At last, the truth...

Did the same thing 20 years ago. At the time I was going through a divorce,
going to grad school, working full time and chasing skirts. That left
little time for the learning part of flying. One day, during my 7th flight
hour in a C 150II, I did my first power-on stall. Dropped like a rock, saw
terra firma in the windshield, let go of the yoke, recovered, felt moisture
in my pants, and told the instructor: "lets land NOW!"

Didn't go back because the stall maneuver scared the living **** out of me
and I figured I didn't have the spare time to devote to learning to fly
that was required. The only other activity that I had time for back then was
getting laid: it required no instruction or study, but it WAS expensive!

Now I'm older, I have more control of my time and I'm married. I'm spending
alot of time learning to fly and, ironically, I may get divorced because of
it. But I'm pressing on. Now if a maneuver scares me, I do it five times
again. It helps to be older and not have children so that you don't worry
about screwing up their lives if you make a mistake and you can push your
personal envelope with less trepidation because you've lived a decent
portion of life by the time you get to my age.







"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
news:3gULe.251379$x96.181434@attbi_s72...
Most of our guests at the hotel are not pilots. It's simply a matter of
numbers -- there are a LOT more non-pilots than there are pilots, and they
need hotel rooms, too. Many of our guests are "wannabes" or aviation
enthusiasts, however. Although we have found many people who are afraid
of
flying, we have yet to meet someone who doesn't like airplanes -- and
those
people are our "bread & butter."

An amazing number of guests tell me that they have taken flight lessons,
but
quit flying for one reason or another. I have never been able to
understand
this phenomenon, since -- after the first lesson -- I was hopelessly
hooked.
I would have done anything to finish getting my ticket (and did go so far
as
selling my blood plasma for flight money) -- so the concept of quitting
just
never made sense to me. I always inquire about their reasons for
quitting,
and I often hear the same old explanations (money, time, kids, wives,
etc.) -- but I often sensed that there was more to the story than they
were
telling.

I've often suspected that these near-pilots had lived through some
life-changing event, or had been badly scared during flight training. I
simply couldn't fathom what else could cause someone to simply jump off
the
horse and walk away from it, forever -- but I had never been able to coax
the story out of any of these "almost-pilots." The macho, gung-ho
attitude
that seems to envelope aviation seemed to preclude ever finding anyone who
could admit (perhaps even to themselves) what had happened to them.

Until a few days ago. As many of our guests do, this fellow was hanging
around the lobby, studying all the gizmos, gadgets, books, models and
memorabilia that have spread like lichen all over the place in the last
three years. As is my wont, I struck up a conversation with the guy, and
we
casually discussed aviation and airplanes for a few minutes.

It soon became obvious that this guy knew way more about flying than our
average "wannabe" guest. Sure enough, upon inquiring, he admitted taking
18
hours of instruction, and he had several hours of post-solo flight time
under his belt -- before he quit.

Maybe it was the relaxed nature of the setting, or perhaps it was the fact
that he was on vacation and simply let his guard down, but when I asked
him
why he had quit (as I ask EVERYONE who tells me they had stopped flying),
he
actually told me truthfully and sincerely what had happened.

It seems he had just soloed a week earlier, and was out practicing touch
and
goes on his own. There was a bit of a cross wind -- nothing bad -- which
apparently increased while he was working the pattern. On his last
take-off, when he rotated the cross wind kicked up and carried him out
over
the adjacent bean field, and in his confusion he found himself sinking
toward the beans.

In a panic, he luckily overcame the urge to simply pull the yoke back
into
his belly, and pushed the nose over. Doing so gained some speed, and he
climbed out normally. He then came around and landed with some
difficulty,
but without incident.

This seemingly innocent incident scared him so badly that he walked into
the
FBO, sat down with his instructor, and told him he was through.

His instructor asked him what happened, told him that what he had
experienced was easily countered with good technique, told him he had done
well and acted properly, and immediately booked him for a few more dual
lessons.

