Wives Attitude Towards Flying...

[Monocock]

Before I begin I would like to confirm that this topic is equally applicable to our female flying counterparts. PC correctness completed

So, how many of us actually have wives/partners who encourage us to fly. Those who understand our desire to get amongst the clouds and free ourselves of the sandpaper effect that weekly work grinds can bring about. Those wives who know that when we return from the hangar that we will opitimise paternal perfection, culinary genius and homemaking guidance....

On the other hand, how many have wives/partners who see the whole business of going to the airfield on a weekend as a drain on resources, a cop out from looking after the kids, an excuse to not push the B&Q trolley and recordable divorce fodder...:ooh:

This subject has come about because I met a fellow PPRuNer on Sunday at Popham. Apart from letting his new plane go windsurfing across the apron he introduced me to his wife.
Mr X's wife was not only a very attractive Mrs X but I was most impressed with her "I know that if he doesn't spend a day flying every weekend then he will be a nightmare" attitude. I too am very fortunate to have a wife of similar calibre but thought I was alone (apart from when I was accused of having an affair with a certain person who wears a poofy coloured set of headsets.....):uhoh:

So, come one, what's the general concencus.

Are you a type who has her trained to your habits......................................or do you have to cook and Dyson for a week to get allowed out!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mono

P.S Female pilots need not respond:O

[trevelyan]

My wife is a total star. She isnt all that interested in flying in general, sometimes isnt keen getting on a 767 to go on hols! But, she is totally supportive of my lifelong dream to fly aeroplanes, she helped me sort my money and studying out while I did my PPL, and is now encouraging me thru my ATPL`s. We arent loaded (although we aint skint either), but she is so keen to see me try and achieve my dream of a commercial license that she has reshaped and reorganised our (and our young familys) routines to try and help make it happen.

We know its gonna be 18 months of hard slog, evenings studying, weekends hourbuilding like mad, but she is so supportive it aint true.

Ive got a young family, and trying to get the 2 - 3 hours in a night of the ATPL stuff is hard work, but on the whole it is happening, I couldnt do it without the backup from the wife.

Cant imagine im in the majority, but before people condemn all "other halfs" as anti flying id like to offer my 2 pences worth!

Oh, i can rent her out to you at £120 / hour. :ooh:

:ok:

[Shaggy Sheep Driver]

I am blessed in that Mrs SSD is happy that flying, a lifelong passion, is what keeps me sane.

But re-mortgaging the house to follow my dreams (no, it woudn't come close to buying a Spitfire ;) ) might be frowned upon :O

SSD

[BeechNut]

My wife hates it. When I got back into flying after a 15 year absence, and bought my first plane since 1983, it nearly caused a divorce. When I was shopping amongst all the brouhaha about the marital effects of aircraft acquisition, and genuinely discouraged by her attitude, an aircraft broker said to me "you know, I see a lot of divorced guys hanging out at the airfield".

Anyway I bought a nice PA28-140 with MY money. Had a lot of fun with it and she at least warmed up to the idea that when we had visitors over, she would encourage them to go for a ride with me. But she has never been up herself since our courting days when I had a C-150 (in 1983). Says she doesn't want to make orphans of the kids. I agree, I've seen many accidents on the highway to the airfield...

Early in 2003 I sold the PA28 and bought a Beech C-23 (Sundowner 180), an aerobatic-certified one at that. Well that nearly brought on a huge fight again but I was more firm this time and I simply replied "it's my money, it's my passion, and it's my plane. Simply put, it's none of your business". She got very quiet very quickly.

Since then she knows better than to interfere. I have high-stress work and without my Saturday morning in the air I'm lost. I have two non-negociable times on the weekend: Saturday morning in the air and Sunday morning in church (I know it sounds corny but when you're looking at the Northern Quebec bush through a single fan, why take chances with eternity???).

