Flying as Therapy

"Jay Honeck" wrote in
news:a5BUe.322045$_o.199192@attbi_s71:

snip
was suddenly floating. It was as if I was outside my body, and
observing the situation from above, and I realized how stupid my
predicament was, and how unsolvable his issues were, and how dumb I
was to ever leave the newspaper business.
snip
The whole flight took just 0.3 hours. The day was wonderful.

What a wonderful post!

I know it's taboo for production peole to talk to editorial people, but you
should consider trying to hook up with some of the folks at your paper to
write articles like this for the Travel or Living section!

Sadly, though, I suspect the pleasure of doing it would be diminished once
you were getting paid for it. I imagine the same holds true for any job -
even, amazingly, flying...

The whole flight took just 0.3 hours. The day was wonderful.

What a wonderful post!

Thanks!

I know it's taboo for production peole to talk to editorial people, but you
should consider trying to hook up with some of the folks at your paper to
write articles like this for the Travel or Living section!

Sadly, though, I suspect the pleasure of doing it would be diminished once
you were getting paid for it. I imagine the same holds true for any job -
even, amazingly, flying...

Nah, I want nothing more to do with the daily grind of a newspaper.
After 20 years of doing everything from truck driver to sales manager
to marketing manager, I've had enough of THAT.

Writing, on the other hand, has always been one of my passions, and --
although I've had a couple of articles published (and they even *paid*
me for them, the fools!) -- I tend to write like other people breathe;
because I have to. It's got nothing to do with wanting to make money
at it.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Great post Jay. For me, flying around the Bridgers in the evening is a
great way to take the edge off a bad day. Gets me focused on something
else.

--Walt Weaver
Bozeman, Montana

BTW Gregg,

Love your webpage. Interest stuff.

Bryan "The Monk" Chaisone

It was the day from Hell. . . .

I do it a couple of times a week - nothing challenging - just fly the
same old route - past the waterfall, over the lakes, shoot the VOR and
then the really cool fast descent down the side of the mountain to join
downwind left.
Done it so many times I will launch stressed - because I know it
backwards and it is the best therapy I will ever find for the price

Tony
--

Tony Roberts
PP-ASEL
VFR OTT
Night
Cessna 172H C-GICE

"tony roberts" wrote in message
news:nospam-947282.21460511092005@shawnews...
It was the day from Hell. . . .

I do it a couple of times a week - nothing challenging - just fly the
same old route - past the waterfall, over the lakes, shoot the VOR and
then the really cool fast descent down the side of the mountain to join
downwind left.
Done it so many times I will launch stressed - because I know it
backwards and it is the best therapy I will ever find for the price



I don't mean to spoil anybody's fun, but as a new yet-to-become pilot, I am
a little amazed by the premise of this thread. (Fully disclosu Of
course, I am reading all the official propaganda religiously... I *do* have
to answer the questions correctly on the written and the oral... okay, okay,
not necessarily correctly as to real-life, but correctly with respect to the
expected answers from the official text books
:-)

But I would like to know a *real* behaviour specialist's take on what
constitutes "therapy" after stress,... which activities might be useful and
which activities should be avoided....and the real reasons for both.

From my own limited experience, stuff like golf and bridge come to mind as
being useful, because they require a focus of the mind... as does piloting.
But the difference is that a momentary lapse during a bridge game, back to
mulling the real-life issue, will not become particularly disastrous.

But can it be individual-dependant? Are some people more at risk to fly
after stress, but others are not? How can I tell which is which? How can I
tell which one am I?

Any good links out there on the subject, before I go searching myself?

But I would like to know a *real* behaviour specialist's take on what
constitutes "therapy" after stress
From my own limited experience, stuff like golf and bridge come to mind as
being useful, because they require a focus of the mind... as does piloting.
But the difference is that a momentary lapse during a bridge game, back to
mulling the real-life issue, will not become particularly disastrous.

I think, perhaps, you have misunderstood what I meant by "therapy." I
certainly don't mean to imply that I'm just sitting in the cockpit in a
Zen-like trance, completely transfixed and relaxed.

Man, nothing could be farther from the truth! Nothing gets -- and
keeps -- your attention like flying -- especially pattern work. You
are entirely, 100% "in the moment" -- which is why it's such great
therapy. There is simply no room for other worries, outside of what
you are doing -- even after years of flying.

There is nothing like facing a life-and-death situation (which, in the
final analysis, flying *is*) to focus the mind! It tends to put
everything in perspective, highlighting how stupid most of our
day-to-day worries truly are.

But can it be individual-dependant? Are some people more at risk to fly
after stress, but others are not? How can I tell which is which? How can I
tell which one am I?

