What's happened to me?
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What's happened to me?
Hi all,
I used to love flying always watching the weather and trying to organise my work to allow me to fly as much as possible. Over the last few months I’ve virtually lost my appetite for flying. It’s almost become a chore! Has this happened to any of you before and will my love for flying return? Nothing has changed in my life to cause this change of heart so I’m looking for some comments on what would be best.
Be kind.
Cheers
SF.
I used to love flying always watching the weather and trying to organise my work to allow me to fly as much as possible. Over the last few months I’ve virtually lost my appetite for flying. It’s almost become a chore! Has this happened to any of you before and will my love for flying return? Nothing has changed in my life to cause this change of heart so I’m looking for some comments on what would be best.
Be kind.
Cheers
SF.
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The economic downturn affects people in more ways than just the bank account. It also has a psychological effect.
Perhaps the cost of fuel has gone up but the effect of that may be more than the fact that you re paying more.
More than the downturn it could well be that the uncertainty over the future (of ones life but also of your social environment) affects you.
Finally over the years perhaps you've come to realize you will never own that jet to take you to Marrakesh, and that your flying has come to a standstill in terms of development?
That at the hours you do per year you no longer feel that your skills are improving?
That the use of a GA plane is about flying and less a handy affordable way to get from A to B?
That flying itself entails risks? And as you get older you're thinking of your children more?
That flying is not fun (or good or rewarding) when you yourself feel a bit down?
That the preparation is more intense than you'd like and that just "get up and fly" is less and less possible?
Perhaps the cost of fuel has gone up but the effect of that may be more than the fact that you re paying more.
More than the downturn it could well be that the uncertainty over the future (of ones life but also of your social environment) affects you.
Finally over the years perhaps you've come to realize you will never own that jet to take you to Marrakesh, and that your flying has come to a standstill in terms of development?
That at the hours you do per year you no longer feel that your skills are improving?
That the use of a GA plane is about flying and less a handy affordable way to get from A to B?
That flying itself entails risks? And as you get older you're thinking of your children more?
That flying is not fun (or good or rewarding) when you yourself feel a bit down?
That the preparation is more intense than you'd like and that just "get up and fly" is less and less possible?
Scottish,
Yes. And Yes.
In 2001 I hung up my flying hat and decided, it was just too much bother. Coming back home every night to hundreds of things which needed urgent attention, having the same at work, being just ready to collapse and take a dose of sleep every minute I could muster the strenght to even REST.
Took until 2009 when I realized that there was something seriously amiss. Where the hell was I in this whole quagmire of duties? Where was MY time and what was in for me in all this hassle?
Sat back quietly and thought what was missing and what was too much. Got rid of a lot of what was too much and found back time to fly. Regained my ratings (IFR not yet and that will be the hardest thanks to
the Koeln ) and bought a plane again.
Don't let it get to the point where you need to start with Adam and Eve all over again, but keep current at least and don't let any ratings you might need later go to waste.
And think about it. It's bad enough as it is, but with the current bunch of ruling aviation, it's likely to get worse or stop altogether. There is only one thing those can't take away from you:
Every single flight you have done and every single trip you have achieved.
It’s almost become a chore! Has this happened to any of you before and will my love for flying return?
In 2001 I hung up my flying hat and decided, it was just too much bother. Coming back home every night to hundreds of things which needed urgent attention, having the same at work, being just ready to collapse and take a dose of sleep every minute I could muster the strenght to even REST.
Took until 2009 when I realized that there was something seriously amiss. Where the hell was I in this whole quagmire of duties? Where was MY time and what was in for me in all this hassle?
Sat back quietly and thought what was missing and what was too much. Got rid of a lot of what was too much and found back time to fly. Regained my ratings (IFR not yet and that will be the hardest thanks to
the Koeln ) and bought a plane again. Don't let it get to the point where you need to start with Adam and Eve all over again, but keep current at least and don't let any ratings you might need later go to waste.
And think about it. It's bad enough as it is, but with the current bunch of
ruling aviation, it's likely to get worse or stop altogether. There is only one thing those can't take away from you: Every single flight you have done and every single trip you have achieved.
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There is a lot of bureaucracy.
Nothing is made easy
There is some risk ( i am sure much of this you can mitigate with training careful planning etc)
I cant really believe this is as dangerous as a motorcycle. I have done both and with a bike it was usually the others not myself that made the risk. With flying it's the other way round.
I agree totally with van horck.
Most of us won't own our jet. It won't be the answer to avoiding commercial travel etc etc ......
It's sometimes a huge hassle.