In return I don't interfere with my wife's interests. She loves to garden and spent a small fortune on plants this spring. She started into a long speech defending her purchases but all I could come up with is "if you enjoy it, do it, and besides it makes the property look nicer".

It could be worse, my friends that golf spend WAY more time away from their families. As it now stands we've now made peace with each other over the issue but it wasn't without considerable grief.

Mike

[ChrisVJ]

I think too, a very interesting topic if can discuss how attitudes (of spouses, both sides) change over time.

When we were younger we did practically everything together, worked together frequwntly and as I worked a good deal from home too we were together 24/7 for weeks on end. We shared a lot of interests, partly I think, in the interests of our relationship. CD did fly with me a couple of times from Biggin in te Fournier F5.

Recently I started flying again. CD encouraged me to buy the plane and encourages me to go flying but she won't come with me for anything. When I bought the kit she decided fair was fair and bought a new Suburban. (Just looking at the hardware she made a better value purchase than I did.) Even more recently she decided we should have another dog and bought a Bernese puppy ( at enormous expense), ( We have always been of the style that dogs come from the pound so this was a serious display of independence.) Of course Jaxon has been a huge success both show wise and family wise. Our relationship is maturing as it needs to. Nowadays we still share frquently, ( we just did a road trip to NY together) but we respect each other's need to do things on our own.

Re, not depriving the kids.......... I fly an amphibian and the numbers aren't that good. Another reason not to demand she comes flying with me.

[Andy_R]

Well thank you for the compliment on mrscloud's attractiveness Mono :)

The subject of the runaway plane has been well documented on another forum - won't do that again :O Anyone fancy buying me a set of chocks for Christmas???

Mrs cloud has always been totally supportive of my flying and I count myself as one of the lucky few.
Having recently acquired a share in said runaway plane I was expecting a hard time but haven't received a word of criticism (other than spasmodic fits of laughter accompanied by the words "brakes" and "chocks"!).

Despite being pretty dubious about getting into the new mount on Sunday (an Aerobat being a little more confined than a Warrior), by the time we got back to base she had thoroughly enjoyed the outing and was even enjoying the view without the wings in the way :ok: Indeed, she was heard to comment that flying bought a smile to her face too (though the smile is rarely missing).

I will add too that I work stupidly long and often antisocial hours (see time of this post!!) and though she is naturally a little miffed by this on occasion (attending social events on her own etc) she is sensible enough to realise that sh!t happens.

Good to see you Sunday Mono and love the new Lush :cool:


And if anyone is interested mrscloud is available for around £1000 hour :D :D

[Courtman]

I was flying before I met Mrs Courtman, and just to make sure there wouldn't be any problems when we got married we've got her PPL trained and this year she's done more flying than me!

[Squadgy]

If your partner has a PPL too then this is the ideal solution :ok:

[TheBeeKeeper]

I am currently in the unenviable position of going through quite a heated divorce procedure (For the past year!). When I met Mrs BK, she was fully aware that flying was my one and only passion, indeed its what makes me, me! She had no complaints until the day I got a ring on my finger....... then she started to resent any time I spent at the airfield, and completely resented the cost involved in flying. After 18 months of not flying anything and generally being a miserable b :mad: ard, I am another victim of Aviation Induced Divorce Syndrome (AIDS).

On the plus side, the new potential Mrs BK, is two ground exams and a skills test away from her PPL. And, she keeps asking when we can next go and fly in the Queen Bee!!!!! (Also stunningly beautiful too) RESULT!

A content if not financially stretched until decree absolute BK!

[Monocock]

There is definitely a trick to getting the other half to accept our flying habits/requirements....

Once you haven't been flying for a week or so because of other commitments the trick is to keep a long face, show a general lacklustre attitude towards family life, regularly look longingly out of the window, read Pilot during dinner and watch satellite channel 556 all the time.

Then, you will be positively encouraged to get airborne.

The trick doesn't end here though......

On return from your avaiation escapade, return with a bounce in your step, a cheery kiss on the cheek and bags from the supermarket with something great (but easy) to cook for dinner.

