What does flying do for you?

"Paul Tomblin" wrote in message
...
In a previous article, Ross Younger said:
Apologies if it's an oft-asked question, but what does flying do for
you folks?

I wrote a tiny bit about this in my blog.
http://xcski.com/blogs/pt/000004.html

Chronic pain keeps me from cross country skiing, backpacking, canoeing,
orienteering and mountain biking, but I can still fly.


It allows me to expand my business (equipment exports) by covering customers
and providers hundreds of miles away. Half of our providers are large
companies in big cities, and the other half are in the boonies.

The rest of the company, a five man partnership for the rest of the
business -- real estate development, is similarly spread out. We could not
function just with airlines even without the post 9/11 hassles.

That the flying part is the most fun aspect of the business is...well,
incidental :~)

Ross

Take off - 100 and a quarter mile.
2 hours hard IFR.
Land - 100 and a quarter mile.
Park, open canopy and shut down.
Satisfaction of a job well done under difficult conditions.

Big John



On 27 Nov 2003 19:38:22 +0000 (GMT), Ross Younger
wrote:

It has been three months since I passed my Skills Test, and I logged just
over five hours between then and the end of October. After a combination
of bad luck, bad weather and stress intervened, I got back in the air
today for the first time in a month. This was technically a competence
check with an instructor, to satisfy the club's insurers; we did a few
circuits, finishing to an eye-poppingly beautiful red half-set sun.

While writing up my journal just now, I was suddenly reminded of what I
like about flying. It's the sheer joy of just being up there, looking
down and admiring the world without having an immediately tangible
connection to it. This seemed to be the case for my first passenger, too
(my girlfriend, of course - and she loved it). There's also the technical
pleasure which comes from pulling off a greaser :-). I suppose shooting
an instrument approach and breaking cloud just above decision height to
see the runway right where you expect it counts too, though it'll be a
little while before I take much instrument training, I think.

Apologies if it's an oft-asked question, but what does flying do for
you folks?

Blue skies,


Ross

1. It's fun! There are few things as enjoyable.

2. Gives me something challenging to do and a great feeling of satisfaction.

3. Provides a break from graduate school.

4. Helps pay the bills.

5. Amaze your friends with incredible stories of bravery and courage.
-- O.K. Maybe not. But it is a useful conversation starter. For a
while. Until they get tired of you talking about airplanes every
chance you get.

David


Larry Fransson wrote in message news:2003112712144016807%lfransson@comcastnet...
On 2003-11-27 11:38:22 -0800, Ross Younger said:

Apologies if it's an oft-asked question, but what does flying do for
you folks?

It pays the bills!

Some of the greatest thrills of my life have been in my plane--on parallel
final with an airbus going into Logan, circling Central Park at 1800 feet on a
crystal clear night, breaking out 200 feet above Richmond on the ILS and seeing
the runway lights right where they belong, and circling JFK between the
parallels at 1500 feet taking photos as the Concorde was landing beneath me.

In the 28 years that I have been a pilot, the sheer joy of taking off and
moving "above it all" has never left me. There hasn't been a flight where I
haven't, at some point, said to myself, "wow, look where you are!".

For me, it is therapeutic in that while doing it, you really do not think about
any of the myriad problems and stresses of life on the ground. Even in complex
airspace while working feverishly to accomplish a mission, NOTHING else enters
my mind. In that sense, it is a cleansing . . . a getaway . . . no cellphone,
no Fox News, no email, no talk radio . . . just flying. It does for my head
what the workout/steamroom does for my half-century old body. G

After landing and going through my ritualistic camera equipment packing and
putting my plane to bed (including a kiss on the spinner), I call my wife to
let her know I am "down and safe" (her requirement) and then I replay the video
of the flight that is in my head. In a sense, I am still flying most of the 25
minute drive home.

I have always believed that every human being who has EVER walked the face of
the earth since the beginning of time has DREAMED of flying. And only the
tiniest, tiniest, microscopically small fraction of them will ever get to DO it
as we do. It's no small thing.

It's all I can remember really wanting to do since watching "Sky King" on
Saturday mornings as a child. Oh . . . yes, I forgot . . . at 26 I also wanted
to play in the E Street Band. G



www.Rosspilot.com

After landing and going through my ritualistic camera equipment packing
and
putting my plane to bed (including a kiss on the spinner), I call my wife
to
let her know I am "down and safe" (her requirement) and then I replay the
video
of the flight that is in my head. In a sense, I am still flying most of
the 25
minute drive home.

As someone around here said a while back, after a checkride (was it
StellaStar?): I didn't need an airplane to fly home.

-- David Brooks

Tom- Would you have a few minutes to chat and give me some advice on
real estate development? I'm trying to get started in the field and
would like to know how others got started, etc.

thanks,

-lance smith
new e-mail: outside92129 AT yahoo . com


"Tom S." wrote in message news:ZuTxb.695
[snip]
The rest of the company, a five man partnership for the rest of the
business -- real estate development, is similarly spread out. We could not
function just with airlines even without the post 9/11 hassles.

That the flying part is the most fun aspect of the business is...well,
incidental :~)

What a great post. Thanks.

Toby


"Rosspilot" wrote in message
...

Some of the greatest thrills of my life have been in my plane--on
parallel
final with an airbus going into Logan, circling Central Park at 1800 feet
on a
crystal clear night, breaking out 200 feet above Richmond on the ILS and
seeing
the runway lights right where they belong, and circling JFK between the
parallels at 1500 feet taking photos as the Concorde was landing beneath
me.

In the 28 years that I have been a pilot, the sheer joy of taking off and
moving "above it all" has never left me. There hasn't been a flight where
I
haven't, at some point, said to myself, "wow, look where you are!".

For me, it is therapeutic in that while doing it, you really do not think
about
any of the myriad problems and stresses of life on the ground. Even in
complex
airspace while working feverishly to accomplish a mission, NOTHING else
enters
my mind. In that sense, it is a cleansing . . . a getaway . . . no
cellphone,
no Fox News, no email, no talk radio . . . just flying. It does for my
head
what the workout/steamroom does for my half-century old body. G

After landing and going through my ritualistic camera equipment packing
and
putting my plane to bed (including a kiss on the spinner), I call my wife
to
let her know I am "down and safe" (her requirement) and then I replay the
video
of the flight that is in my head. In a sense, I am still flying most of
the 25
minute drive home.

I have always believed that every human being who has EVER walked the face
of
the earth since the beginning of time has DREAMED of flying. And only the
tiniest, tiniest, microscopically small fraction of them will ever get to
DO it
as we do. It's no small thing.

It's all I can remember really wanting to do since watching "Sky King" on
Saturday mornings as a child. Oh . . . yes, I forgot . . . at 26 I also
wanted
to play in the E Street Band. G



www.Rosspilot.com