Flying as Therapy

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.

Golf and bridge usually require partners that need attention.
After a really crappy day - client went sideways, employee went
sideways, somebody really screwed up - whatever -the last think I need
is partners who need attention - I want to spend some time on my own -
or with non demanding friends who don't ask anything other than
friendship - because they have also been there done that - and who needs
competition at a time like this?
So I drive out to the airport - still ****ed - arrive at my plane and
everything is immediately forgotten. All of my attention goes on
preflight - then friends wander over to say Hi, Fuellers stop by to say
Hi. The grass smells great, the sun is shining, C-GICE is tied down,
sparkling in the sunlight, (or covered in dew, waiting to launch and
shake off her wings - either will do)

I start up get my ATIS and chat with tower - I no longer remember where
I work. I launch, leave the control zone, make my calls and several
friends will immediately say Hi.
So we switch to 123.45 and chat and BS and I fly my favourite most
scenic route and the world is beautiful. And I can't even remember where
I work.
And I fly into the night, and all the world is beautiful.
And I land in moonlight and put C-GICE to bed - and my world is
beautiful.
And I go home happy - stop by Tim Hortons for a coffee and flirt with
the girls - and finally I get home, have a g&t, go to bed, and
occasionally - very occasionally- I'll wake up and think about that
asshole client/whatever - but 9 out of 10 the problem is back in
perspective - it ain't worth thinking about.

And yes - I am very aware of PDM courses - in fact I present one at our
local flying clubs - but this is not so much about PDM as it is about
why we own our own aircraft - This is VERY focused flying - and renters
cant be this spontanious - that is the gift of flight!

Tony
--

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

In article ,
"Icebound" wrote:

"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?




--

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

"tony roberts" wrote in message
news:nospam-860A4B.19545512092005@shawnews...

Golf and bridge usually require partners that need attention.
After a really crappy day - client went sideways, employee went
sideways, somebody really screwed up - whatever -the last think I need
is partners who need attention - I want to spend some time on my own -
or with non demanding friends who don't ask anything other than
friendship - because they have also been there done that - and who needs
competition at a time like this?
So I drive out to the airport - still ****ed - arrive at my plane and
everything is immediately forgotten. All of my attention goes on
preflight - then friends wander over to say Hi, Fuellers stop by to say
Hi. The grass smells great, the sun is shining, C-GICE is tied down,
sparkling in the sunlight, (or covered in dew, waiting to launch and
shake off her wings - either will do)

I start up get my ATIS and chat with tower - I no longer remember where
I work. I launch, leave the control zone, make my calls and several
friends will immediately say Hi.
So we switch to 123.45 and chat and BS and I fly my favourite most
scenic route and the world is beautiful. And I can't even remember where
I work.
And I fly into the night, and all the world is beautiful.
And I land in moonlight and put C-GICE to bed - and my world is
beautiful.
And I go home happy - stop by Tim Hortons for a coffee and flirt with
the girls - and finally I get home, have a g&t, go to bed, and
occasionally - very occasionally- I'll wake up and think about that
asshole client/whatever - but 9 out of 10 the problem is back in
perspective - it ain't worth thinking about.

And yes - I am very aware of PDM courses - in fact I present one at our
local flying clubs - but this is not so much about PDM as it is about
why we own our own aircraft - This is VERY focused flying - and renters
cant be this spontanious - that is the gift of flight!

Tony


Tony,

Very well said...

Jay B

Tony wrote:
And I fly into the night, and all the world is beautiful.
And I land in moonlight and put C-GICE to bed - and my world is
beautiful.
And I go home happy

Damn! I miss flying. : -(
Beautifully said BTW.

and renters
cant be this spontanious

I wouldn't know.

Bryan "The Monk" Chaisone

Icebound wrote:


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?


For me the answer lies more in the nature of the flight. If the flight is to
be from point A to to point B for some real purpose then it might end up
adding stress. Certainly the pilot's human factors need to be considered.

OTOH if the flight is to poke a hole in the sky and generally commit
aviation then it will certainly be a stress reliever.

Most anything that requires concentration can accomplish this so we see the
same thing with other pastimes (motorcycles, golf, painting) too. It's just
that flying is better than anything else.