And finally, the crucial part.......

The real expert knows that on no account must they talk about their flight because this negates all the hard work as the other half is just not interested.

Bingo.....a happy marriage that is based around flying!!!:D

[MichaelJP59]

My wife is not that understanding and can't really see the point of it all, though she does tolerate my flying (and golf!)

The only problem is, and I don't know if any others have encountered this, is that whenever she suggests that we need to buy something for the house and I have the merest raised eyebrow at the price, it is immediately quoted back to me as "only x hours flying"!

So to sum up, I don't think we're heading for an early divorce, though bankruptcy might well be on the cards!

- Michael

[TheBeeKeeper]

Monocock seems to have things sorted when it comes to a non flying partner. Can't say I took the same approach, and maybe that was my downfall.......

..... having said that, there are no raised eyebrows now when I mention the thought of buying a Yak.

BK

[Mariner9]

Well I've got the perfect PPL's missus - loves flying, hates shopping. She's not interested in learning to fly herself, perfectly happy to let me have all the fun.

She's also a 1st rate navigatress - keeps her finger on our location on the chart as we go - better than a moving map GPS :ok:

[wbryce]

im at the end of my PPL training stage, and my long term gf just doesn't really care that much....

It has its down points; like, shes not intreasted to know that i was holdind at Quebec while a 747 was downwind, turning finals at 1000ft QFE.....

You know, when you go home, you gotta tell somebody! :E

[englishal]

My Mrs says she loves it, but I notice a distinct lack of enthusiasm when she gets in the plane, well, in the front at least. Last time I flew her, I let go of the yoke and said "here, you fly, I've had enough" and she freaked out....couldn't understand it:O? Mind you she's never flown anything in her life, which might have contributed to it. The steep turns afterwards didn't go down too well either, she went green, and that was the end of my flying that day.....

I think her slight nervousness stems from when me and a friend of mine took our g/f's at the time on a trip, when we were fairly fresh PPLs. I was flying, and last minute we decided to do a few circuits before landing for good. I did one, and it was lovely, then my mate sort of took control from the RHS and flew one. He made a balls up of it, and I remember heading what seemed like directly across the runway towards the grass, girls in the back screaming, and we sort of yanked the thing back into the air. The next landing was a full stop boy, were we in trouble after that :}

Still, were responsible now...........;)

[Snigs]

then my mate sort of took control from the RHS and flew one. He made a balls up of it. That's why people are trained specifically to fly from the right hand seat, and they are called instructors. I hope you learnt your lesson!

And as for the wife, dunno, I don't speak to her much :ouch:

[englishal]

That's why people are trained specifically to fly from the right hand seat, and they are called instructors
Hey, we didn't know, we were fresh PPL's.....who would have though that 50cm to the right would make a difference;)

Anyway, I'm happy flying from the RHS now.....

[phnuff]

Mdm phnuff, absolute star about flying, even though her friends try to add some concern because "flying is dangerous . . . in Casualty, this plane crashed and . . . "

Of course, this may have something to do with my ability to fight back about the time/money she spends with her horses and just how dangerous they can be.

It may however be because she is a damned fine women

[Rocket2]

Just to add my tenpen'th, I wouldn't swop (or loan out) Mrs R for anything - flying long before I met her & she has supported or been beside me all the way, whether I'm flying, fixing or running the airfield - met & arranged the first date on a gliding club bus & proposed (many years later) at 3500ft over Didcot Power Station, when she said "I'll think about it" I mentioned that she had about 2 minutes as I shut the (motor-gliders) engine down & opened the airbrakes. Got quite close to one of the cooling towers (but well within the rule book figures :O ) ) before she agreed & we continued North for a few beers at the bar.
Sure, there are sometimes conditions before I go flying, but I can usually pre-empt them. That's what marriage is all about - give & take. Thanks Mrs R - you are the wind beneath my wings:D

[LowNSlow]

Mrs. LNS is now quite supportive after spending many years being anti. She did have a few lessons herself years ago and sometimes talks about starting again.

