Jay Honeck wrote:

His point is that all people decide to stop progressing at some point. He
used Jay as an example of someone who stopped progressing at single engine,
fixed gear VFR flying. Others may stop at solo. I don't see much of a
difference between stopping at solo or at PP.


I understand Jose's point completely, although the analogy is
imperfect.

Unfortunately, however, you have both missed the point, which is this:
Flying is a magical, almost spiritual experience for thousands of
people just like me. To be floating in the heavens, far above the
earth's troubles, is the "magic" that these pilots apparently aren't
"getting" -- it has nothing to do with any "progression" from solo to
private to instrument to multi-engine.

Now that I think about it, THAT is the part that I truly don't "get".
How anyone can take the controls of an airplane and not feel that magic
is simply beyond me -- and how anyone can simply choose to never
experience it again (by quitting flying) is proof that they never felt
the magic in the first place.

Well, Jay, you need to realize that the whole world isn't made up of
people just like you. Some folks get their magic climbing a high
mountain, some get it kayaking across a wilderness lake, etc. Flying is
magical for many of us, but it is shear terror for others.

Matt