Where has my passion gone?

[Sir George Cayley]

Well going solo in under 20 or so hours suggests aptitude so a good reason to believe you'll succeed.

Cessnas are good - they can flatter your landings and are generally a good class room.

So is it the school/club that isn't helping you stay positive? Is your instructor not really on your wave length or vice versa?

Changing instructors in a school isn't pleasant (which is why I've always advocated not being locked into one) so maybe changing school club?

Are you able to cast about in the locale? Would you be willing to chuck a few quid into bacon butty run with a fellow pilot?

Just a few thoughts I hope help you.

SGC

[Echo Romeo]

If you really have lost what passion you had for flying and you can't reconcile why you do it, then pack it up and spend your money on something else, would be my advice. Sorry for being blunt.

I would add, that I recall the odd occasion whilst I was doing my PPL when I felt like I didn't want to be within 100mts of an aeroplane, usually when I was struggling with a particular exercise. But I never once questioned why I was doing it, my goal was to learn to fly, which was for the love of it. And I'm still as passionate for flying, 13 years on.

[funfly]

I have to admit that my best flying times were while I was under instruction, first with a microlight, then with class A then the Instrument rating.

I loved it all. I even bought my own aircraft, well three in all.

But when you have learned, what then? As said before an aircraft is a mode of transport and, to be honest, flying straight and level is not the most difficult thing to do.

So do all the prep work, then fly to another airfield and treat yourself to some fatty food then fly back. Flying distances like France, Channel islands can be interesting but consists mainly of sitting there doing very little.

I have said before that the most fun I had was with my little X-Air microlight which was fun to fly and as safe as houses. Flying classA is pretty boring and I always regret making the change. Petty flying clubs don't help.

It's a few years since I have been at the controls and to be honest I don't miss it a bit.

FF

[JAAFAA]

Losing the passion for flying must have a reason, can you be more specific ?

From a science point of view there is (for instance) Epstein et al, 1999 'Some basic issues regarding dual process-theories from the perspective of cognitive-experiential self-theory.' According to that 'cest' model (cognitive experiential self theory) people use two modes to process information; one is the reflective or rational, that is the higher cognition or 'just being rational', the other is the experiential which is a (very fast) automatic process, or 'just to see for your own an wait what's going to happen next.' Obviously, the rational mode needs more time. Whenever people get older, their mood may shift more to the rational side. Or they develop some maladaptive experiential system because of dropping their mood.

It's just an idea, it just needs more input.

[Jan Olieslagers]

one is the experiential, ( ... ) , the other is the experiential

{{clarification required}}

[Armchairflyer]

That should probably read "One is the rational ... the other is the experiential". But I am admittedly a bit unsure how this theory would be usefully applied here.

[JAAFAA]

Sorry, i will correct it; the two possible ways one can opt are the reflective or cognitive way of thinking, the other is the experiential.
This has been layed out in the cognitive experiential self theory. People make their decisions that way, either they think carefully and choose the best option, or they choose right away without careful thinking.

Loosing the passion for flying may have many other reasons, this is just an idea. When people grow older, they get to become more and more rational. So that may affect a lot of things.

[Maoraigh1]

'Some basic issues regarding dual process-theories from the perspective of cognitive-experiential self-theory.'

For leasure activities, you do ones you enjoy. Or one someone you want to be with enjoys.

Thank God my 3 years of university psychology preceded "Epstein et al" by many years.

[Pace]

When people grow older, they get to become more and more rational

JAAFAA what the heck happened to me then? Still a 27 yr old in an older body Rational does not come into it

I have read a better theory! Basically our lives are very mundane! Think what you did june 27 2011 you will not hold one memory of that day.
You will remember events or markers like weddings, deaths holidays etc ie anything which breaks the mundane and creates a marker. The more markers you create the more full and intersting and yes exciting and passionate your life is. Not all markers are positive some are painful yet they still add up to a rich life of experiences rather than an empty, mundane life

Get away from an aircraft for a minute and think car. When we learnt to drive a car the whole thing was a new experience! frightening, pleasurable, exciting!
We probably drove a ford fiesta but thought it was the bees knees We could not work out how to co ordinate the clutch brakes and accelerator never mind the gears! But it was all new exciting and a marker. Probably in those early lessons we got a high which carried us through to the next lesson a week later?

Then we got good and no longer had to think about driving the ford fiesta! We no longer got the high a marker, the adrenaline rush! The fiesta became boring, mundane so we wanted something more challenging to give the lift we used to get and got a more powerful car or took skills in motorracing.

The same with aircraft! The Cessna 150 was initially exciting as was a first cross country but then they become mundane. How many flights do you remember and which ones stick in your memory?

Why do you think men and women chase after new younger models when their partner becomes mundane! Markers! The adrenaline rush. the excitment and passion.

Gawd what a load of rubbish I am writing Anyone know how I can take up Red Bull air racing

Problem is when we have explored every avenue of getting that lift we either walk away and look elsewhere or settle for simpler pleasures and the mundane but that is not always age related but more the type of character we are

Pace

[abgd]

Perhaps you could be a little more specific. Or perhaps the problem is that you simply can't...

