What do you enjoy most about flying?

[PAPA FOX!]

This thread will hopefully be a breath of fresh air from all the negativity on flightinfo!

Curious to know what you most enjoy about flying. If you can't think of something, that ought to be a litmus test to hang it up!

What I enjoy the most by far, is on a rainy day (like since Sat. here in New England!!!!) picking up my IFR clearance taxing to takeoff, lifting off into the wet soup switching to departure and minutes later popping out on top of a solid OVC into bright sunshine. Few, if any things in aviation give me as much of a high! This IMHO even beats flying in the Rockies with 100+mi of vis! Flying over water at sunset with sct clouds also comes close too.

 

[UnAnswerd]

Haven't been flying that long, not even solo yet, but what I enjoy the most is listening to the steady sound of the engine, making a left turn, and just looking down at the ground and knowing that I'm so high above it.

 

[Willy21]

VFR with light winds and cool temps.

 

[Gutenberg]

Doing floaties.

 

[FN FAL]

I used to enjoy that taste in the back of my throat, you know the one...you get it when the radar goes on the fritz and you're IMC between level 5 cells, so you gotta use the ADF and those morsels of information from ATC to save your hiney. Or, when you're climbing out at night while creating an interesting ice sculpture after departing 100 vv and 1/2 and there isn't a pirep in the region.

But I don't get that taste in my throat anymore...so now I just look forward to snapping out of a nap and seeing the DME still counting down. I almost forgot...the chicks. Yea, the chicks...that's the ticket.

 

[trol1374]

The ease and quickness of getting from point A to point B. When call to evacuate the houston area came before the hurricane. I flew from my airport west of San Antonio to Houston to pick up someone and bring them to SA in a C182. What was taking people to drive 20-24 hrs due to traffic took 1 and 1/2 hours via plane. Did this at night and seeing the miles and miles of tail lights on every highway made me smile I wasn't down there.

 

[PolarTwins55]

the instant flight begins. you know, right as the mains lift off it's the coolest feeling ever.

 

[The_Russian]

Being upside-down while getting 3 G's out of an ol' 152.

Blowin up a PT-6.

Landing in the mud.

Stuff like that.

 

[FastCargo]

The ease and quickness of getting from point A to point B. When call to evacuate the houston area came before the hurricane. I flew from my airport west of San Antonio to Houston to pick up someone and bring them to SA in a C182. What was taking people to drive 20-24 hrs due to traffic took 1 and 1/2 hours via plane. Did this at night and seeing the miles and miles of tail lights on every highway made me smile I wasn't down there.

I SO have to agree with trol1374 on this one! I love not having a job where I fight that kind of traffic every weekday.

What do I enjoy most? I think the stories. The stuff that happens, even on routine flights that you remember.

I'm one of the few pilots in our neighborhood, and almost no one talks about their job, mainly because their job usually has a specific frame of reference that no one else can relate to, or it's just not very exciting (accounting)? Flying is one of the few jobs that most people can relate to, even if only in a vague sense...that's what those hands are for! Or that we pilots can break down without giving a technical lesson to the listener.

Also, when pilots of any stripe get together, we can usually tell stories that everyone understands. Though the term "brotherhood" gets used and abused a lot, there is some validity to the saying.

FastCargo

 

[FrozenPilot]

Flying over NYC and not having to deal with ground traffic, passing through a thunderstorm that just dissipated and being met with valley fog and a sunset on the other side, and seeing Mt. Rainier stick up above the 10,000' tops are just a few reasons.

 

[Immelman]

The old "put one wing in the cloud" game in the Citabria when there are little tiny puffy baby cumulus clouds. Class G airspace out in the sticks, of course... its like buzzing around though a canyon by the seat of your pants.. picking off little bits of cloud to whiz past as they come into view.. hard to beat that.

 

[deafsound]

Something inexplicable.

 

[Otto77]

FastCargo,
One of the best posts ive read on here! Completely agree...that is why despite all the "mess and turmoil this industry is in..I still love it for its core.

 

[BushwickBill]

Today I was standing on the ramp at PDX after clearning customs. I saw this 737 take off. It made the loudest coolest sound and little clouds developed on the wing from the low pressure. No one was around so I shouted out loud. All jobs are a drag but sometimes aviation is really badass.

 

[Fly_Chick]

Something inexplicable.

Oh so true. After being grounded for six days for personally being under the wx, went up for a night flight. My student is from Brunei (unfortunatly not related to the Sultan, yet he can hook me up once I run out of my alloted limited of one liter of wine per entry) and I just say "You gotta love this! Where else in the world can you just take a plane and be away from everything? Wonderful sights, removed from all around you! And can you believe that we have all these wonderful airports available to us! Lights are available just in that one chance that we may happen to want to land here. All of these runway lights and we may be the only plane that even comes close to this airport in the next 12 hours. We can talk to someone if we want, or we can just fly. We can go to just about anyplace we want. This is the life."

Inexplicable - yes. Wonderful feeling of being away from it all, enjoying sights that can be seen no where else, experienced no where else. Giving up the good life solely for wanting to be happy.

I have never been so monetarily poor in my life, yet never been so happy.

 

[Onlyflyfreight]

Leave 10000 at 300kts about 15 miles out, hit the marker at 200, on the GS and LOC all the way down and make nice landing in IMC.

Beeing at FL400 over the east coast on a clear night and being able to see BOS, NYC, Philly and washington clearly.

Taking off light and climbing 5000+ ft/min.

 

[PurpleInMEM]

Getting bumped off trips by check airmen or flex instructors.

Or even better...getting bumped off trips by check airmen or flex instructors BEFORE I commute to Mempho.

Suuuuwwwweeeeeettttttt!

 

[NookyBooky]

Nailing a hammerhead or cuban so perfect that you fly right back into your own propwash. Not that I can do it regularly...

 

[SDF2BUF2MCO]

The VIEW and making good landings is good for the ego.

Also, the quote below sums it up nicely.

 

[gfvalvo]

* Getting from A to B in a really cool way. Unlike some spouses / families, mine will fly with me, if only for the utility. Now, got to work on getting the kids hooked on the cool factor so they can fly me around in my old age.

* Cranking and banking around/through towering clouds while IFR in mostly VMC.

* Avoiding all the BS associated with trying to fly for a living. I do it for me and don't think I'll ever tire of it or get jaded. Of course, I pay for every hour out of my own pocket.