In the anti period the phrase "when are selling the plane then?" as if it was a foregone conclusion. After it was explained that I would never be selling the aeroplane as long as I could afford to run it there were sulks for a while and then, amazingly, support.

Now after I've been home for a while I get told to "get out from under my feet and go and play in the hangar". :ok: :ok:

[Pink_aviator]

Gosh MONO ,

I can't imagine you flying with any one with POOFY coloured head sets .

At least you have given us a good insight to WHAT any potential pilot partner , MAY do , inorder to gain an exeat from domesticity to his bit of metal flying stuff . teehee

fly safe mono

THE PINKSTER

[six-sixty]

the first time i met my missus, before i even told her i flew at all, she said she wanted to "know what it felt like to do a take off in an aeroplane".

well, i was sold on the spot, and we've come along leaps and bounds since then!

she's nearly solo herself, and loves having a bit of a stir in the back of me yak (though she despises aeros).

even encouraged me to quit my gilded cage and do the atpls. puts up with the mood swings and childish p.o.f type tantrums too. we will be married in jan, and i would not change her for the world (well.. maybe go in a spitfire :E )

[Gertrude the Wombat]

Says she doesn't want to make orphans of the kids. Mrs GtW will only fly in a light aircraft with me if either (a) all the kids are in the plane as well or (b) there's a professional pilot really doing the driving. So, for option (a), anyone know of a 206 for hire round here ...?

To go back to a previous thread, she does now let me take the kids (well, not all of them at once) with no other pilot in the aircraft.

She isn't bothered about the cost ... but of course I can't moan about what she spends on horses either, can I.

[QSK?]

My missus is very supportive of my desire to regularly fly but won't fly with me because:

(a) she doesn't want to orphan the kids;
(b) thinks light aircraft are generally unsafe;
(c) I don't wear epaulettes; and
(d) has trouble reconciling how I can operate such a complex piece of machinary as an aeroplane, yet every odd day she has to help me comprehend programming the wash cycles on the dishwasher or the washing machine.

[muffin]

Mine refuses to fly in an aeroplane with me despite actually taking a few lessons herself when I started flying 25 years ago. However she persuaded me to do a PPL(H) about 3 years ago and positively loves helicopter flying. So I fly my aeroplane solo all the time and helicopters usually with her as passenger.

She is actually trying to persuade me to sell the aeroplane and buy a helicopter before Old Father Time catches up on me and I am past it!

[MLS-12D]

There is definitely a trick to getting the other half to accept our flying habits/requirements....I can't stand cheese, but my wife loves the stuff. A small cheese shop is located right next to the airport that I fly out of. One time I popped in and purchased some 7-year-old cheddar, which she enjoyed very much. Since then, whenever her cheese supply starts running low, she asks hopefully, "you are going flying this Saturday, aren't you?".

I simply replied "it's my money, it's my passion, and it's my plane. Simply put, it's none of your business". She got very quiet very quickly.BeechNut, if I were you I would try to ensure that my wife did not become acquainted with the "net family property" concept that is enshrined in Canadian provincial legislation. :uhoh:

However she persuaded me to do a PPL(H) about 3 years agoI\'ll bet she really had to twist your arm, too! :p

She is actually trying to persuade me to sell the aeroplane and buy a helicopter before Old Father Time catches up on me and I am past it!Don\'t worry; with all those time-limited components, the helicopter will almost certainly expire before you do. ;)

[Big Pistons Forever]

I guess I won the wife lottery. My spouse loves flying. 14 yrs ago after riding as a passenger for a while she asked me to teach her how to fly :uhoh: Amazingly it worked out fine and I ended up doing her PPL night rating and CPL training. :cool: Then she decided on a career change and became a licensed engineer. I am the absolute envy of the flying club as she now maintains our airplane:ok:

[dublinpilot]

Ok, I`m curious. Those of you, whos partners object to flying....is it because of

a) the cost
b) they don`t want to be widowed, especially with a young family
c) because of the amount of time you are spending away from home
d) some other reason?

