An aging pilot

Jay Honeck wrote:
Flying is life. When I'm in the air, I feel alive, and when I'm on the
ground, I'm plotting new ways to get back in the air!

I agree to a large extent. But for me, things have never been the same,
since GA was destroyed near DC. I never see my airplane friends anymore.
Very few of them are flying any appreciable amount. I was lucky enough to
move my plane outside the ADIZ, but that make it only possible to fly on
Saturdays. My new airport is one step away from the personality of a
morgue. No hangar flying here. I spend most Saturdays by myself, either
tinkering with the plane or flying, but alone none the less. Flying isn't
the same as it was 5 years ago.

--- Jay


--
__!__
Jay and Teresa Masino ___(_)___
http://www2.ari.net/jmasino ! ! !
http://www.oceancityairport.com
http://www.oc-adolfos.com

I agree to a large extent. But for me, things have never been the same,
since GA was destroyed near DC. I never see my airplane friends anymore.
Very few of them are flying any appreciable amount. I was lucky enough to
move my plane outside the ADIZ, but that make it only possible to fly on
Saturdays. My new airport is one step away from the personality of a
morgue. No hangar flying here. I spend most Saturdays by myself, either
tinkering with the plane or flying, but alone none the less. Flying isn't
the same as it was 5 years ago.

That's really sad, Jay.

You need to start from scratch with that new airport of yours, and that is
hard. It took us a good five years in Iowa City before we got back to the
level of socializing that we were at in our hometown airport.

Pilots are always willing to talk, but they can be hesitant to embrace.
Sometimes it takes a while to break in -- and other times you've just got to
start your own little clique, and go from there.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Jay Honeck wrote:
You need to start from scratch with that new airport of yours, and that is
hard. It took us a good five years in Iowa City before we got back to the
level of socializing that we were at in our hometown airport.

Pilots are always willing to talk, but they can be hesitant to embrace.
Sometimes it takes a while to break in -- and other times you've just got to
start your own little clique, and go from there.

The problem is that there is literally know one at the airport, a lot of
Saturdays. I'm often the only person with his hangar door open. Don't
get me wrong. I've made friends at the new airport (Ocean City), but the
airport community just doesn't come out and "hang out" on weekends, like
the old days. I've found that this is also the case at a lot of the
smaller GA airports on the Delmarva peninsula. When I drive over to one
of my old airport, near DC, there are occasionally some students flying
with an instructor, but generally, the airport looks like a ghost town.
GA appears to be dying a slow death in the mid-Atlantic states, and it's
making me sick to my stomach to watch it.

--- Jay


--
__!__
Jay and Teresa Masino ___(_)___
http://www2.ari.net/jmasino ! ! !
http://www.oceancityairport.com
http://www.oc-adolfos.com

The problem is that there is literally know one at the airport, a lot of
Saturdays. I'm often the only person with his hangar door open.

Yeah, that's true at a lot of airports. It's often true here in Iowa City,
too -- but we've hooked up with some other "hard core" aviation nuts on our
field, so we can usually count on hanging out with each other.

And then, of course, there are those occasions when -- for no apparent
reason -- EVERYONE comes to the airport. It's usually a nice day, of
course, but not always the nicest. Something just seems to be triggered
inside every pilots brain, that sends them to the airport like lemmings to
the sea.

And somehow, some way, after the flying is done, they end up drinking beer
in our hangar!

Sometimes all you've got to do is lay out the bait. Sooner or later, you'll
catch them.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

"Jay Masino" wrote

Snip

I spend most Saturdays by myself, either
tinkering with the plane or flying, but alone none the less.

Snip

--- Jay

That is one thing you can (and should) change. There are oodles of people
around that would tinker and fly with you, if you just gave the word.
Co-workers? Kids? Lots of kids, I'm sure. Invite some people along, and
give some love. (No not that kind:-))
--
Jim in NC


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Morgans wrote:
That is one thing you can (and should) change. There are oodles of people
around that would tinker and fly with you, if you just gave the word.
Co-workers? Kids? Lots of kids, I'm sure. Invite some people along, and
give some love. (No not that kind:-))

Work is 125 miles away. I'm not really interested in messing with kids.
I do take friends for rides, occasionally, but most of them work on
weekends (service industry in a resort town), so that's a minimal
population.

Listen... I don't want everyone to feel sorry for me. I've had a lot of
fun flying for 18 years. If it's coming to an end, that'll suck, but
I'll figure out something.


--
__!__
Jay and Teresa Masino ___(_)___
http://www2.ari.net/jmasino ! ! !
http://www.oceancityairport.com
http://www.oc-adolfos.com