Ever stop to think how lucky we are?

[bigD]

A little bit ago, I took advantage of some long overdue VFR weather and headed out to the airport to bore holes in the sky. After tooling around in the Duchess for awhile, I set her down at a small airport nearby and shut down on the grass. I spent about two hours sitting on the wing root watching a 152 and a Decathlon chase each other around the pattern. Anyway, it was one of those moments where you couldn't help but smile and take it all in.

Do you guys (and gals!) ever stop to think how cool it is to be so passionate about something? I used to think that everyone had their passions, and mine was aviation. But really, especially when looking at many of my friends - I think what we have is more rare than we might realize.

One friend recently told me that she didn't have any real passions at all, and was content doing what she was doing. This is a woman who by all accounts is brilliant, and could literally do essentially anything she could dream of. But yet she says she feels like she's destined for a life of mere contentment because she doesn't dream about anything. She works to not be unhappy. It's this conversation that got me thinking that perhaps I'm taking what I have for granted. It's just one of those moments where I realize that although I have a long way to go and the industry looks a little bleak at the moment, I always have something to work towards, and the process of getting there never fails to put a smile on my face. I'd bet that most of you feel the same way.

Okay, I'm done. Sorry for a post that doesn't have anything to do with anything - I'm in one of those moods.

 

[startingout]

Funny you should post this. I was thinking about this very thing yesterday. I think that those of us who can be predisposed to getting in the dumps about career prospects, could do well to take some VFR time and just re-discover the joy and excitement that first brought us here.

 

[CooCooTim]

I hear ya BigD!

I've had a few of those days along the way...It's a nice feeling!

 

[Lindy]

Last night....

I was just thinking how lucky I was last night flying part of my route BOS-PHL. It was CAVU, the lights of NYC were spetacular, the stars were beautiful, the boats in the ocean also looked like stars, and it was very, very peaceful.

 

[bigD]

I grew up in Los Angeles, and did a good amount of my training there. Usually the weather is clear with 5 miles in haze, but especially in the winter time there'd be days where the nights were cool, calm, and the visibility seemed to go on forever. I'd fly out to the Elephant Bar in Santa Barbara with my buddies, and on such nights at a high altitude (for a Warrior, at least), the lights just seemed to go on forever. It was amazing.

I'd love to go back and do some flying there, but I think all the FBO's and clubs that I used to be checked out at have since gone Tango Uniform.

 

[TriStar_drvr]

Yes I do, and yes we are...

I still love it as much as day one.

 

[flywithruss]

This is still the best d@mn business in the world, folks ... let's never forget it! FlyChicaga hit the nail on the head ... most of us got in to aviation because we followed the same advice I got from my dad ... "Find something you love to do so much, you'd do it for free. Then, figure out how to earn a living doing it."

Perhaps we can all think about that in the middle of the next argument about scope, furloughs, or ALPA's latest sins! I'm not downplaying the seriousness of these issues, but I think too many of us lose sight of how fortunate we are to do what we do for a living.

Get the furloughs back in their seats, the swimmers in to class, and the rest of us moving on up ... but don't ever lose sight of the excitement we enjoy every time we call "positive rate".

I could have missed the pain, but I'd have had to miss the dance.

R

(Thanks to Garth for the shameless [no pun intended] ripoff.)

 

[bobbysamd]

Flying - for its own sake

I haven't flown any kind of aircraft for several years. Still, most times, if I hear some kind of engine, I look up at the sky. Been doing it since I was a kid.

My office is a couple of miles away from a big GA airport. I go walking during my lunch hour. Invariably, I see bizjets, Cessnas and KingAirs. Heavies, 1900s, etc. from DEN. We live near a military field. At night we hear loud roars, undoubtedly from the F-16s. Who cares about noise abatement?

Too bad there's so much BS you have to put up with and deal with for flying to put dollars in your billfold. Of course, you can say the same thing about any job.