To no avail. This guy was so taken aback by his brush with disaster that
he
just couldn't get into flying anymore. He did fly a couple of more times
with his instructor, but he could never get back in the saddle. He quit
altogether.

That was over ten years ago. When I encouraged him to try again, and told
him that it was never too late to get back into flying, he wistfully but
firmly replied that it would never happen.

At last -- I've *finally* found someone who could explain what had
happened
to foil their dreams of flight. I've never, ever been able to understand
this all-to-common occurrence -- and there are other good reasons to quit
flying, for sure -- but I have often wondered if this kind of scare during
training isn't happening more often than we know about?

(And before you dismiss a drifting take-off as being non-life-threatening,
see: http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/GenPDF.asp?id=CHI05FA080&rpt=p This is an
accident that happened in nearby West Union, Iowa, earlier this summer,
when
a low-time pilot in a Cherokee 235 drifted off the runway centerline,
bounced in the weeds, flipped the plane, and killed himself and his two
passengers.)

It was with a heavy heart and a feeling of dismay that I bid our guest
farewell. Perhaps it was for the best that he quit flying, but I couldn't
help but think that he had given up too soon, and that with a little extra
guidance he could have made a good pilot.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
news:%SULe.254010$_o.767@attbi_s71...
I address this "scared straight" issue as just another small piece of
the "Why is GA dying?" puzzle

This assumes, of course, that GA is dying. I don't really believe that. It
is morphing, as do all pursuits.

Ask surfers about their passion, and they'll tell you it has become too damn
crowded over the past year or two.

Ask bicyclists and they'll complain about the increase in traffic, but will
also comment on the new found (and probably short-lived) visibility
resulting from Lance.

Ask rock climbers and they'll tell you about new technology and the impact
of rock-climbing gyms.

GA is under pressure because of the misguided focus of anti-terror issues,
regulatory issues, (resulting in economic issues), etc. It will continue to
change, in some cases for the better (see the recent success of Cirrus and
the development of the GA glass cockpit), in some cases for the worse. But
the very small incremental change in pilot population that results from "Be
a pilot" programs really won't have much effect. Pilots have a small and
decreasing voice. That's just part of the landscape. But it is a vast
overstatement to say that GA is dying.

"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
news:3gULe.251379$x96.181434@attbi_s72...
...snip...
An amazing number of guests tell me that they have taken flight lessons,
but quit flying for one reason or another. I have never been able to
understand this phenomenon, since -- after the first lesson -- I was
hopelessly hooked.

1. For most people, you have to hook at least *two* people.

If I spend two or three grand on *my* golf, that may not be a big deal, but
if I spend ten or twenty grand a year on *my* flying, that won't leave a
whole lot for *her*, ... so it is going to be ten or twenty grand, it
better be on *our* flying. Otherwise, its going to have to be those same
ten or twenty grand on *our* boat (not bad), or *our* cruises (gag) or *our*
trips to her Mother's (barf).

I would have done anything to finish getting my ticket (and did go so far
as selling my blood plasma for flight money) -- so the concept of quitting
just never made sense to me. I always inquire about their reasons for
quitting, and I often hear the same old explanations (money, time, kids,
wives, etc.) -- but I often sensed that there was more to the story than
they were telling.

I've often suspected that these near-pilots had lived through some
life-changing event,

2. For many, that life-changing event may be as simple as discovering how
much work piloting really was... not just the learning regimen, but the
actual physical and mental requirements of safely getting and keeping the
craft in the air and back down onto the ground. For some people's mental
makeup, the required piloting effort leaves little room left over for the
"enjoyment" part of flight.



....snip...

Until a few days ago. ...snip...

It seems he had just soloed a week earlier, and was out practicing touch
and goes on his own. There was a bit of a cross wind -- nothing bad --
which apparently increased while he was working the pattern. On his last
take-off, when he rotated the cross wind kicked up and carried him out
over the adjacent bean field, and in his confusion he found himself
sinking toward the beans.