But ...... The moment those wheels leave the tarmac or grass all that goes away. I had a moment of doubt *like this last week. I am currently doing my JAA ME IR. I thought who am I kidding. Why am I doing this. I *am an average ppl. Will never fly commercially etc.*
But friday am I left a north London field flew in perfect vmc and flew across Kent down along the white cliffs, looked at France and landed. Earth has been here billions of years and maybe for 60 years a few privileged ppls can do that.*
Well that's really worth it in my book. England looks amazing on a sunny day from the air and there is the immediate reward that you have done something worthwhile.*
This can be in the most basic spam can or a pressurised twin. But it's still amazing. I only have 500 hours but I just can't believe how much fun this can be ! I am afraid I am addicted.*
Nothing is made easy
There is some risk ( i am sure much of this you can mitigate with training careful planning etc)
I cant really believe this is as dangerous as a motorcycle. I have done both and with a bike it was usually the others not myself that made the risk. With flying it's the other way round.
I agree totally with van horck.
Most of us won't own our jet. It won't be the answer to avoiding commercial travel etc etc ......
It's sometimes a huge hassle.
But ...... The moment those wheels leave the tarmac or grass all that goes away. I had a moment of doubt *like this last week. I am currently doing my JAA ME IR. I thought who am I kidding. Why am I doing this. I *am an average ppl. Will never fly commercially etc.*
But friday am I left a north London field flew in perfect vmc and flew across Kent down along the white cliffs, looked at France and landed. Earth has been here billions of years and maybe for 60 years a few privileged ppls can do that.*
Well that's really worth it in my book. England looks amazing on a sunny day from the air and there is the immediate reward that you have done something worthwhile.*
This can be in the most basic spam can or a pressurised twin. But it's still amazing. I only have 500 hours but I just can't believe how much fun this can be ! I am afraid I am addicted.*
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The Blues
I think you may be experiencing what all of us at times has felt.
The recent weather has a lot to do with it, it has been piss poor, however, when it is bad like this I go and sit on the red line, watch aeroplanes, wash mine, give it some TLC, and just chill in the knowledge that I will fly the thing shortly. Plan a long trip, plan a visit to a fly in, or plan my next rating or experience.
The knowledge that you can, if fortunate, turn up and go flying, is the freedom that all previous effort has given you. My view is that you could never turn your back on that. Circumstances change, however, and the method, or nature of your flying may alter, but you should never forget that you did it, and can do it again.
The recent weather has a lot to do with it, it has been piss poor, however, when it is bad like this I go and sit on the red line, watch aeroplanes, wash mine, give it some TLC, and just chill in the knowledge that I will fly the thing shortly. Plan a long trip, plan a visit to a fly in, or plan my next rating or experience.
The knowledge that you can, if fortunate, turn up and go flying, is the freedom that all previous effort has given you. My view is that you could never turn your back on that. Circumstances change, however, and the method, or nature of your flying may alter, but you should never forget that you did it, and can do it again.
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Time to try something different?
Hi SF182,
What motivated you to learn to fly in the first place? Have you achieved this goal and would something different or perhaps more challenging help to raise the interest level?
One aspect of flying that I find motivating is some of the ’charity’ flights: Starlight Day, Burned Children’s Club and at the other end of the age range, Project Propeller. Some of these may be centred further South, but I guess there are similar events in Scotland.
I suspect that if I’d been hiring a club aeroplane I might have got as far as the IMCr before loosing interest. Farm strip flying and a relatively cheap to run permit aircraft helps to keep it fresh for me. One recent development was doing the CRI course. Before that I flew sometimes straight and occasionally level. Now if I’m at a loose end I’ll go and do some general handling exercises like steep turns, stalls and PFLs.
I do find I need a reason to go flying, but I can usually find one…
Safe Flying,
Richard W.
What motivated you to learn to fly in the first place? Have you achieved this goal and would something different or perhaps more challenging help to raise the interest level?
One aspect of flying that I find motivating is some of the ’charity’ flights: Starlight Day, Burned Children’s Club and at the other end of the age range, Project Propeller. Some of these may be centred further South, but I guess there are similar events in Scotland.
I suspect that if I’d been hiring a club aeroplane I might have got as far as the IMCr before loosing interest. Farm strip flying and a relatively cheap to run permit aircraft helps to keep it fresh for me. One recent development was doing the CRI course. Before that I flew sometimes straight and occasionally level. Now if I’m at a loose end I’ll go and do some general handling exercises like steep turns, stalls and PFLs.
I do find I need a reason to go flying, but I can usually find one…
Safe Flying,
Richard W.
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The most expensive bacon sandwiches around...
At £2.50 plus per minute training and over £2 per minute hiring there are a lot of interesting pastimes that would be kinder to your bank, your body, your mind and your emotions.
It is an emotional event to fly and we have, wait for the pun... highs and lows naturally as part of the human condition. Ration yourself until you can no longer bear to be a spectator and then immerse yourself again - that's what a lot of people have done successfully unless you cannot afford it.
