G. Sylvester wrote:


I got into a discussion with an non-pilot MD comparing
a professional degree versus flying.

My background, BS and MS from the top 2 bioengineering programs
in the US. (note, I put *much* more weight to experience over letters
after a name including my own). Flying-wise, I have a PPL and
about 33 hours into my IFR ticket. I should be able to complete
it in under 45 so I'm probably ahead of the curve but a I gotta put
much of this on my book and mental preparation before each
flight and ahead of time that others didn't commit to. I plan
on doing this for the challenge, excitement and unique lifestyle
of being a pilot. I might, in fact, probably will become a CFI(I)
but not full time. We'll see. If someone pays me $10 (or better
yet $500,000) to fly their challenger or Citation to wherever I want
to go, I'll consider. ;-) I've been in professional challenging
situations and none have come close to IFR in IMC.

I guess it depends on what metric you are looking at. Mental challenge?
Stress? I have a CS and EE degree (both undergraduate) and some
graduate-level study, but no degree and am a licensed professional
engineer. I found the instrument rating mentally challenging, but much
less so than the EE degree. Instrument flying requires a fair bit of
memorization and multitasking ability, but the procedures are pretty
well thought out and pretty consistent and straight forward for the most
part. The initial training is challenging, but it is very concrete,
unlike much of the EE curriculum which is very abstract (field theory
for example).

From a stress level, I find most flying much less stressful than a
typical day in the office. Then again, many engineers find dealing with
people to be much more stressful than dealing with objects such as
airplanes, weather, etc. :-)


Overall, my flying experience is just like everyone elses. It is
challenging but by the time you get your ticket and after that
still challenging as it is a never ending battle with learning to stay
ahead of the plane.

I found that after I had about 10 hours of solo IFR in IMC time, that
staying ahead of my 182 wasn't hard at all and I found myself getting
bored on any instrument flight more than 60 minutes in length. I'd
check the weather, check every ATIS along my route and other things just
to keep from falling asleep. I'd usually have at least a couple of
approaches pretty well memorized before arriving at my destination.


The IFR ticket is definitely a step above that as the consequences
is a LOT greater. It is a licence to kill and there is a NEVER ending
true battle with learning everything to save the asses to which the
plane is strapped to. IFR is and will always be for me, the
non-professional, challenging. Certainly after my training, my head
hurts from the concentration level required. All of this is absolutely
impossible to explain to a non-pilot...even a non-IFR pilot it is
difficult.

Yes, IFR in IMC solo is challenging, but once you get truly proficient
it is hardly a nail biter unless you get into heavy icing (did that just
once) or too close to a thunderstorm (haven't really done that yet) or
have an emergency such as engine failure (again, haven't done that yet).


Back to the original question. This person I had the discussion with
is under the impression of flying is probably more like driving and anybody
can do it. This person is the typical MD, their way is the only way and
they
are the only ones who do it right and no one else can comprehend (I work
for a medical device company and have dealt with hundreds of
neurosurgeons, oncologists and medical physicists around the world).

Flying is far more challenging than driving, but it isn't as challenging
as solving problems using Maxwell's equations. :-) I'm not a doctor so
I can't compare it to medical practice, but I don't think much of that
is challenging either. I can see an emergency room doctor considering
flying to be somewhat trivial, but most doctors aren't ER doctors.


So the big question, compared to a your profession, how does flying
VFR and IFR compare with regards to training, proficiency, continued
training, mental challenge and anything else that comes to mind? No
need to convince me but more to convince the non-pilot. In particular
I'd like to hear from the professions that require advanced degrees.

VFR is a piece of cake compared to my day job. Most IFR is also. My
only experience where I'd say that flying was more stressful than my day
job was flying back from a recruiting trip to Perdue in December. I
came back to PA just a few miles south of Lake Erie and got into some
nasty icing. That was the only time in my 26 year flying career where
the "successful outcome of my flight" (to paraphase the PTS) was
seriously in doubt! That was pretty stressful for the first few minutes
and then it actually got very peaceful once I figured I wasn't going to
survive the flight. It was really a wierd experience and one that I've
thankfully had only once.

I doubt anything short of flying lessons will convice an MD that flying
is harder than driving.


Matt