Mxsmanic wrote in
:

Judah writes:

I don't hear anyone saying that about piloting either. To say that
would be as extreme as saying that one must be wealthy in order to fly.
Neither is accurate.

Many people here have said "you can fly if you really want to," the
implication being that if you are not willing to make heroic sacrifices
to fly, you don't deserve to be a pilot. If you aren't willing to take
out a second mortgage to pay for your lessons, you haven't got the Right
Stuff. If you aren't willing to undergo half a million dollars' worth
of tests to prove that you deserve a medical, you're not worthy to slip
the surly bonds of Earth. If you aren't willing to spend every
available waking hour studying or taking lessons, you're just not
serious about flying. All of this demonstrates a pretty extreme
viewpoint to me.

No one has implied anything of the sort. We simply have indicated that if one
were interested in learning to fly, one could do so even without being
wealthy. There is no heroic sacrifice required, and no pilot that I know
spent every waking hour studying or taking lessons. In fact most pilots learn
by taking at most a lesson or two a week, and usually far fewer.

You yourself posted an estimate that it would cost $17,000 to learn to fly.
In my local area, it's closer to $10,000, and I suspect one could do it in a
lower-cost neighborhood for as low as $6,000.

This cost would be spread out over a year or two even without financing
(since you typically pay as you go). With financing, it could be spread out
over a 5-7 year period. Even using your numbers, then, $17,000 over 60 months
at a 7% interest rate comes to $337/month. Using mine, $10,000 over 60 months
at 6% would be $193/month.

That's less than $7/day.

Certainly, these amounts are achievable for most people who might desire to
learn to fly, even someone who makes $30,000/yr. For someone who earns
$30,000/yr, there may be other priorities besides flying, and he may choose
to spend his money elsewhere. Certainly that is understandable.

But the belief that one must be wealthy in order to learn to fly is a falacy.
One must merely be willing to spend the money.

I don't see why any hobby should be accessible only to the most extreme
fanatics. Why is it unacceptable to be moderately interested in
aviation, and yet still have a life outside of flying?

One need not be an extreme fanatic to access the hobby of flying. One may be
moderately interested, and choose to fly only when he has funds available. He
might start off by spending just $50 to take an introductory lesson - he
might even do the same at several flight schools within a reasonable distance
to explore different types of aircrafts and different types of training.
Then, if he was able to save a few hundred dollars, he might go and take a
lesson or two. Hopefully, he would be able to save up a few hundred dollars
more than once in his lifetime.

As I said before, it could cost as low as $7/day. I know people who spend
that smoking cigarrettes, and certainly the benefits of flying far outweigh
the benefits of cigarrettes.