Unscientific survey - why are you a pilot?

"Danny Deger" wrote in message
...

"Doug Semler" wrote in message
ups.com...
(Trying to steer a thread to the topic of the group g)

A response of mine in another thread got me to thinking (dangerous, I
know) about what makes a person *want* to become a pilot. This has
probably been asked umpteen times before, and will be asked umpteen
times in the future, but I am trying to get a feel for the
psychological aspect that causes a person to WANT to be a pilot. So
this is directed towards non-pilots and students as well. Of course,
every individual is different, but these 2 newsgroups are pretty
directed towards pilots so can be taken as an unscientfic
representative sample.

In some cases looking in Jay's general direction it's because it's
an opportunity for family bonding and whathaveyou. Some cases are
probably your run-of-the-mill "cool factor" cases. And, of course, I
am sure that there are the cases of the "I'm better than you because I
can do something you can't do" syndrome. But I'm wondering if there
isn't some deep commonality amongst most pilots to which we can
point?

Do you have a "family history" of aviation/piloting?
Are you an adventure seeker (anything from "true" adrenaline junkee to
"every day is different and brings a new challenge")
Are you constantly seeking new challenges?
(subpart) Do you find that you get bored easily?
Do you have a "thirst for knowledge" (e.g. would you rather be in
school than working)?
(subpart) Do you find yourself constantly seeking out new things
about flying regularly or do you only look it up when you run across
something you don't know.
(subpart - for instructors) Do you enjoy it when your student "gets
it" or has that "aha! moment?"
Are you a "control freak" (type-a)?
Do you have hints of "delusions of grandeur?" or is it more like "I'm
on top of the world when I fly"
Are you an introvert or an extrovert?
If given the choice, would you rather read fiction or an aviation
oriented book?
(For those that use the radio) Do you find that you have always had
good communication skills?
Are you left brained or right brained (logic-and-math or Artsy
fartsy)?

Or am I missing something soooo obvious that I'll die of embarassment
when it's pointed out to me? Or even worse, is there no measurable
psychological correlation to flying and I'm just out to lunch
(wouldn't be the first time g)

Note:
I was thinking about including education history (e.g. are pilots more
likely to be college graduates) but that introduces 2 biases (age and
income) into it. However maybe a question along the lines of "while
in school did you consider yourself to be a good student" would be
better.


I was born in 1956. I wanted to be an astronaut and at that time all
astronauts were pilots. Outside of that I love the challenge of flying.

Danny Deger

Interesting you mention that. I was born in 1959. Last night I was
listening to an mp3 of a book from the late 1940s/early 1950s called
"Flying Saucers are Real!" and I still have reel-to-reel audio tapes
of most of the Apollo missions, taped using a microphone next
to the TV. I'm not sure if I wanted to be an astronaut or an
alien though...

P.S. I'm not a pilot, yet.

"Ken Finney" wrote in message
...

snip



I was born in 1956. I wanted to be an astronaut and at that time all
astronauts were pilots. Outside of that I love the challenge of flying.

Danny Deger

Interesting you mention that. I was born in 1959. Last night I was
listening to an mp3 of a book from the late 1940s/early 1950s called
"Flying Saucers are Real!" and I still have reel-to-reel audio tapes
of most of the Apollo missions, taped using a microphone next
to the TV. I'm not sure if I wanted to be an astronaut or an
alien though...

P.S. I'm not a pilot, yet.




I forgot to mention you can read all about it in my free book, "Houston, You
Have a Problem." Download from www.dannydeger.net

Danny Deger

Do you have a "family history" of aviation/piloting?
No

Are you an adventure seeker (anything from "true" adrenaline junkee to
"every day is different and brings a new challenge")
No (Well maybe the like new challenges end of it)

Are you constantly seeking new challenges?
Yes (If that applies to everytime I fly my sailplane, 2nd challenges
are building new electronic or mechanical gadgets, usually for my
sailplane)

(subpart) Do you find that you get bored easily?
No.

Do you have a "thirst for knowledge" (e.g. would you rather be in
school than working)?
Yes, But prefer hands on learning to going to school.

(subpart) Do you find yourself constantly seeking out new things
about flying regularly or do you only look it up when you run across
something you don't know.
Yes, But that is a lot of what Flight Instructors do.


(subpart - for instructors) Do you enjoy it when your student "gets
it" or has that "aha! moment?"
Yes

Are you a "control freak" (type-a)?
No

Do you have hints of "delusions of grandeur?" or is it more like "I'm
on top of the world when I fly"
No, Ok I do get that "On top of the world feeling" when at 17,500 feet
over the Central Idaho Wilderness in my Sailplane.

Are you an introvert or an extrovert?
Mostly intorvert. I am the quiet one.

If given the choice, would you rather read fiction or an aviation
oriented book?
Used to be aviation, Now is more Fiction.