I certainly found that flying was very different from how I expected it to be. I grew up with fighter jets bombing about overhead, and my childhood impression of flying was a vision of skimming down the valleys at 100 feet. I'm sure this is a valid impression of one type of flying, but it's far removed from anything the vast majority of us do. I've found that there's a lot I enjoy about aviation - but not necessarily the vision that drew me towards it in the first place.

A big thing is learning to live with risk - some people deal with it by ignoring it; others give up; some - perhaps rather few - are able to look at risk and honestly decide to accept it. Quite a few people give up when they start to think a bit more deeply about the risks are running. This is fine.

I will say that flying hang-gliders was one of the most formative things I've done in my life. Learning to make important decisions quickly, and learning to ask that question 'is it worth it' in an environment where attention to detail is critical and where sometimes the answer is 'no' and you pack up and go home again after a long journey to the slopes. I also found it much closer to my 'flying dreams' than anything else I have experienced. There's a moment in Chuck Yeager's biography where he realises that he is the fastest man in the world, yet feels himself to be motionless, many miles above the earth. It's not a feeling I've ever had flying a hang glider down a slope, scraping for lift. Paradoxically, the more sophisticated aviation becomes, the less it actually seems like you're flying.

[tecman]

You might be simply growing up, in the sense of realizing that all worthwhile things take effort and that nothing is ever completely positive. Despite the fairy stories, and the dumbed down reality portrayed in the media, real life is complicated. Even the good things are complex!

I'll add a slightly different twist to the 'flying with a purpose' theme. While I fully endorse this advice, and recall that some of my best moments in 30 years as a PPL have been during challenging flights (all over the world), I would also like to put in a plug for the virtues of the simple Sunday afternoon joy flight. In busy professional careers, that's all many of us can manage for significant stretches of time. Despite the fact that I'd really rather be flying around outback Australia or SE Asia, the weekend bimble is still incredibly renewing and valuable, especially if it's mixed with some challenging activity (PFL, local flying competition, etc.).

The gain is magnified if/when you get your own aircraft, as others have said. For me, the flying and aircraft maintenance are precious sanity moments. It's an incredible privilege to be able to take to the air more or less on a whim, and a privilege which a significant fraction of mankind can only envy. But if you really can't see the magic, use the time available to you to find something you enjoy doing. And it could well be that a grown-up choice involves separating the work and recreation components of your life.

[Pace]

TecMan

The old story of the yellow cub pilot looking up and seeing a fast single retractable zooming overhead!

"If only I could fly that I would be truly happy"

The single retractable pilot looked up and saw a fast twin turbo prop zooming over head

"If only I could fly that I would be truly happy"

The twin turboprop pilot looked up and saw a jet zooming over head even higher

"If only I could fly that I would be truly happy"

The jet pilot looked up and saw Concorde

"If only I could fly that I would be truly happy"

The silver haired Concorde pilot looked way down and saw the tiny speck of the yellow cub flying low over the lush green English countryside.

"If only I could fly that I would be truly happy"

Pace

[tecman]

Pace

An oldie but a goodie, and well worth thinking on!

One of the nicest things that happened to me as a newly-minted PPL came from a Concorde pilot. On a sparkling winter morning above Sydney Harbour, Approach advised me (and my mighty C152) to maintain level and heading as climbing traffic in my two o'clock position would be Concorde.

It was a great thrill to watch the BA Concorde pass but what really made my day was when the captain called me and said 'you're looking good SIR'. I guess he had the 152 with the Bridge backdrop etc and, to my eternal regret, I was too speechless to reply with anything very intelligent except a mumbled thanks. But I had a spring in my step for a while.

For posterity, I'll just record that he looked damned good, too.

[Dave Wilson]

Pace's story reminds me of the banker holidaying in Mexico. He's been watching a young man called Juan who every morning goes out on his own in his fishing boat, returning a couple of hours later with a small catch which he sells at the harbourside. Intrigued by the possibilites he talks to Juan:

'Excuse me sir, I'm an international banker and I can't help but notice that with a little help you could improve your lot.Tell me what you do with your time.'

'Well I do a little fishing in the morning ' says Juan 'and then I sell my catch, go home and make love to my wife and then we walk on the beach until sunset sharing each other's company. Then in the evening we sit on our porch and friends drop by and we may have a little Tequila. Why do you ask?'

'Because if you invested just a little money into another boat and hired another fisherman you could increase your catch.'

'Then what?' says Juan.

'Then eventually with a lot of hard work and little luck you can have a whole fleet of fishing boats, and you will be the big man in this town.'

'Then what?' says Juan.

'Well, you float your business on the stock exchange, you become a director in a multi national fishing business and you have many business trips abroad.'

'Then what?' says Juan

'Well with lots of hard work and a bit of luck you get elected vice-president of the company.'

'Then what?' says Juan.

''By the time you are 55, if you are lucky and haven't burned out and been divorced three times you will have earned enough money to retire.'

