Hairyplane
"FL's assertion that PPL's like me simply 'potter around and thus don't achieve the aviation fulfilment of a professional pilot' is amusing. I'm sure you don't really mean that?!"
If I hadn't meant it, I wouldn't have said it.
I too have been flying for 30 years (34 to be precise, helicopters for almost 10). I too have flown vintage aircraft, owned a half share in a Harvard for many years and still own a half share in WW2 fighter. I've been lucky to do a wide range of flying from (a little) poodling about in spamcans to flying the Atlantic in a single-engine f/w, and would be content to compare my range of flying experiences and types flown with you or most other PPLs.
I don't doubt you'd rather do what you're doing and fly for pleasure - so would I (most of the time) - but, if you think the sort of flying we PPLs do compares with the being a professional pilot, you're deluding yourself IMHO.
Nor do I doubt that your recreational flying fulfils your needs, but it wouldn't be enough to fulfil someone whose love of flying is so great he wants to spend his life doing it - any more than being a professional pilot and reading law books/taking part in mock trials and amateur dramatics in my leisure time would have fulfilled my ambition to be a barrister fighting cases in court.
Of course life is tough for many newly-qualified professional pilots, and for some helicopter pilots who've been in the industry a long time but they didn't need you to tell them that - nor to rub their noses in your wealth. This is a pilots forum, predominantly a professional pilots and aspiring professional pilots forum. They know all too well the problems they face pursuing their ambition to fly professionally.
If my post merely serves to invoke jealousy then all I will say is, 'I took the risks - you can too'.
It didn't invoke any jealousy in me. I'm very happy with my lot. Your bragging about your affluence and toys simply made me cringe, and I found your boasting that you could pay pilots peanuts because of the unemployment in the sector irritating.
Nothing personal - the 'I got loadsa money' nouveau riche have always had that effect upon me.
"Chances are you'll end up flying the 'kiss me quicks' who paid more to park their car than they did for their flight."
Do you mean people who aren't wealthy, and are just like you were before you made money and took your 'kiss me quick' hat off?
(I thought of trying to explain 'bad form', but decided you wouldn't understand. You're obviously very happy being the way you are, which is your absolute right.)