Have fun in whatever gets you that extra zest for life while you still have useful life left. We are only here once and some of us are not here for all that long (not me I hope but as I write this I am surrounded by friends and relations with lung cancer, leukaemia and brain tumours). I play drums and ride a motor bike too and this keeps me "up there".
It is an emotional event to fly and we have, wait for the pun... highs and lows naturally as part of the human condition. Ration yourself until you can no longer bear to be a spectator and then immerse yourself again - that's what a lot of people have done successfully unless you cannot afford it.
Have fun in whatever gets you that extra zest for life while you still have useful life left. We are only here once and some of us are not here for all that long (not me I hope but as I write this I am surrounded by friends and relations with lung cancer, leukaemia and brain tumours). I play drums and ride a motor bike too and this keeps me "up there".
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Some excellent replies already on this subject.... heres my experience, not sure how it will read though...
I am relatively new to flying ( 4 years & 200 hours PIC) but I can still appreciate where your coming from....... very soon after obtaining my licence (& while trying to fly once / week) I realised that the restrictive nature of club flying wasn't working for me..... (too expensive & I also realised that I wasn't going to move onto the flying career I desired-part of my original motivation).
I also found myself struggling with my appetite to fly.......
However a chance "land-away" in a glider at a local farmstrip introduced me to a different side of GA flying - I ended up selling the glider & buying a Permit aircraft which was available for sale at the strip (£8000 very well spent).
The freedom from having my own aircraft (to use as often as i liked / whenever I liked & staying out as long as I liked) has certainly removed a lot of the concerns which were de-motivating me....
I have also found a method which works for me of reducing the lenghty pre-flight planning. I found some programs which I find easy to use... "SPINE" for checking notams, Met office for Forms 215 / 415 / TAFs / METARs. (They can both be checked & printed in about ten minutes).
But what I find really helps is planning my PLOG (i.e navigation) on non flying days..... the site I have found the easiest to use is "Go Flying", It allows you to save any flight Nav logs and then recall them at a later date to enter the wind details ready to use..... it keeps my mind on flying on those days (or weeks) of non flyable weather.... All the above helps keep the pre-flight prep to a more realistic time span.....
I am relatively new to flying ( 4 years & 200 hours PIC) but I can still appreciate where your coming from....... very soon after obtaining my licence (& while trying to fly once / week) I realised that the restrictive nature of club flying wasn't working for me..... (too expensive & I also realised that I wasn't going to move onto the flying career I desired-part of my original motivation).
I also found myself struggling with my appetite to fly.......
However a chance "land-away" in a glider at a local farmstrip introduced me to a different side of GA flying - I ended up selling the glider & buying a Permit aircraft which was available for sale at the strip (£8000 very well spent).
The freedom from having my own aircraft (to use as often as i liked / whenever I liked & staying out as long as I liked) has certainly removed a lot of the concerns which were de-motivating me....
I have also found a method which works for me of reducing the lenghty pre-flight planning. I found some programs which I find easy to use... "SPINE" for checking notams, Met office for Forms 215 / 415 / TAFs / METARs. (They can both be checked & printed in about ten minutes).
But what I find really helps is planning my PLOG (i.e navigation) on non flying days..... the site I have found the easiest to use is "Go Flying", It allows you to save any flight Nav logs and then recall them at a later date to enter the wind details ready to use..... it keeps my mind on flying on those days (or weeks) of non flyable weather.... All the above helps keep the pre-flight prep to a more realistic time span.....
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Try the LAA
You don't say what you are up to at the moment. I got very bored with hiring in a club environment and joined a syndicate sharing ownership of a CoA plane. That was OK but I still found the fact I that didn't have much access to the plane when I wanted to (and the weather was nice) irksome. I then moved house and had to sell my syndicate share. I bought into an LAA plane on a permit and my flying, pardon the pun, really took off - six of us had a Cessna 120 to start with and then a Jodel 1050. It was great fun. When it was wet we met to drink awful coffee in the clubhouse and do some work together on the plane and when it was fine the coffee was no better but at least we went flying. With six members, access was almost unlimited - and I learned a lot about aeroplanes too.
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I had a 16 year hiatus myself. Initially set on by financial reasons as I was young and skint, but I also had an emergency in a helicopter and I suppose in hindsight it contributed. I came off it and the interest died or subsided.
During these years I used to look up into the sky every time a small aircraft flew by and feel like it was something from the past. I relished the memories but didn't feel the need to fly myself. Then about 3-4 years ago I woke up and felt the need one day. Don't know why. The rigmarole of getting all the licenses back were briskly dealt with and here I am an aircraft owner.
I think for me it was closely related to my earning. Now I can afford it, which I couldn't then. The years were also needed to calm my fear of dying after that emergency.
I hope I don't come off it again.
During these years I used to look up into the sky every time a small aircraft flew by and feel like it was something from the past. I relished the memories but didn't feel the need to fly myself. Then about 3-4 years ago I woke up and felt the need one day. Don't know why. The rigmarole of getting all the licenses back were briskly dealt with and here I am an aircraft owner.