'Then what?' say Juan.

'Well this is the best bit' says the banker, 'You can retire to a little Mexican fishing village, buy a little boat, do a little fishing in the morning, go home and make love to youre wife and walk on the beach until sunset...'

[rgsaero]

I dimly recall my first "passion" pushed off after a bit of a tiff outside the St Albans jazz club in about 1959. Lost forever! She had great er........attributes, and could dance too!

Aviation? Still with me. You can't lose something which is in the DNA.

Maybe for another year too.

[notepad]

Thanks for all of your comments. I probably should've mentioned, I'm currently 19 years old. I have been on a break for about 11 months (heck, time flies by). After reading all of your comments I think I know the answer for my loss of passion.

First of all, I'll start by saying I live in Israel. Recruiting to the millitary here is mandatory, and happens right after high-school. Because I'm relatively young (in comparism to my classmates), I had an 8-month-long break before I recruited to the military - I started taking the lessons about 2 months after than break had begun. I don't intend to be cheesy, but I believe I was really good at flying, maybe because of simulator experience. Basically, anything that needed to be executed - simply was, if not the first than the second time. After about 8 hours my instructor said I was ready for my first solo, which I couldn't do at the time because of a medical bureaucracy. So I did it after around 15 hours. I really enjoyed flying, every moment of it.

Than came the theories. Over here you have to study, and be tested, for 7 different theories, which include all the "goodies". I kept postponing it, thinking 'it'd be okay', and ended up not doing anything (apart from radiotelephony, piece of cake). Basically, I'd need to study for about 1-2 hours every day for at least a month. Heck, that's more than I've studied in 12 years at school.
And so I recruited the military, which meant that I had to stop flying for a month because of the basic traning. And somehow, it was just forgotten.
About 6 months ago, I took another lesson. It was summer, and here in Israel, it gets pretty darn hot. I sat in the 152, sweating, and had thought to myself: "heck, this is not fun. Why am I not enjoying?" I even got a little nauseated, which never happens to me even when banking sharply at 60 degrees. My tummy had to get used to it all over again.

And so, I just stopped flying.
Gosh, theory's a bitch.

[Genghis the Engineer]

Over here you have to study, and be tested, for 7 different theories, which include all the "goodies". I kept postponing it, thinking 'it'd be okay', and ended up not doing anything (apart from radiotelephony, piece of cake). Basically, I'd need to study for about 1-2 hours every day for at least a month. Heck, that's more than I've studied in 12 years at school.

That's at least as much as you'd have to do for a PPL anywhere in the world - realistically rather more study for most people in most places.

One theory is that it's a test by "life" to find out if you want to be a pilot enough. If you do, you'll push through the exams, carry on, and not be phased by it.

G

[SidT]

(Please forgive a little self-indulgence here...)

Of passion and love of flying...

I received my PPL aged 18 back in 1987 thanks to the RAF Flying Scholarship scheme with thoughts of joing the RAF and being a pilot.

For various reasons that didn't pan out and I went out and got a "normal" job and a fairly normal life.

I didn't do many hours of flying as I couldn't afford much and I got into the "been there, done that, slightly bored" frame of mind... so I guess the "passion" had gone a little, but as the rest of the story will show, not the love.

In 1990 I bought my first property and paying for that property meant that I couldn't carry on my flying.

Every year since I have said to myself "can I afford to go flying again?" and every year I came to the same answer "not yet". But I would still dream of taxiing out and would still go through the radio calls in my head, fly the circuit, fly local, fly away.

This year I finally was in a position to say "Yes I can go flying again". 23 years later.

After sorting out my medical and some hours with an instructor (at the same club I used to fly at)... I now have re-validated my license and am back in the sky... simply loving being up there, in command, taking everything in.

During my 23 years "out in the cold", away from flying, there wasn't many months that went by when I didn't look up at a light aircraft thinking "I'd rather be flying". Often I would close my eyes and think about doing the pre-flight, taxiing out, doing the radio calls, doing circuits, flying local or landing away.... so much so that when I started flying again, I still remembered the tower and approach frequencies of the airfield I flew out of and that I hadn't used for 23 years... just a shame the freqencies had changed in that time lol!

The passion is back because the love never went away.

Sometimes, with whatever in life, if you do something a lot especially in a short period (my PPL was done in a month, with my ever-lasting gratitude to the RAF) then you can get over-load and lose the passion for it, but often the love remains.

So I guess the question you need to ask yourself is "do I only have passion (which at the moment I've lost)? or do I have love for flying?".

If you only had the passion and excitement then maybe flying isn't for you... if you have the "love" then keep with it... the passion may come and go, but the love will go on.

[Whirlybird]

You want excitement? Try helicopters. Just go for a trial lesson and see what you think. Er....that's what I did, and see my profile.....

[sharpend]

Flying is the opposite of Sex. The more you fly, the more you want to fly. The more you have sex, the less you want sex, well that is true at my age!

Both have one thing in common, both better to do than to watch