As for flying, purely and simply, without the utterence of the word "career", the answer is many things. The freedom, the ongoing challenge of something that you'll never perfect, but getting a kick out of it on the odd occasion when you get close.
Thank you Owen, couldn't have put it any better myself.
I would give 2/3rds of my pay in return for the feeling I get
when you get close
if it could be that way all the time.