CJboy
Standing by for a barrage of folks telling how they do a business trip every now and again, but let's be honest we could all do without SEP aircraft.
Well, I do travelling with it whenever I can. Best use of equipment, remember? If it makes sense to go by plane I will, if by car I do that or by any other means available.
A car is a necessity for life in the Western world, except if you live in a big city centre.
I agree, but a lot of the folks who think along the lines we have been discussing here don't. For them, cars are as "evil" as planes or ANYTHING enjoyable, regardless if necessary or not.
We should stop being apologetic and trying to say it's not a hobby/pleasure/fun because that's why we do it. That is exactly the same motivation as the golfers at the golf club, the sailors at the sailing club, even the man who sits by a lake fishing for 20 hours at a stretch. We all put what we have into our fun, and it's different for everybody.
Absolutely right, we need to stop apologizing. We have nothing to apologize for.
Yes of course it is fun, but that does not exclude it being useful as well. I would probably not be interested in flying a plane which can't serve any useful purpose, such as getting me on trips I'd do in any case but faster and more economical. Yet, that is exactly the problem, or part of it. The people we have been discussing here don't see that there are different planes for different purposes, different cost range, just like with cars. Nobody will compare a Lamborghini with a Mini Cooper or a Smart, but they do compare a Pitts Special with a Mooney if you get my drift. I think you are right to say that a lot of planes are there purely for the fun of it, but not all and not by far all.
That I think makes the difference between GA, which CAN be a straightforward system of personal transport, towards other past times.
However, I strongly feel that the people's right of self determination on how they wish to spend their time, be it professional or pleasure, needs protection from those who wish to treat us like sheep. Throughout my professional life I have strived to do something I like. Not only out of egoism but also because if you do something you like, you are better and more efficient at it than if you do something which pais the bills but is otherwise boring or even awful. The same needs to go for what we do outside our professional life.
Best regards
AN2 Driver.