PS-Thanks, bigD and TDTURBO! Where is Dracos? I'd bet he'd have a great post to contribute on this subject.

 

[Bai B Nai]

There's a golf course near our field, and when inbound for landing, seeing the folks chase the little white ball, I think, "You poor b*****ds."

Too each his own, but no other activity beats flying.

 

[bigD]

Man Bobby - why don't you go get yourself current again? Get a couple of hours of dual in a Skyhawk and you'd be all set! Or better yet, go buy a J-3. Or even better yet, go buy a J-3 and do some part time instructing! I've spent 7 months on this board reading your posts, and if I may be so bold - you need to be teaching again.

 

[TDTURBO]

Bobbysand,

Why haven't you flown for so long? Thats horrible! Especially since you stay up on eveything.


I feel the same as everyone else, I love flying so much, I became a doctor just so I could fly. I tried going the military route but I was too tall, (6'6"), for fighters and helicopters. I just put my mind to it and set a goal that no matter what, I was going to find a way to fullfil my lifelong dream. I started and finished my private by 18, stayed barely current until I could finally afford my own ride. There is allot more to it but the bottom line is I would have sacraficed an extremity to fly, I love it so!

BTW: Great thread and post BigD!

 

[Captain Radio]

Because I fly, I envy no man, woman or child.

 

[FastCargo]

When I was a kid...

Remember when you were a young kid? And someone would ask what you wanted to be when you grew up? And usually (it seemed like) it was always something everyone instantly knew. You know (in a kid's voice) "Fireman!", "Policeman!", "Astronaut!", "Pilot!". You have to wonder out of how many people who said things like that when they were young, who actually got to do what they wanted. I consider myself lucky that I am doing what I have literally always wanted to do!

I'm also glad I have a wife who loves airplanes (her dad was a mechanic for Pacific Western/Canadian), and we both look up everytime a plane flies over the house...

Sometimes I forget that...and usually smack myself upside the head when I regain my perspective.

FastCargo

 

[avbug]

Not lucky. Blessed.

I feel grateful for the chance, and deeply humble for the opportunity. I feel a deep obligation to share that gift, and to treat it with the honor and respect it deserves.

The privilege of flight is indeed a blessing.

 

[HU-16]

Wonderful thread, thank you to BigD for starting it. I hope I never lose my passion for flying. It's funny, the friend that introduced me to flying no longer speaks enthusiastically about it. And I only have a few friends that do. As I climb the ladder, I hope that I will never lose that passion. I guess the glass is always half full to me, so it shouldn't be a problem. As I once told a songwriter friend "If I could put into words how I feel flying, I could write a million songs."

PS-Bobby go fly!!!

 

[501261]

Thanks, I needed that reminder. Sometimes you get so caught up in budgets and reports and weather and scheduling that you forget why you got into this business in the first place.

 

[wingnutt]

"make your hobby your job and marry your best friend"

that right there has to be one of (if not the) smartest thing ive yet to hear on this (or any other, for that matter) board yet...

sign me...happy to be one of the few that has accomplished both

 

[surplus1]

BigD, thank you for starting this and to all the rest of you for sharing your thoughts. You've done me a favor all of you.

It's been a long time. So many years, so many months, so many days, so many hours. Ahh yes, the hours. Some exciting, some boring, some frightening, some calm, some curious, some wild, some furious, some so memorable they literally bring tears. ALL special, ALL beautiful.

The tic, tic of a little 4-banger, the purr of a Continental, the toughness of a Lycoming, the hum of a R-985, the song of an R-2800, the rumble of a 4360 the mother of all radials, the forgiveness of a PT-6, the unforgettable scream of a Dart with a Dowty Rotol prop, the power of an Allison, the rush of a JT-8, the special whine of an RB-11, and the whisper of a CF34. Memories.