Just curious

dp

[J.A.F.O.]

DP

A to D inclusive.

Though Mrs JAFO is generally very wonderful and supportive I know that she is thinking about A - C on a fairly constant basis and comes up with a new D every week or so.

Like many people above Mrs JAFO spends vast sums on horses which allows me to spend vast sums on aeroplanes and, while we might end up in debtor's prison, at least we don't gripe at each other about the cost of the latest saddle or set of tyres.

So, all in all, she's great but I know that being widowed/broke/left home alone all figure in the way she feels about flying.

Mono - I have cut and pasted your advice into a document which I now carry in my nav bag. - Cheers

[lady in red]

I know you did not want women pilots to reply but from this side of the fence I have to say that my husband positively encourages my flying (I do 400-500 hours a year) and this year persuaded me to get a PPL(H) - now wants me to do the CPL(H) as well. he was my first pax when I got the PPL(H) and regularly flies with me in aeroplanes though prefers not to when I do aeros! I even let him handle the controls occasionally - his licences are all lapsed...so to me the answer is obvious - you have to find a wife who likes flying. There are plenty of single women around the flying clubs so just pick carefully....

[Flash0710]

But to be fair lady in red a lot of them do have big bottoms......;)

[MichaelJP59]

JAFO, I think you have a good understanding there - anyway I'm sure that riding horses is by no means the safest of pursuits either!

- Michael

[Whirlybird]

According to insurance companies - and they're the ones who know - horse riding comes way, way above flying in terms of risk.

[Evo]

Whirly, sorry for the thicko question, but that can be read two ways. Are you saying horse riding is more risky... or less?

[Whirlybird]

Sorry Evo, a bit tired and didn't realise that was ambiguous.

According to insurance companies, horse riding is MORE RISKY than...just about anything.

[J.A.F.O.]

According to insurance companies, horse riding is MORE RISKY than...just about anything.
So, me going horse riding with the delightful Mrs JAFO on my days off from flying probably puts me in some kind of insurance nightmare.

I'll tell Mrs JAFO to dust off the policies.

[QNH 1013]

Hi Whirly,

Typical Insurance Companies! They love to exclude flights in light aircraft from their policies, but I have never seen a life policy that excludes horse riding "unless part of a scheduled service by a commercial horse-riding operator", or whatever their latest "insurance-speak" translates to.

[IO540]

I think a good solution to one's other half being unsure about flying is to turn it into a beneficial thing and take her to interesting places. An overnight stop in some nice place in S France? One can do that nonstop in any decent plane, and the total time door to door is a lot less than a cheap airline by the time one has messed about at Stansted or such.

My girlfriend loves flying to interesting places, the views, and such, but she doesn't like turbulent flight in IMC. But then who does?

Very few women are interested in just flying around for the sake of it; I've certainly never met one.

Also very few women like going up in the sort of old and decrepit looking planes which most PPLs have come to regard as normality. It is a real shame that most people IN this business don't see this.

The old decrepit planes ensure, more than any single factor, that few women enter this "sport", which in turn ensures that of all men who could fly and are in normal relationships, most won't (can't) take up flying.

Of course I don't expect anyone reading this to agree because all the men are pilots who accept that 30 year old spamcans are just fine, and same applies to the very few women on here.

[Whirlybird]

Very few women are interested in just flying around for the sake of it; I've certainly never met one.

Also very few women like going up in the sort of old and decrepit looking planes which most PPLs have come to regard as normality. It is a real shame that most people IN this business don't see this.

The old decrepit planes ensure, more than any single factor, that few women enter this "sport", which in turn ensures that of all men who could fly and are in normal relationships, most won't (can't) take up flying.