In a panic, he luckily overcame the urge to simply pull the yoke back
into his belly, and pushed the nose over. Doing so gained some speed,
and he climbed out normally. He then came around and landed with some
difficulty, but without incident.

This seemingly innocent incident scared him so badly that he walked into
the FBO, sat down with his instructor, and told him he was through.

His instructor asked him what happened, told him that what he had
experienced was easily countered with good technique, told him he had done
well and acted properly, and immediately booked him for a few more dual
lessons.

To no avail. This guy was so taken aback by his brush with disaster that
he just couldn't get into flying anymore.


3. This is fear of failure, not so much fear of flying. People have
near-brushes with death in a car all the time, and they go back driving....

But, as has been argued in these forums many times, we are okay with it
because a non-flight accident is *probably* going to be "someone else's"
fault. A flight accident is *probably* going to be "our" fault...

Perhaps some can't stand that thought?


I will share my own feelings. I am hooked on flying.

I am pretty sure that I am okay with item 3. I am not bad on item 2, though
not as good as I had hoped I might be. But right now I have absolutely no
chance with item 1.

Can 1 and 2 conspire to make me walk away from piloting? Unfortunately:
perhaps.... but I am trying very hard to avoid it. So far: successfully.

Icebound wrote:
If I spend two or three grand on *my* golf, that may not be a big
deal, but
if I spend ten or twenty grand a year on *my* flying, that won't leave a
whole lot for *her*, ... so it is going to be ten or twenty grand, it
better be on *our* flying. Otherwise, its going to have to be those same
ten or twenty grand on *our* boat (not bad), or *our* cruises (gag) or *our*
trips to her Mother's (barf).

guys, you do realize that getting married, having kids,
etc. is actually *optional* ?

:-)

--Sylvain

Sylvain wrote:

guys,Â*Â*youÂ*doÂ*realizeÂ*thatÂ*gettingÂ*married, Â*Â*havingÂ*kids,
etc. is actually optional ?


No more than flying is.

- Andrew

I was a skydiver before I was a pilot. Every time I met an
ex-skydiver, I asked why he quit. I couldn't imagine quitting. Like
you, I always figured there was an answer - a story. Only sometimes
there is no story. I'm an ex-skydiver now. I never really intended to
quit - but it's been years since I made a jump.

Sure, I've had one surgery on my right ankle and two on my left, and
when I offer that as a reason people nod - but I was making demo jumps
into a racetrack and closing 13th on a 16-way diamond while recovering
from the last of those surgeries. I know people a lot more injured
than I am who are still jumping. The truth is that I had done enough,
and made enough jumps, that the incremental value of one more never
seemed to be worth it. I miss it - but not badly enough to take the
time out to do it.

I miss flying my glider too. In fact, I miss flying gliders in
general. I never intentionally quit doing that either - but I've flown
maybe three hours in the last two years. I miss it - but not badly
enough to take the time out to do it any more often. I only flew a
trike once, but I wish I could do that more often. I flew and landed a
taildragger for the first time in over a year this weekend, and I
realized I missed that too. And I still think about that gyroplane I
flew - and about the floatplane I didn't. So much to do, so little
time. I finally found time to get my SCUBA ticket and go spearfishing
and see the wrecks. I still haven't found time for a motorcycle. I
just CAN'T do everything. I keep thinking about getting that balloon
rating, but I can't find the time. Maybe I could have found the time
for the motorcycle or the balloon - but something else would have to
go. I fly A LOT - over 180 hours so far this year, and it's still
August - but most of that is Angel Flights, business trips, vacation
trips (where the primary purpose of the flight is to get to a
destination rather than just enjoy the scenery), and instruction. I
totaled up all my hours spent just flying around, getting hundred
dollar burgers and such - and I came up in single digits. What do I
give up?