The sunrise, the breakout from a solid overcast into the clear and endless blue, the lights of the city, the darkness of the Amazon jungle, the endless sand of the Sahara, the majesty of Kilamanjoro, the wonder of the Greenland ice cap ... 200 miles ahead from level 350, the stars you can almost touch, the fury of a North Atlantic weather system, the best wx briefers in the world .... Gander, the myth of the Bermuda Triangle, the sunsets of the Caribbean, the wonder of the Himalayas, the Andes and Tierra del Fuego, the frustration of ORD, the beauty of the fjord at Narsasawaq (sp), the ice in Labrador, the wind at old HK, the expanse of the Pacific (where did He get all that water?). The places, the special people, especially the special people. Memories.

"And there in the high untrespassed sanctity of space
Put out my hand and touched the face of God"

We're a unique breed, in our special world and there's nothing quite like it. In the billions of humans on this planet, very few of us actually share this calling. The special people. Aviators.

The very best to all of you. Thanks again BigD. You made my day.

"There are bold pilots and there are old pilots. But there are no old, bold pilots."

 

[Rvrrat]

Thank You

Someone in another thread had mentioned that there is no "brotherhood" in aviation, I've since come to understand they were talking about something a bit different; I'm utterly grateful for this thread which proves there IS a unique sense of brotherhood amoung those of us who have been or are engaged in aviation.

Thanks to all of you for the spirit lifting writing to read while I struggle to get back into the ether myself.

 

[startingout]

I am currently working on instruments. I am also setting CFI/CFII as the goal for right now. Some would say setting my sights too low. I would answer that the reward for being the conduit for such a special and wonderful thing far out weighs the frustration of banging my head against the airlines doors.
I know that when all is said and done I will always be a part of a very select and blessed group, aviators.
When the inital stress of takeoff, navigation and trim have all sorted themselves out, I am left with the bird, the sky and my thoughts. High over the Colorado plains, I find myself dividing my thoughts between situational awearness, and "holy sh*t I love doing this"
I love the challenge of navigation in a fetureless region. I love the views provided by flying high over La veta pass, or any of the passes that open the west to the east.
I love the sunsets over the rockies.
I love the quiet(sort of)
I love the peace of a well trimmed ship, needles centered and silent radio.
Me, my machine, and an empty sky...can it get any better?

 

[CitationCapt]

Great thread!

Great thread and reminder of the unique life we share.

CitationCapt

 

[skydiverdriver]

I was holding on the way to LaGuardia yesterday, and the captain and I started talking about how we got there. He flew banners (dragged rags, he called it) in Florida, and I flew skydivers in Arizona and Delaware. That was my favorite job, as I always had fun passengers, and I got a bit of high-speed solo time as well. I remember flying cargo in the Fokker, with some pretty crusty captains that taught me a lot.

And here we were, holding on the way to New York, the ever frustrating situation, but we were happy because we had a lot to talk about. We watched the sunset and then the moon, or half a moon. It was a beautiful night. It took forever to get out of LaGuardia, but I'll never get tired of it. What a life. Funny how my non-flying friends just don't understand. I've always wanted to do this. Thanks for bringing it up.

SDD

 

[Yeti]

Sexual Parallels

Great thread! Truly this is an awesome way to make a living. I've been thinking a lot recently about how people sacrifice their passions and dreams on the altar of pragmatism and the need to merely "get by." There's something to be said for that kind of sacrifice, but I can't imagine doing something for a living where I was just going through the motions. Maybe that's immature or overly idealistic, but flying captures my imagination and I love it. By that I mean real love: Not the kind where you are in some constant gung-ho bubble of good feelings -- if that were possible -- but something that consistently calls to you to commit to it as something worthwhile and lasting.

Okay, maybe that's overly philosophical. Here's what I think it really boils down to: Anything you truly enjoy is like sex. Call me a sensualist, apologies for a possible mixed metaphor, and no disrespect to the feminists, but looking at an airplane is like the endless fascination of a woman's body, and a good landing is like a good orgasm.

Freud was right about some things.

