Should you fly for a living if you don't love to fly?

[Invertago]

But seriously, if you had a choice between a piece of tail, and a flight in Sukhoi 29, which would you choice?

The choice for me is obvious - there's plenty of tail around, but only a few SU-29's in all of North America.

I'll take the tail Hedley... As an owner of a Sukhoi 29 I know I'll get to fly as often as I want.

Maybe Hedley would trade rides for a day/night

[b1ngnx33]

My answer is NO.

If you do something you love, the money might not be there, but you will be happy.

If you do something you hate, whether or not you get money, you will hate your life.

[Flybabe]

People often comment to me that "I must LOVE flying". Usually after that they ask if I own one myself, or rent and fly whenever I'm not doing it for a living.

For me, there's more to life than flying.. I don't eat, drink, and breathe airplanes. It's my job. I coudln't see myself doing anything else because I enjoy what aviation gives back to ME - travel, meeting great people, working in great environments, challenges and rewards.

But, when I'm not flying, I'd rather play my banjo.

[E-Flyer]

There's a simple answer to your question Haz; if one doesn't love what one does, that person should get out of it because there would be many people who would love to be in his/her position and fly cause they enjoy what they do.

I'd rather have somebody who enjoys aviation than somebody who's in it for the money; true, it is a profession but what got you into this profession was the love of flying. If you lose it, whats the point in flying?

For Example; If you like a person you hang out with them and try to "chill." If you don't like a person, you normally stay away from that person. In my eyes it's really as simple as that.


I think the root of the problem is that too many people think they can become pilots until they enter the world of aviation and realize that it's not as easy as it may seem to walk with your back straight and 4 bars on your shoulders. Sure, these candidates are competent to pass their rides to the CPL / MIFR level, but after that they simply get discouraged and forget why they even got into aviation. I guess what I am trying to say is that one truly has to love what they do, because love comes with compromises. The compromises in our industry are the crappy operators, the pilot's who bring industry standards down, the cocky pilot's who see them selves as leaders... etc. But if we love what we do, we will compromise that, work a way around it, and make a successful career out of what we do.

Another common mistake is the difference between acting and whining ! I am all up for people trying to change this industry for the better, by introducing new ways of doing things, informing which operators to stay away from, helping one and another, writing letters to authorities which can implement change, and etc. But unfortuantely a big compromise in our industry is listening to the unhappy people who would most likely be just as unhappy in another job.

Hey, piloting is fun, but it has it's con's as well. If you love it so much, you'll work a way around it and accept the fact that this is the way it is.

Sort of like with your spouse... you may get bored after a while, but what do you do? the effective spouse would find new, innovative ways to have fun to keep their love in place. Replace a typical good marriage with aviation and see for your selves that it's not as easy as one might think. It has factors outside of the flying part which are normally the largest turn off's for many people that result in them leaving the industry.

[flying4dollars]

Agreed, pilots usually start out flying for a living because of the love of it, for many, it fades. Been told by many that eventually I will realize its just a job and the love fades away. To this day, even on shitty days, long days, wintery days, at the end of it all, when I go home, I still love what I do, no question.

How long it lasts? Well, I hope forever, but who knows.

[iflyforpie]

Boy someone sure dug deep to revive this thread.


I live my life objectively and am trying to convert the world to doing the same. It is not how much money you make or what cool planes you fly or what you do in your time off, it is how much you enjoy your life, both at work and play.

There will always be people with more money than you, more toys than you, and apparently living better lives than you. As long as you are comparing you will be prideful to those below you, but envious of those above you.

It takes a certain amount of passion to put up with aviation. If you don't love it find another line of work. You will be unhappy on more levels than you can imagine.

[beaverbob]

Strange how some people seem to be pr-programmed to certain talents, jobs etc.
I knew I wanted to be a pilot since I was a very young child. My parents tell me that I saw a plane fly over when I was about 1 1/2 years old and looked up and reached and said me, me.
All through childhood I wanted to fly. Even if I wanted to do something else, like all kids, say doctor, vet, fireman or whatever it had to be a flying whatever.
In the fifties my Dad started a seaplane base at Telkwa BC and my fate was sealed.
Now I am 59 and have been flying since I was 18, and I don't think I could do anything else even if I wanted to. It seems like flying a plane is not what I do so much as being a pilot is what I am.

Just some food for thought for those whe aren't sure.

Bob

[On the up]

Lifesytle, lifetyle, lifestyle...

Its a job, nobody loves flying from from Fort McMurray to Edmonton IFR in a 1900. At least not after the first couple hundred times. Its just not that exciting. Enjoy your life, your family and when you lose your medical at least you will still have a 'life'!

[E-Flyer]

Lifesytle, lifetyle, lifestyle...

Its a job, nobody loves flying from from Fort McMurray to Edmonton IFR in a 1900. At least not after the first couple hundred times. Its just not that exciting. Enjoy your life, your family and when you lose your medical at least you will still have a 'life'!

Boy you sure seem hopeful about the medical. Lol

[...]

You must imagine my surprise when I met "I am Birddog" on the next set - he was filming "Weapons of Ass Destruction"

j/k ....

Actually it was on the set of "Will he bonk ya in the chocolate factory".

On the topic...Capt Sweet n Juicy said it best in his sig. "It's the friends you make".

I could not agree with him more.

[alti2d]

I realize that not everyone can do this, but why not take a sabbatical? University professors do it... you can too. I did it this year. Travelled, for my own reasons and relaxation, through South and East Asia, and Russia. It was fantastic. I'm eager to jump back into my career and (surprisingly) may even have moved forward with the career... Before anyone says the usual, 'who can afford to do that?', I'll just say that I know not everyone can do this or does, or would take the opportunity to if it comes along. But it is a great way to put life, career and priorities in perspective.

my 1 penny worth, I used to have 2, but I've been spending money this year

[CSk3RampBOY]

Takeoff runway 9 at KEYW, drive right around the NAS, and level off at 500 feet, just south of the shore. The water was this incredible green colour, and there was an endless row of houses and boats to look at, off the left side. Kept an eye out for nude sunbathers and skinny dippers, no joy.

Monitored 122.8 as I drove past Marathon.

All too soon, I was at Key Largo. Time to hang a left and follow Hwy 1 north.

Landed at Homestead (X51, not the AFB) and dropped off a trailer hitch (long story). Refueld the pretty new yellow and black Pitts, enjoyed the warm sun, got a drink of water, and talked to some guys switching an engine on a C-175 (no typo) which has a geared GO-300. Don't see that every day.

Back in the Pitts, grudgingly climbed up to 1000 feet over the swamp. Stayed west and below the Miami inverted wedding cake. Went north and then cut east so that I would just stay north of FXE airspace, and wouldn't have to talk to them.

Hadda talk to Pompano Tower, finally, though. Landed beside the Sea Fury (he got there a LOT faster than me), took my backpack out of the luggage space, and got a flight from FLL in a sardine can back to NAS.

Wow Hedley, U did the same flight as I did last summer, but in a 172 though.

We left Marathon and followed the U.S 1, then turned north to follow the Highway to X51. We stopped their for cheap fuel.
Take-off 15 mins later, then direct to Pompano following the everglades slipping under the class B.
We used flight following, just to make sure because there's a lot of traffic in that area.
We got cut off from the right by a Mooney leaving FXE.

Did u stop at Anthony aviation in Pompano?