I suppose it's possible for someone to be SO stressed that even flying
can't grab their attention? I don't know...but I guess I'd stay on
the ground if I was so distraught.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
ups.com...
But I would like to know a *real* behaviour specialist's take on what
constitutes "therapy" after stress
From my own limited experience, stuff like golf and bridge come to mind
as
being useful, because they require a focus of the mind... as does
piloting.
But the difference is that a momentary lapse during a bridge game, back
to
mulling the real-life issue, will not become particularly disastrous.

I think, perhaps, you have misunderstood what I meant by "therapy." I
certainly don't mean to imply that I'm just sitting in the cockpit in a
Zen-like trance, completely transfixed and relaxed.

Man, nothing could be farther from the truth! Nothing gets -- and
keeps -- your attention like flying -- especially pattern work. You
are entirely, 100% "in the moment" -- which is why it's such great
therapy. There is simply no room for other worries, outside of what
you are doing -- even after years of flying.

There is nothing like facing a life-and-death situation (which, in the
final analysis, flying *is*) to focus the mind! It tends to put
everything in perspective, highlighting how stupid most of our
day-to-day worries truly are.

But can it be individual-dependant? Are some people more at risk to fly
after stress, but others are not? How can I tell which is which? How
can I
tell which one am I?

I suppose it's possible for someone to be SO stressed that even flying
can't grab their attention? I don't know...but I guess I'd stay on
the ground if I was so distraught.
--

Jay H,

I think your last paragraph gets to the crux of the question...

Don't know how deeply they got into psycho/physiological issues when you
earned your Private, but it's a pretty hot topic these days.

John and Martha King have their "P.A.V.E." system, while (IIRC) Jepp uses
the nmonic "I.M.S.A.F.E.", but both emphasize the need to fly safely by
looking beyond just the weather and the airplane by taking a good look at
where the pilot is at in terms of rest, nutrition, and especially external
pressures like a bad day at the office.

The type of day you described in your original post is exactly the kind of
day that would (IMO) prompt the Kings to reccomend you NOT climb in to the
cockpit.

The caveat here is that they are addressing people who are facing the dual
tasks of both learning to fly ... and learning to set their personal minima.
I'm sure these personal checklists apply to all pilots, but there is going
to be a sliding scale as one gains experience.

Jay Beckman
PP-ASEL
AZ Cloudbusters
Chandler, AZ

"Jay Beckman" wrote in message
news:bamVe.234221$E95.129515@fed1read01...
"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
ups.com...
But I would like to know a *real* behaviour specialist's take on what
constitutes "therapy" after stress
From my own limited experience, stuff like golf and bridge come to mind
as
being useful, because they require a focus of the mind... as does
piloting.
But the difference is that a momentary lapse during a bridge game, back
to
mulling the real-life issue, will not become particularly disastrous.

I think, perhaps, you have misunderstood what I meant by "therapy." I
certainly don't mean to imply that I'm just sitting in the cockpit in a
Zen-like trance, completely transfixed and relaxed.

Man, nothing could be farther from the truth! Nothing gets -- and
keeps -- your attention like flying -- especially pattern work. You
are entirely, 100% "in the moment" -- which is why it's such great
therapy. There is simply no room for other worries, outside of what
you are doing -- even after years of flying.

There is nothing like facing a life-and-death situation (which, in the
final analysis, flying *is*) to focus the mind! It tends to put
everything in perspective, highlighting how stupid most of our
day-to-day worries truly are.

But can it be individual-dependant? Are some people more at risk to
fly
after stress, but others are not? How can I tell which is which? How
can I
tell which one am I?

I suppose it's possible for someone to be SO stressed that even flying
can't grab their attention? I don't know...but I guess I'd stay on
the ground if I was so distraught.
--

Jay H,

I think your last paragraph gets to the crux of the question...

Don't know how deeply they got into psycho/physiological issues when you
earned your Private, but it's a pretty hot topic these days.

John and Martha King have their "P.A.V.E." system, while (IIRC) Jepp uses
the nmonic "I.M.S.A.F.E.", but both emphasize the need to fly safely by
looking beyond just the weather and the airplane by taking a good look at
where the pilot is at in terms of rest, nutrition, and especially external
pressures like a bad day at the office.

The type of day you described in your original post is exactly the kind of
day that would (IMO) prompt the Kings to reccomend you NOT climb in to the
cockpit.

The situation Jay is talking about is one in which all the BS one put up
with during the day goes away soon as the seatbelts click. It works and I
am sure the blood pressure and a lot of other bad things related to stress
disapear in minutes. It might not work for all people but for those that it
does it seems like a miracle.

Has anyone on this group had a heart attack?
Did you receive counseling as part of your therapy on how to deal with
stressful situations?

Of the people I have met that have had heart attacks, it is as though
they have undergone a personality transformation. Where previously they
would explode in a given situation, they are now calm, quiet and
reserved.
Then again, maybe it's the drugs? :-))