 

[chawbein]

For my entire life I have wanted to fly (except for a brief 4 year detour in college). I had to think of my "future", can't be running around flying airplanes for a living...

Now I am out of school, I'm married (I did marry my best friend), and I have no interest in my job. The only thing other than seeing my wife that I look forward to, is the three times a week that I go fly.
I may not be able to do it everyday or do it for a living, but I cherish every second that I am up in the air.

Oh well, time to go live my "future"...

 

[bobbysamd]

Yeah .....

I was the same way when I was learning how to fly. .......

 

[aero99]

I think about how lucky you professioanl pilots are every day. I know that it is tough out there right now espescially for those newer pilots just looking for their 1st (or 2nd or 3rd) jobs and also for those pilots on furlough, but you will find that job and you will get off furlough and return to what you do best- fly.

No matter how bad it might be or currently seems, you guys pursuing and currently working as a professional pilot will always have the utmost respect and admiration from me...but I know that really doesn't matter.

I made the descion to not pursue a flying career at age 31 (last year) for reasons I won't bore you with. Now I fly a desk and push papers all day and it almost pays the bills for now. I do go to the airport everyday though and quietly "wish" I could have flown for a living.

You guys have the greatest job in the world. Savor it, enjoy it, appreciate it, and grow with it......

 

[bigD]

Wow - there are some great posts on this thread. It's especially cool to hear from the guys that have been in the industry for awhile and still love it. I know it's not all a bed of roses being a pilot for a living, but it's good to know that through all the politics and BS, the love of simply being up there still exists.

 

[JimboGoodPilot]

Can you pay off my $50000 training loan? Then I will too be as happy!

 

[Bustamove]

Great Thread

I'm relatively new to this board having taken about a 20 year break from civil aviation by joining the Navy. My memories of civil air are mostly of endless horizons in Big Sky Country as a 17-23 year old learning to fly and then mostly goofing off. Easy rules, quiet radios, fun destinations.

What I've found as I'm transitioning back from military to civil has been exhilerating on the one hand and profoundly alienating on the other. The exhileration is exactly what's been said in previous threads - getting back to making my hobby my job after the last few years flying a desk. The disappointing side has come from these boards and from talking to some people in the industry whose love of aviation has been overcome by a bitterness towards the aviation industry. I have not walked a mile in anyone's moccasins and so don't know all the arguments and haven't felt all the pains. But it's difficult to discern a love of aviation and its brother/sisterhood from the flame trails in many of the industry threads. I think in alot of cases people take the results of economic laws personally and/or forget why they joined this fraternity in the first place - or maybe joined it for the wrong reasons.

This thread has been a breath of fresh air and I hope it stays active long enough for everyone to go back and remember why we:

- look up when we hear an airplane
- look down on people who don't 'get it'
- get butterflies at the sound of a straining engine
- keep 'salty' flight bags well past their prime
- (add your list here)

I know there are people who don't 'get it' out there taking the fun out of flying to advance the bottom line - happens to cowboys, teachers, artists, and a whole list of other folks whose passion is someone else's product. There's nothing wrong with resisting that tide, but you're not going to stop it, and what's ultimately tested should be our commitment and not our tempers, especially when talking to each other.

I was going start a treatise on supply and demand and compensation not just being money, but this is already too long. Suffice it to say that if you're doing something that you enjoy and getting paid for it, you're one of the fortunate few.

 

[SDF2BUF2MCO]

BD thanks for bringing the post up.

Flying today, viz was very hazy and very hot. Yet it was a blast. Good for the soul. Things like golf can be fun, and a great place to practice your cuss words, but one hour flying beats a day out on the golf course.

Ran into a guy who is retiring soon via age 60. Felt bad for him because it appeared to be eating at him. Yes, I know he knew it was coming but it is still hard to take. He plans on "protesting" (I think) by jumping/parachuting out of an airplane tomorrow 60 times.

Thank you UPS (sorry for the plug) for getting me started!

Enjoy the view from above!