I think for me it was closely related to my earning. Now I can afford it, which I couldn't then. The years were also needed to calm my fear of dying after that emergency.
I hope I don't come off it again.
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The alternative
Personally, I am very much on the upward slope of my flying 'career'. However, my father's experience may be of some use. He flew microlights for many years, before moving on to group A flying. He too became a little disillusioned with the costs, admin and restrictions that this type of flying can bring and felt that his flying had lost the fun-factor. After a year or two off, the solution? Simple, go back to microlights. The jabiru had better performance than the Pa-28 he left, was much cheaper to run, and brought back the fun of simply pulling it out of the hangar and away you go! Maybe this could be an option for you? Or at least a new type of flying to try. Some of his best flying stories come from the days of G-MTGU, a £3000 tail-dragger thruster TST.
Hope this helps.
Hope this helps.
Moderator
I go a bit bored a few years back. I trained for and earned my helicopter license, then went for advanced mountain and confined area training.
The result was that flying my C 150 of 24 years ownership, got fun again. It fit like an old shoe, and was wayyyyyy economical by comparison! I can fly the 150 whenever I want, I can't afford to do that in the helicopter!
Try flying different fixed wing types - taildragger, aerobatics, floats. It might spark you!
The result was that flying my C 150 of 24 years ownership, got fun again. It fit like an old shoe, and was wayyyyyy economical by comparison! I can fly the 150 whenever I want, I can't afford to do that in the helicopter!
Try flying different fixed wing types - taildragger, aerobatics, floats. It might spark you!
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What's happened to me.
Hi All,
Thanks for all your replies.
I hope I do continue flying and get over this phase.
I may look at doing a couple of ratings to keep me flying, sea rating and possibly FAA CPL.
Thanks once again and fly safe.
SF
Thanks for all your replies.
I hope I do continue flying and get over this phase.
I may look at doing a couple of ratings to keep me flying, sea rating and possibly FAA CPL.
Thanks once again and fly safe.
SF
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Fly safe? o dear. Maybe THAT'S the problem.
Why not try flying without an engine? that will concentrate your mind.....if you get it wrong, you visit a farmer. Adventures at every turn. OK, OK, I sound like a broken record, but don't take my word for it, check out the nearest gliding club to Dunblane on British Gliding Association website,or just head straight for the Bishop, (Scottish Gliding Centre), or Deeside Gliding Club....
I had my first ride in a glider in 1983, and I have NEVER suffered burnout, there is always, quite literally, sometimes, another mountain to climb! wingtip close to the hill as you dare. Feshiebridge has a wonderful mountain to scrape around on. Yes, went on to fly power as well, mostly used for pulling up gliders, which is also curiously satisfying. All takeoffs are in close formation, and you get lots of pratice doing elegant landings, in many sorts of weather.
And then there is competition! OK, I never won, but I usually managed to do better than at least one other pilot....
Friend of mine seems to specialise in interesting landouts; eg the top of the black mountains in Wales, in a swamp near Didcot (it looked OK when he chose the field....) etc etc. You chaps just want to swan around the scenery in perfect safety, no wonder you get bored!
Why not try flying without an engine? that will concentrate your mind.....if you get it wrong, you visit a farmer. Adventures at every turn. OK, OK, I sound like a broken record, but don't take my word for it, check out the nearest gliding club to Dunblane on British Gliding Association website,or just head straight for the Bishop, (Scottish Gliding Centre), or Deeside Gliding Club....
I had my first ride in a glider in 1983, and I have NEVER suffered burnout, there is always, quite literally, sometimes, another mountain to climb! wingtip close to the hill as you dare. Feshiebridge has a wonderful mountain to scrape around on. Yes, went on to fly power as well, mostly used for pulling up gliders, which is also curiously satisfying. All takeoffs are in close formation, and you get lots of pratice doing elegant landings, in many sorts of weather.
And then there is competition! OK, I never won, but I usually managed to do better than at least one other pilot....
Friend of mine seems to specialise in interesting landouts; eg the top of the black mountains in Wales, in a swamp near Didcot (it looked OK when he chose the field....) etc etc. You chaps just want to swan around the scenery in perfect safety, no wonder you get bored!
Last edited by mary meagher; 26th Jun 2011 at 20:16.
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Sorry to hear that SF. As it happens I was having similar thoughts towards the end of the summer of 2009...until I spotted an add in Flyer for some non-equity C182 shares...
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If it has become a chore then either stop for a while or try something significantly different...
You might like to consider something like
or
Anything by balleka is worth a glance, although personally I'm not as interested when he's flying a 747
You might like to consider something like
Anything by balleka is worth a glance, although personally I'm not as interested when he's flying a 747