What kind of flying do you do?

John Baker

John Baker

Final Approach
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John Baker
A friend referred to my flying as a sport a while back, I wondered how it could be a sport. To me, a sport is an activity that requires more effort than sitting on your butt moving a control yoke part of an inch or so, while simultaneously applying slight pressure to a peddle.

A sport, I'm just guessing here, requires some sort of physical exertion on the part of the participants.

The type of flying I do requires about as much exertion as driving a car. I consider flying from point A to B more as a hobby than a sport. Then I thought, aerobatics must qualify as a sport. I am sure there are other types of flying that would be considered sports, although I lack the experience to define them.

So, to my question. Do you consider your flying as a sport or a hobby, and what type of flying do you do?

John
 
soaring is sport and that is my preferred mode of aviating.
 
John Baker said:
A friend referred to my flying as a sport a while back, I wondered how it could be a sport. To me, a sport is an activity that requires more effort than sitting on your butt moving a control yoke part of an inch or so, while simultaneously applying slight pressure to a peddle.
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Well some people consider sitting on their butts and pulling a trigger or winding a fishing reel a sport. Can't say whose right.

John Baker said:
A sport, I'm just guessing here, requires some sort of physical exertion on the part of the participants.

The type of flying I do requires about as much exertion as driving a car. I consider flying from point A to B more as a hobby than a sport. Then I thought, aerobatics must qualify as a sport. I am sure there are other types of flying that would be considered sports, although I lack the experience to define them.

So, to my question. Do you consider your flying as a sport or a hobby, and what type of flying do you do?

John
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I consider my flying to be a hobby.
 
I could see considering aerobatics a sport, similar to auto racing. Using it as a form of transportation is different, and that would be more a hobby. Then, of course, you have professional pilots who do it for a living.

I'm somewhere in the middle. I don't fly for a living, but it's a tool that enables me to get my work done. There's always a mission, a purpose, a destination. I like it that way.
 
The FAA tells me that, in my case at least, it's sport. Light Sport to be specific...

But I would call it a hobby. More of a knock off a few trips around the pattern on a nice afternoon hobby than a "get from point A to point B" thing. The ocassional trip to somewhere is nice, but not something one would want to make a habit of.
 
Do you work for any taxing or regulatory authority?:tongue:

John Baker said:
A friend referred to my flying as a sport a while back, I wondered how it could be a sport. To me, a sport is an activity that requires more effort than sitting on your butt moving a control yoke part of an inch or so, while simultaneously applying slight pressure to a peddle.

A sport, I'm just guessing here, requires some sort of physical exertion on the part of the participants.

The type of flying I do requires about as much exertion as driving a car. I consider flying from point A to B more as a hobby than a sport. Then I thought, aerobatics must qualify as a sport. I am sure there are other types of flying that would be considered sports, although I lack the experience to define them.

So, to my question. Do you consider your flying as a sport or a hobby, and what type of flying do you do?

John
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Well, there's no chance of me ever finding out if SZ is required. You are obviously aware that most undercover agents have legitimate business covers, such as camera shops, dry cleaners and some even rumored to be art/frame shops.:tongue:
John Baker said:
Your answer to that can probably be found in the SZ. However, to save you research time.........not a chance. :eek:

John
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For me it fits my definition of a hobby.

hobby: (n) A huge waste of money and time for no benefit except one's own enjoyment.

I've also heard of Scuba Diving referred to as a sport. That's even less rigorous than flying. You're neutrally buoyant, for gosh sake; you don't even have to hold your head up.
 
These days, I'm soaring, mostly, and that is definitely a sport.
Especially the walk back from the "LZ" to the staging area. :D

It's not as grueling as cross-country skiing or aerobatics, but it poses a physical challenge to pilots well beyond "how long can my bladder hold out?"

But in general, for me, flying has never been merely a hobby, even when it is not for travel... it's a passion. It goes beyond something I do to pass the time; it's something I make time for, and something I make sacrifices for (beyond money).
 
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I think the answer changes and is dependent on various factors.

While I enjoy the challenge of an ILS to minimums with no Attitude Indicator as much as the next IMC geek (such as occurred Friday Morning flying in KLNS), I find the plain old stick and rudder of an old tail dragger addictive.

But I wouldn't want to give up either.

So I guess I'm undecided or confused. :dunno:
 
When I was younger, I would spend the morning hauling the hang glider up the hill on my back. With all the sweat and effort expended, I guess that flying was a sport.
 
COFlyBoy said:
...I've also heard of Scuba Diving referred to as a sport. That's even less rigorous than flying. You're neutrally buoyant, for gosh sake; you don't even have to hold your head up.
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Yeah, exactly like when I used to dive for abalone off Sunset Cliffs in SoCal. Nothing rigorous about it, if you don't include the 110 steps down to the water, climb thru the rocks and breakers, 3/4 mile swim out to the kelp beds, and then the reverse back in again... not rigorous at all! :) Finally wised up and got a boat. :D
 
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But cool scenes aside, it is a mode of transportation and a hobby. Sport, to me, conveys a sense of competition.
 
John Baker said:
A sport, I'm just guessing here, requires some sort of physical exertion on the part of the participants.
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They call this a "sport" too, but from recent news, apparently the participants need to find other sources for physical exertion. :D
 

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I fly to transport myself and friends to places that wouldn't be practical any other way on our schedules. I train to make that way of traveling safer and more practical.
 