????????????????????
:confused: :confused: :confused:

I've been flying for several years, and I've taken up a lot of female friends, relatives etc. Most loved it, a few didn't, some didn't want to come. But no-one, ever, at any time, complained about the age of the aircraft...and I only fly "30 year old spamcans" - well, 40 year old actually (when I'm not flying helicopters).

IO540,
Are you sure you're not putting your own opinions on to the rest of the world? Or do you and I live in different universes? :confused:

[montster]

Very few women are interested in just flying around for the sake of it; I've certainly never met one.

Also very few women like going up in the sort of old and decrepit looking planes which most PPLs have come to regard as normality. It is a real shame that most people IN this business don't see this.

I fly around for the sake of it, but would rather be going somewhere. Sadly, renting aircraft and British weather restrict my oportunities to do that.

My husband has been flying with me twice. The first time was in a recently resprayed and reupholstered aircraft, but the second time was in one of the more "tired" ones. I had to get someone to screw the cowling back on the undercarriage which didn't fill him with joy, and while waiting he spotted various other "foibles" with the aeroplane and declared that it looked like a piece of s**t but if I was happy to fly it, he was happy to be a passenger.

It's not just women who don't like decrepit planes.

[Genghis the Engineer]

Problem with tatty looking aeroplanes is that unless you are of a deeply mechanical bent, you are unable to judge whether it's truly safe or not - so most people (of either sex) will end up with the view that if it's not well looked after externally, the innards are probably dodgy as well. A perfectly natural human reaction that I'd regard as perfectly sounds in anybody of either sex, who has a sense of self preservation, but perhaps no engineering training.

That said, I've seen some pristine looking aeroplanes that when you investigate more deeply are not particularly safe or properly maintained. On the other hand, many of the "old and bold" (myself included :} ) own aeroplanes that superficially are very tatty, but under the skin are near-perfect.

But, nonetheless, to see a tatty aeroplane is to raise your suspicions - and quite right too.

G

[Wide-Body]

Sorry Io-540 you've got some of the girls wrong.

My biggest problem is stopping Mrs WB from spending all of our money on flying. She owns and operates a pre war vintage racer as well as the YAK52. One of her greatest pleasures is taking her non radio (now I know you will not like that) racer and flying for the sheer joy of that. Or taking the YAK and flying just for three dimensional expression. Yep she will hop in something and go to places, but if travelling would rather go schedule with a wine glass in hand.

I won't go into the horse aspect as the nag is more expensive than the aircraft.

With the impending arrival of Wide-Baby in the New year the chippie has to go. But she is the instigator of looking for a suitable three seat replacement, but that is another topic.

IO-540 come to Waltham and meet her, and fill in the gap. You will meet more than one woman there who flies for the Joy alone.

Best regards

Wide


Flash 0710. I promise not to show your last post to the Waltham girls :E

[DB6]

Mine wants me to teach her too. I've managed EoC 1&2 over the years. Two bandits in tow nowadays means weekend flying is sometimes frowned upon however it's OK during the week.

[B9]

For the past 24 years, Mrs B9 has been a stalwart supporter of my hobby starting with her sitting on the edge of a field in Cambridgeshire, patiently waiting for the weather to improve enough for me to get airborne in my microlight, and continuing (once I had converted my PPL(D) to a PPL(A)) by joining me for many hours in a Cessna touring Europe. With two bicycles folded in the baggage hold and a box full of maps, Bottlang and spare clothes we would spend 2 to 3 weeks at a time going wherever the fancy took us including, during one Summer holiday, an epic journey from the South of France to the Arctic Circle. We rarely planned more than one day ahead, used the Rough Guides to find reasonable accommodation, and have a photo album and log books full of memories that we still talk about 6 years later, the arrival of children having restricted our touring activities. If there were a prize for the most supportive pilot's wife then Mrs B9 would certainly get my vote.

[DOC.400]

My wife bought me my trial lesson, 13 years ago. Haven't looked back since!!

