Snakum
How's your marmott?
- Joined
- Feb 21, 2002
- Posts
- 2,090
... that pulls so strongly when you can't do it anymore? It's not like any other avocation in existance, imho.
I played music semi-professionally for periods of time but when I gave up dreams of being a rock star I never really looked back. Until a couple weeks ago, I'd gone four years without even owning a guitar. No problem. I've drawn and painted since I was a kid but I could put it down for years and never miss it. No problem.
But flying? That's a whole different can o' worms. I've wanted to fly professionally since I was a kid, and I ate, lived, and breathed aviation until I got to high school and discovered music and girls. But even after that I'd fly whenever I got the chance, even as a passenger, if that's all I could get. Thru college, then the Army, then college again, I never stopped dreaming about it and I'd fly a little whenever I could afford it. Before I could really start working on the ratings I found myself married with kids to clothe and feed. But I always flew when I could and I never lost site of the goal. By the time I started training for real in 2000 I probably had 200 hours (not all of it logged) over ten years. Till then there were always other responsibilities that took priority.
And now, after holding onto the dream that it was still possible for so long ... Sept 11th comes before my IR checkride is complete ... two weeks later my employer lays off half the staff and cuts everyone else's pay by 50% (still in effect) ... no other jobs to be had ... can't afford to fly ... I've flown less than twenty hours since then ... all freebies ... turned forty ... it ain't gonna happen ... I'm bummed.![Frown :( :(](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)
What is it about aviation that 'sticks' with those who fall for it? Why aviation and not the Rock Star dream? Why not the artist dream? Why is it only flying that bums me out so bad when I can't do it any longer?
Minh
I played music semi-professionally for periods of time but when I gave up dreams of being a rock star I never really looked back. Until a couple weeks ago, I'd gone four years without even owning a guitar. No problem. I've drawn and painted since I was a kid but I could put it down for years and never miss it. No problem.
But flying? That's a whole different can o' worms. I've wanted to fly professionally since I was a kid, and I ate, lived, and breathed aviation until I got to high school and discovered music and girls. But even after that I'd fly whenever I got the chance, even as a passenger, if that's all I could get. Thru college, then the Army, then college again, I never stopped dreaming about it and I'd fly a little whenever I could afford it. Before I could really start working on the ratings I found myself married with kids to clothe and feed. But I always flew when I could and I never lost site of the goal. By the time I started training for real in 2000 I probably had 200 hours (not all of it logged) over ten years. Till then there were always other responsibilities that took priority.
And now, after holding onto the dream that it was still possible for so long ... Sept 11th comes before my IR checkride is complete ... two weeks later my employer lays off half the staff and cuts everyone else's pay by 50% (still in effect) ... no other jobs to be had ... can't afford to fly ... I've flown less than twenty hours since then ... all freebies ... turned forty ... it ain't gonna happen ... I'm bummed.
What is it about aviation that 'sticks' with those who fall for it? Why aviation and not the Rock Star dream? Why not the artist dream? Why is it only flying that bums me out so bad when I can't do it any longer?
Minh