Flying the Glasair = hobby/fun

Flying the Eagle = Sport of Kings! :ihih::ihih:
(even some days in the Eagle aren't very physically demanding, but the days where you pull 8+ G's 10 or 15 times and some are sustained for 60-70 seconds make up for it. That's a workout!)
 
I use the airplane as a chick magnet. Can't say it's worked particularly well for the 52 years I've been doing it, but I continue to be optimistic.
 
I dunno what kind of flying I do. I'm still at the driver stage. It is a fun hobby driving around the sky...
 
COFlyBoy said:
For me it fits my definition of a hobby.

hobby: (n) A huge waste of money and time for no benefit except one's own enjoyment.

I've also heard of Scuba Diving referred to as a sport. That's even less rigorous than flying. You're neutrally buoyant, for gosh sake; you don't even have to hold your head up.
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Well, I refer you to Lifeline Pilots, the various Angel Flight organizations, and all other forms of Public Benefit Flying. There's a lot of benefit out there beyond one's own enjoyment.

That said, I typically classify my use of it as a hobby. But the PBF really makes me feel good! :)
 
I fly in order to realize positive cash flow rather than negative, which in my mind is a very good thing.
 
gprellwitz said:
Well, I refer you to Lifeline Pilots, the various Angel Flight organizations, and all other forms of Public Benefit Flying. There's a lot of benefit out there beyond one's own enjoyment.

That said, I typically classify my use of it as a hobby. But the PBF really makes me feel good! :)
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Yep, and that makes up about 90% of my flying. The rest of it is maintenance flights, instruction, and occasionally I do something because I want to.

Everskyward said:
I fly in order to realize positive cash flow rather than negative, which in my mind is a very good thing.
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Yes, but in this group that makes you the minority. :rofl:
 
Do you consider your flying as a sport or a hobby
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I've pondered this question about my flying. Doesn't have the feel of a sport, and hobby doesn't begin to address the passionate obsession. Being retired, there's no professional aspect. Being content with VFR PPL is a reflection of my low interest in a transportation focus. While calling it Adventure might be closer, I haven't even landed on grass yet much less non-airstrip as I imagine true Adventure pilots would.

This may seem airy and self-indulgent, but to me it's Dream Time. I fly mostly "Low & Slow" whenever money and weather permit, and the effect on my psyche is unlike any of the labels I've read in this thread so far. I'd thought a lot about it for the first few years (got PPL in 2006) and couldn't find an explanation for how powerfully flying fits into my life. Then I noticed the consistent experience of what I call "Prop Advance" - some opposite of "Jet Lag" where instead of exhaustion and disorientation, I felt ecstatic and refreshed. Rather than "losing a day" it seemed like gaining one, as if anything I'd done before even half an hour of flying felt like it happened yesterday. My theory is that's due to how similar Low (<2k'AGL) & Slow (2*Vso) is to those ecstatic dreams where I can fly effortlessly above the trees and houses. Not 35k@350kt in a commercial jet with tiny hazed windows, nor even 9k@150kt. Low & Slow in Tripp with large windows that open. Intimate with the terrain, but not bound by it. Dream Time.

I try to justify it socially by having general destinations and routes in mind, and by sharing aerial photos and poetic musings on my Flickr & blog to "give back" and inspire anyone considering a license. I don't even try to justify it financially, and dread the day my meager funds can't keep up with the expenses. But really, there's no way to justify something so personally fulfilling and enriching. To fly is to Dream.
 
A hobby... A fairly expensive hobby to be sure, but still a hobby. The best thing is it gets me to further places faster. The downside is having to arrange transport on the other end which is usually more expense.
Lots of fun! And hobbies should be fun.
 
JohnSBA said:
I've pondered this question about my flying. Doesn't have the feel of a sport, and hobby doesn't begin to address the passionate obsession. Being retired, there's no professional aspect. Being content with VFR PPL is a reflection of my low interest in a transportation focus. While calling it Adventure might be closer, I haven't even landed on grass yet much less non-airstrip as I imagine true Adventure pilots would.

This may seem airy and self-indulgent, but to me it's Dream Time. I fly mostly "Low & Slow" whenever money and weather permit, and the effect on my psyche is unlike any of the labels I've read in this thread so far. I'd thought a lot about it for the first few years (got PPL in 2006) and couldn't find an explanation for how powerfully flying fits into my life. Then I noticed the consistent experience of what I call "Prop Advance" - some opposite of "Jet Lag" where instead of exhaustion and disorientation, I felt ecstatic and refreshed. Rather than "losing a day" it seemed like gaining one, as if anything I'd done before even half an hour of flying felt like it happened yesterday. My theory is that's due to how similar Low (<2k'AGL) & Slow (2*Vso) is to those ecstatic dreams where I can fly effortlessly above the trees and houses. Not 35k@350kt in a commercial jet with tiny hazed windows, nor even 9k@150kt. Low & Slow in Tripp with large windows that open. Intimate with the terrain, but not bound by it. Dream Time.

I try to justify it socially by having general destinations and routes in mind, and by sharing aerial photos and poetic musings on my Flickr & blog to "give back" and inspire anyone considering a license. I don't even try to justify it financially, and dread the day my meager funds can't keep up with the expenses. But really, there's no way to justify something so personally fulfilling and enriching. To fly is to Dream.
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Best post of the thread (and the week too, at least)!

I don't call it a hobby, or a sport, or an adventure. I call it truly living. :yes:
 
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