What do you enjoy most about flying?

[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.