(For those that use the radio) Do you find that you have always had
good communication skills?
No

Are you left brained or right brained (logic-and-math or Artsy
fartsy)?
Left

On Wed, 15 Aug 2007 08:14:53 -0700, Doug Semler wrote:

A response of mine in another thread got me to thinking (dangerous, I
know) about what makes a person *want* to become a pilot.

At 6 years old I sat in my father's lap in the cockpit of a DC-3 while we
flew over the Andes. That's still one of the coolest things I've ever
done.

Did that make an aviation lover out of me? That may have done it, but I'll
never know.

I honestly believe it's nature, not nurture. Some people want the window
seat, some people want the aisle seat... I think you're born with it.


--
Dallas

Doug Semler wrote in news:1187190893.204957.59450
@g12g2000prg.googlegroups.com:


Because I didn't spend enough time practicing piano


Bertie

On Aug 15, 11:29 am, Bertie the Bunyip wrote:
Doug Semler wrote in news:1187190893.204957.59450
@g12g2000prg.googlegroups.com:

Because I didn't spend enough time practicing piano

Bertie

LOL!

wrote in news:1187203057.372374.14610
@j4g2000prf.googlegroups.com:

On Aug 15, 11:29 am, Bertie the Bunyip wrote:
Doug Semler wrote in news:1187190893.204957.59450
@g12g2000prg.googlegroups.com:

Because I didn't spend enough time practicing piano

Bertie

LOL!



Thenkew.

Bertie

I am a pilot because MXSMANIC (Anthony Atkielski) isn't. This distinguishes
me from him in many ways, all good.

"Viperdoc" wrote in
. net:

I am a pilot because MXSMANIC (Anthony Atkielski) isn't. This
distinguishes me from him in many ways, all good.




By that reasoning about 99% of the population could become pilots. those
not in prison, institutions are sequestered to their bedrooms.


Bertie

In rec.aviation.student Doug Semler wrote:
Do you have a "family history" of aviation/piloting?

Nope. My uncle flies, but I got him started (long before I earned a
rating) rather than the other way around. His continuing presence as an
active pilot might have helped nudge me along, though.

Are you an adventure seeker (anything from "true" adrenaline junkee to
"every day is different and brings a new challenge")

A year ago I would have said no, now I'll say yes. Cross country soaring
is more adventure than I bargained for and I love every minute.

Are you constantly seeking new challenges?
(subpart) Do you find that you get bored easily?

Yes to both.

Do you have a "thirst for knowledge" (e.g. would you rather be in
school than working)?

Your parenthetical is broken. While I mostly enjoyed school (university,
not this juvenile hall they call school for children), my "thirst for
knowledge" is in many ways better satisfied now that I'm no longer
learning officially.

(subpart) Do you find yourself constantly seeking out new things
about flying regularly or do you only look it up when you run across
something you don't know.

Constantly seeking out new things, frequently followed by going out and
doing them.

Are you a "control freak" (type-a)?

Nope.

Do you have hints of "delusions of grandeur?" or is it more like "I'm
on top of the world when I fly"

On top of the world. I've done some really amazing things but I know I am
but a dust mote compared to the really great pilots.

Are you an introvert or an extrovert?

Introvert.

If given the choice, would you rather read fiction or an aviation
oriented book?

Probably the fiction. I prefer flying over reading about flying, although
doing research in advance of trying something new is always a good thing.

(For those that use the radio) Do you find that you have always had
good communication skills?

Not good, but passable. When I was much younger and doing power flying the
radio was always intimidating. Now it's no big deal, partly because I'm
never talking to ATC, and partly because I just don't have the anxiety
about it I used to.

Are you left brained or right brained (logic-and-math or Artsy
fartsy)?

Real far left. Programmer by trade, specializing in things so esoteric
that I can't even explain what they are to most people.

Or am I missing something soooo obvious that I'll die of embarassment
when it's pointed out to me? Or even worse, is there no measurable
psychological correlation to flying and I'm just out to lunch
(wouldn't be the first time g)

It has been noticed many times in my club that we are extremely heavy in
engineering-type disciplines and advanced degrees. Usually this is pointed
out when we have four or five people with PhDs standing around all trying
to figure out how to get the glider on its dolly so it can go in the
hangar, but that makes it no less true.

Note:
I was thinking about including education history (e.g. are pilots more
likely to be college graduates) but that introduces 2 biases (age and
income) into it. However maybe a question along the lines of "while
in school did you consider yourself to be a good student" would be
better.

Perhaps the simple fact of obtaining a degree isn't relevant (although we
seem to have more advanced degrees than I would expect) but the subject of
those degrees definitely should be. You still have the income bias there,
but not as much. For the record, Computer Science here.

--
Michael Ash
Rogue Amoeba Software