--
Frank....H

Most anything that requires concentration can accomplish this so we see the
same thing with other pastimes (motorcycles, golf, painting) too. It's just
that flying is better than anything else.

Amen, brother!

:-)
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

I don't remember PAVE, but IM SAFE is in the FAA publications.

I.llness
M.edication(s)
S.tress
A.lcohol
F.atigue
E.motion

Chris


Jay Beckman wrote:
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.

I am , of course, delighted that this works as well for
others (You) as it does for me......



` Dave



On Sat, 10 Sep 2005 13:21:10 GMT, "Jay Honeck"
wrote:

It was the day from Hell. From the moment I arrived at the Inn on our
"Monday morning" (in real life, Friday), literally everything that could go
wrong, did.

Everything from an overnight guest, on the lam from the law (and who needed
to be arrested *here*, of course, for all to see), to a major plumbing
problem, to a cantankerous employee, to high heat and humidity, to a new
(and unknown) strain of algae attacking the pool -- it was happening all at
once.

And there was no respite. Throughout the day, as one fire was extinguished,
another would blow up in my face, often two or three at a time. By
mid-afternoon I was somewhere between rage, disbelief, and unstoppable
laughter, as Mary and I tried to predict what could POSSIBLY go wrong next.

Just as I said this, our "guest from hell" walked through the lobby door,
looking for a fight. This guy -- a retired professor emeritus who has
decided that he's going to live at the inn till he dies -- has complained
about every guest that has ever bunked above him, below him, or next to him.
Worse, he may be in the early stages of Alzheimer's, as he repeats himself
ad nauseum. Daily.

With nothing else to do, no where else to go, and no relatives nearby, we
have become this poor mans sounding board and chew toy. As I listened to
him go on about the kids upstairs, the dog that barked once at 6 AM (he,
too, has a dog, but that doesn't matter) the full parking lots, and the
unbearable humidity near the laundry room, I felt the heat rising in my
face.

By now, at age 46, I should know to leave the room when I feel this occur,
but, unfortunately, I was the only one in the lobby. (From experience Mary
had smartly vamoosed at the first sight of this guy). There was to be no
escape.

As I pondered this sanctimonious, arrogant man, sitting comfortably in my
lobby, ranting on about things beyond my control, needlessly taking my time
away from other things that desperately needed to get done, I 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.

He was demanding to know what I was going to do about the sound of
children's feet pitter-pattering from the suite above, and demanding to know
why he couldn't park closer to the door, when something inside me cracked.

The next 60 seconds are a blur, but suffice it to say that I ended my tirade
by stating, unequivocally, that I would be physically placing all of his
belongings -- and him -- out at the curb if he didn't leave the lobby. At
once. It was not pretty.

After he left, I stood there, shaking. The day did not improve.

Flash forward a few hours. Mary and I have finally escaped the madness, and
are sitting at the hangar. I've just finished downing a grilled Boca
burger, my butt is planted in a comfy chair, and we're discussing what has
easily been the worst day of our 3-year hotel experience.

And there sat Atlas. Fully fueled. Ready to go, anywhere we pointed him.

We both looked at each other, and knew it was time to get some air beneath
us.

With the sun already down, we were soon rolling down Runway 25, right next
to the Inn. Climbing out into the silky smooth darkening sky, Mary expertly
carved the pattern behind a primary student who was on his first night
flight, his instructor beside him, patiently waiting for "legal darkness" to
arrive.

After one circuit, and a perfect landing, we switched positions (always fun,
without opening the doors or shutting down the engine!), and I was soon
smoothly applying power on the takeoff roll. Feeling the wheels rumble down
the familiar pavement, my heart soared as the ground fell away from us, that
big ol' O-540 rumbling happily just inches in front of me. .

With the lights of the city twinkling below, and the hint of fog moving into
the valley through the still, heavy air, it was magical as we arced
effortlessly around the pattern. With almost no sense of motion, outside
of the turns, it was easy to imagine a place and a time far removed from the
trials of the day. It was easy, and beautiful, and my troubles all seemed
to fall away beneath me....

Turning to final, watching the VASIs, keeping the approach speed nailed, I
landed and called it a night. It was a beautiful evening, still in the 80s,
and it was hard to believe that anything in this world could be anything
less than perfect.

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