Whilst she's never flown hands on, (except fr a brief LH seat instruction), we (wife, two kids and dog) still go on trips -even a thirty minute blast to go to the beach on the IOW is fun!!

DOC

[IO540]

As I suggested, few people here were likely to agree with me. The audience here is already a selected sample.

Trying to say - ON PPRUNE OF ALL PLACES - that today's GA fleet is too decrepit to interest most potential pilots is like walking into a catholic church and suggesting that virgin mary got pregnant through casual sex.

I do take the point about both sexes being concerned about a decrepit looking plane. However there is still a strong factor in what in general men are willing to put up with compared to women. Ask anyone who tries to run a business with say 50+ people, in really tatty and dirty premises. It is far harder to recruit women who will work there. Most just turn up their nose and go for a job in a building society which has just spent £10k on carpets and vertical venetian blinds and where there is good chit-chat with other girlz.

:O

[MLS-12D]

According to insurance companies, horse riding is MORE RISKY than...just about anything.For what it is worth, my professional experience corroborates that perspective.

I think that it is fair to say that while horse riding is more likely to result in an accident, if an accident does occur in an aircraft, it is more likely to be fatal. Horse riding accidents typically result in broken bones, spinal damage, and brain injuries ... outright deaths are relatively rare. Of course, severe injuries often result in substantially higher damages than do fatalities. :ouch:

[J.A.F.O.]

Ah, ha. I would be able to supply sworn affadavits from acquaintances over the years that I am both spineless and brainless; thereby protecting me from two-thirds of the injuries associated with horse riding.

That should bring the premiums down.

[A and C]

I have to say that I to am bewildered by the state of the aircraft that the average PPL will rent and it is a problem to those of us who are trying to offer a quality product.

I can't do anything about the age of the aircraft ( Mr cessna don't make new 152's) But up to date radios . new paint , new leather seats and new carpets are all part of the game plan along with fast rectification of ALL defects and proper maintenance.

The big problem is that most PPL's seem to want to rent the cheapest heap of :mad::mad::mad::mad::mad: that they can ,I'v seen aircraft that are full of ageing inop radios tattered seats and carpets that smell like two week old boiled cabbage that clearly have had only the very least amount of maintenance but when you try to offer a quality product for a mear £5/hour more every one runs a mile and shouts that you are ripping them off !.

My public is slowly coming round to my way of thinking but it is no wonder that most of you cant get a woman to go flying with you after all would you turn up on a date in a 1974 capri with original paint and upholstery that had been water soaked over the years to the point of suporting some sort of pond life and expect to get a bonk at the end of the evening ?.....I think not !.

The women are to wise !! put your hands in your pockets and rent quality aircraft and life will become safer and more interesting to the opposite sex !.

[Andy_R]

I'd love to have access to the type of aircraft you describe A and C ... where are you??

Don't suppose you do anything other than 152's? A 4 seater with everything working would be great :ok:

[UL730]

http://www.mythicalrealm.com/images2/pegasis.gif

My wife will fly in most aircraft and is keen on dressage but when I suggested a flight on this - I got that withering look that so many of my suggestions for trying something new in life, seem to get nowadays.

:(

[MLS-12D]

I have to say that I to am bewildered by the state of the aircraft that the average PPL will rent and it is a problem to those of us who are trying to offer a quality product.All other things being equal, I would prefer to rent a pristine airplane rather than one that is down-at-heel. However, the smarter, newer airplanes typically cost significantly more than those that could use a fresh paint job or a replacement headliner, etc.

A and C's car analogy is not very apt: the daily rental for a mid-sized 2005 model car is less than the hourly rental for almost any airplane, new or old. It is an unfortunate but undeniable fact that for most renter pilots, money is an issue ... and it's not surprising that many people prefer to spend their limited funds renting a shabby-but-serviceable C-172N for ten hours, rather than renting a new C-172R for seven.

[IO540]

Especially as there is so little difference between the earliest 172 and the latest 172 :O