serious business, so what you are describing is normal. As you get more experience and some of your pilot duties become more routine and second nature, there will be a little more time for you to look outside and enjoy the view - especially during the cruise portion of a cross country. But pilots can never have the same opportunity of enjoying the view as their passengers.

That probably isn't a surprising realization, is it? Same is true in a car as well.

- Martin
 
Peter Ha said:
I can't enjoy any views outside cause I'm busy with controls, looking for traffic, or comm
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The Cessna 150 has about the least busiest cockpit that I can think of. I’m sure the airspace in SoCal is busy, but if you’re having troubles staying ahead of the airplane to the point that you’re unable to enjoy the views outside, I’m not sure what to say.
 
Ryanb said:
The Cessna 150 has about the least busiest cockpit that I can think of. I’m sure the airspace in SoCal is busy, but if you’re having troubles staying ahead of the airplane to the point that you’re unable to enjoy the views outside, I’m not sure what to say.
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I didn't say i'm having trouble being ahead of airplane. Only that I can't enjoy the view as I would a passenger. It might be that I'm OVERLY cautious things that can go wrong and I'm bit paranoid and constantly scanning, viewing outside traffic, etc. Guess what I just realized is that I'm not fully relaxed yet as pilot.
 
You must choose - are you the PIC or are you a tourist?

Flying the Hudson (River) Corridor in NYC is one of the richest environments there is for traffic conflicts and scenery. I've done it multiple times and I've never been able to fully appreciate the scenery. Your first responsibility is safety. Fly with another person who agrees to be the PIC for your flight if you want to be a tourist.

-Skip
 
Peter Ha said:
Only that I can't enjoy the view as I would a passenger.
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Par for the course. The pilot’s job is to fly the airplane, the passengers sit back and ride. Sounds typical to me.
 
Ryanb said:
Par for the course. The pilot’s job is to fly the airplane, the passengers sit back and ride. Sounds typical to me.
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Okay, long as I know this is typical experience as pilot.
Guess I'll just enjoy my 360 camera video afterwards. :rolleyes:
An example from yesterday's flight.
I didn't notice these "islands" off Long Beach, Californa before (skip to 36min mark). Does anyone know what they are?
 
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That is what instructor certificates are for. Get someone to pay you to enjoy the view while they do all the work.
Ok, it does take a bit to get to that point, but a large part of being instructor is enjoying the view.

Brian
CFIIG/ASEL
 
A couple of years back I took 2 pax to Duluth during peak fall color. While my pax was pointing at beautiful color all over the place over tree tops I was looking at the same forest under me and thinking where the heck Am I going to land if the fan stops. And I used to fly 100 hrs a year then. I watched the footage later at home and saw that I was seeing everything out there but only concentrating on a few fields that I could possibly land on (highly doubt I could have, but still)

And while I was on the ground at Duluth while my pqx were enjoying lunch and walk, I was either glued to the EFB or on call with the briefer .... ceiling was coming down.

 
I’ve found that I enjoy flying right seat sometimes for this reason. You can relax and soak it in.
 
Salty said:
I’ve found that I enjoy flying right seat sometimes for this reason. You can relax and soak it in.
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Alas.... all of my passengers so far are non-pilots :(
 
It's probably heresy to say around these parts, but I frequently prefer riding in the passenger seat to flying the plane myself.
 
Leave it to eman lol...he doesn't disappoint! But while I was flying yesterday (solo) I still had time to look around and catch glimpses of interesting things on the ground. You'll get better at dividing your attention.
 
You will magically find time to enjoy flying instead of concentrating on flying when you have accumulated 146.37 hours of PIC. There is a detailed analytical study on this by AOPA, Google "Your dues have found Nirvana!"
 
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