I'll tell you what I've given up. I've been fishing maybe half a dozen
times this century, and hunting only once. I really enjoy both when I
do, but there is never enough time. I haven't been camping anywhere
other than an airport in a decade, and I used to love spending time in
the woods. I don't own a boat anymore - and I used to love spending
time on the river. Still do, when I get the chance.

I'm single. My girlfriend also flies and scuba dives. I very rarely
work weekends, and rarely work late enough in the evenings that I can't
go flying or work on my airplane. I have WAY more free time than most
people, WAY fewer responsibilities, and probably quite a bit more
disposable income. And there's still not near enough time to do all
the things I want to do. What about the people who are married and
have kids? Honestly, I don't know how they do it. Mostly they don't.

Owning an airplane is expensive. Flying and maintaining it is
time-consuming. Most pilots I know are married to women who don't much
care to fly. Going camping and fishing with the kids. Working around
the house. Buying jewelry (most women won't consider an air
compressor, welding rig, or rivet gun acceptable birthday presents).
Money, time, wives, kids - those are the real story. What you ran into
is the exception.

Michael

Who knows? Did anything like that ever happen to you or anyone else you
know? Did you or they quit? Those are binary questions.

That's an interesting question. I'd a small scare during my PPL
training.
It, combined with the love I have of preflighting in the winter, kept me
away from the airport for five months.

It looks like this is more common than I thought. I suspected that the
scare claim was just an excuse for some more mundane reason. Anyone else
have this experience?

I've never seriously scared myself (although I've been plenty worried a few
times), but my mentor in flight quit flying not long after an engine-out
landing in a corn field.

Of course, it didn't help that he was fired from his job about then, too.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

You have it backwards. Motorcycling is *not* golf, nor flying, nor
boating... but I bet you just don't "get it" when it comes to
two-wheelers.

What, you're saying *motorcycling* is the be-all and end-all activity?

I've ridden for 20 years, and (IMHO) it is VERY similar to flying. I love
it dearly, but it is essentially just 2/3s of what flying is -- minus the
third dimension.

Until you can pull back on the handlebars and have the cycle go up, there
will be no comparison.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

We are extremely complex creatures. An environmental factor here, an
unbalanced chemical there, a gene here and a personal encouter there -
all multiplied by thousaands throughout our lifetime makes each of us
unique. Trying to put a finger on a why is in my opinion an exercise in
futility. Find one piece of the puzzle and there are a million more to
go. But like you, Jay, when I get in that plane and take off on a dream
flight, it boggles my mind how so many can "not get it".
--
Gene Seibel
Hangar 131 - http://pad39a.com/gene/plane.html
Because I fly, I envy no one.

GA is under pressure because of the misguided focus of anti-terror issues,
regulatory issues, (resulting in economic issues), etc. It will continue
to change, in some cases for the better (see the recent success of Cirrus
and the development of the GA glass cockpit), in some cases for the worse.
But the very small incremental change in pilot population that results
from "Be a pilot" programs really won't have much effect. Pilots have a
small and decreasing voice. That's just part of the landscape. But it is a
vast overstatement to say that GA is dying.

The pressure exerted on GA by anti-terror or regulatory issues is
insignificant compared to the damage being done to it by Father Time.

The pilot community is very old, and getting older by the minute. Already
most of the WWII generation has hung it up, and the Korean War generation
ain't far behind. Why do you think formerly busy little airports all over
the country are now nearly deserted? The guys who used to fly there are
"flying" walkers and wheel chairs nowadays.

Take a look at the "Gone West" page in EAA's Sport Aviation magazine every
month. It's astounding the number of members EAA is losing each month due
to natural attrition -- and there simply are not enough student pilot
start-ups to make up for the tens of thousands of post-war pilots who are
pushing up daisies.

GA is dying -- literally -- right before our eyes. And we are going to have
to get a whole bunch of young people interested in flying to keep this ball
rolling.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"