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

voluntarily no one decides to stop flying unless they've had a scare.
involuntarily, a medical hiccup can do it.

A pilot at the local airport (who is 85) recently sold his plane. When
I asked him why he said that the sight in one of his eyes was getting
poor, and he didn't think he could pass the medical again.

He also said that he'd been flying 50 years and 5,000 hours, and had
had enough for anyone. No mention of any scare or denial - he just
decided that the time had come to hang it up.

BTW we also have another senior pilot of 86 who just renewed his
medical. Flies his T6 every week (and handles it like the pro he is).

David Johnson

I turned 68 last April. My wife flies with me and so do my four kids.
And my kids let my grandchildren go up with me. If any of them every said
they don't trust my abilities as an airman, the ticket gets stapled to the
wall. After that, I've got plenty of pals to fly with.

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 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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A pilot at the local airport (who is 85) recently sold his plane. When
I asked him why he said that the sight in one of his eyes was getting
poor, and he didn't think he could pass the medical again.

What did he need that extra eye for? I have had no useful forward
vision in my left eye for 70 years that I know of (I got specs at age
2). Except for a bit of extra caution with noting where the wingtips
are, the spare eye serves no useful purpose while flying.

(Well, there's my flight instructor, who has come out of several eye
operations with the astonishing ability to read close stuff with his
left eye while he has 20/20 distance vision in his right eye. He's one
of the few people I know who entered their sixties throwing glasses
away!)

all the best -- Dan Ford
email: (put Cubdriver in subject line)

Warbird's Forum www.warbirdforum.com
Piper Cub Forum www.pipercubforum.com
the blog www.danford.net

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

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

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"

On Mon, 01 Nov 2004 13:05:09 GMT, "Jay Honeck"
wrote:

voluntarily no one decides to stop flying unless they've had a scare.

I guess that's the part I was wondering about. What's "the scare" that
makes them hang it up?

Was it a momentary lapse of reason? Not being able to remember a clearance
or a frequency? Inability to land the plane smoothly? Confusion over which
runway is which? Not sure from which direction to enter the pattern?

What I've just described has happened to me and Mary over the years -- and
probably to everyone reading this -- at least a couple of times. At our age
we have laughed it off as just a just momentary stupidity -- but when does
it become "a sign" of real problems?

I guess it's just a question that every pilot must answer in their own way,
when the time comes. I've only met one pilot who was admittedly on his
"final flight" -- and he was clearly in physical and mental decline, and
well into his 80s.

I wonder if there is any correlation between advanced age and aircraft
accidents? (I'll bet Richard Collins has written at least five columns on
this over the years...)

you really dont need me to chip in here. the other posters have
written some beautiful heartfelt comments.

momentary lapse in reason?
well are the blood sugar levels down? have you been holding your
breath for a while and the oxygen levels are down? there are lots of
reasons for a confusing moment. aviation is a demanding task that may
take all you have for a moment or two. learn to relax on yourself a
little.

not being able to remember...
that's why you write them down. stuffed if I can remember the buggers
ever. :-) sometimes I have to dredge real hard. what did that guy just
tell me.

confused over which runway is which?
well think about it, sometimes there is scant information available to
tell which runway is which. if the sun is overhead there are no
shadows to help either. at 500 ft above circuit height you can orbit
all you like. make another orbit or look for other traffic.

it only really becomes a sign of a real problem when you havent found
home for 2 days and the woman talking to you claiming to be your wife
is someone you havent met before. ...or have you. the medico who signs
you off will latch on to that one real quick so dont worry about it.

you are very hard on yourself mate. learn to relax. make sure you get
a good nights sleep before flying and I'm sure you'll be ok.
posting coherently on here involves a skill set that proves you arent
losing it.

If you find that you dont enjoy flying then change the oil and have a
month off. remember that you do this because you love it not out of
any sense of duty. I have some real dropkicks around me that kill my
pleasure at times. then a kid or a girl comes along that I coax up for
a fly terrified. the beaming smiles fix all the doldrums for me.

actually for me I cant wait to finish this degree and do my next 3,000
mile flight. I'm spoilt by the lure of long distance across australia
flying. around the circuit just doesnt cut it some days.
Stealth Pilot