Process or results?

CharlieD3

CharlieD3

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CharlieD3
With all the "which plane?" questions we see here, I think we miss an important consideration in "defining the mission". Within limitations, of course.

Say the question (or one of the offerings) is 182 v. Bo.

Obviously, the Bo's gonna get there quicker, and may be able to land on that grass strip almost as well as the 182.

Then of course, you won't be able to see anything along the way in the Bo because of the low wing.

(Relax, it's just another part of the high/low wing argument we all hear... all the time)

But.

What about the process of getting there? IOW:
Do you enjoy the flying/looking/exploring part... The scenery... The "Hey! What's that over there?.. Let's go take a look!" (VFR, naturally)...

OR

Do, you just want to get there? File IFR, get to VFR on top if you're lucky, fly the AP way... Direct if you're luckier, and just "get there." Little need to hand fly, much... Just point a to point b.

Is flying still an adventure, or is it just a means to an end. If it's just the latter, shouldn't we all just fly commercial?

For me... I want to get there, wherever there is... But, if I go a little slower, or I take a detour along the way, maybe do a few turns around that lake or town or valley just to see it better... I mean, I've circled a water tower or two, to confirm my pilotage back in the day. That's joyful, pleasant.. it accomplishes the "get there" with a little sponteneity.

Yep, I wanna get there, but maybe one of my passengers wants to go see a golf course he heard about on the way.

Joy or job? Fun or function? Some of both? Leaning more towards.... Which?

Just wondering....
 
It was joy for me for a long time during the learning to fly phase, then it became a job. 6 years later I'm looking at buying something to bring the joy back into flying when I'm not working. (And no, the answer is not a Bonanza because you can't stick those on gravel bars ;))
 
DavidWhite said:
It was joy for me for a long time during the learning to fly phase, then it became a job. 6 years later I'm looking at buying something to bring the joy back into flying when I'm not working. (And no, the answer is not a Bonanza because you can't stick those on gravel bars ;))
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I guess, since I'm semi-retired and getting back into flying "for the joy of it..." I'm not regretting that I didn't make it a career choice.

To my recollection; yes, there was a component of proceduralism... but it was out weighed by the wonder, and awe. At the end of a flight, a sense of accomplishment. Of "doing the work" well, and reaping the rewards of a well done job.

$100.00 burger... Or, a quasi-task flight to go look at a property being built.

We are so blessed to be able to see our planet from 1000 feet (or the flight levels). By our own hand and doing...

I don't ever want to lose that feeling.
 
When you can’t fly at all, then you realize it doesn’t matter, fly whatever you can today... clapped out skyhawk, Bo, Cirrus, it really doesn’t matter. You may not have the time you think you do to sit around debating which one, if the day comes that the answer is none.

Just go fly something.
 
DavidWhite said:
It was joy for me for a long time during the learning to fly phase, then it became a job. 6 years later I'm looking at buying something to bring the joy back into flying when I'm not working. (And no, the answer is not a Bonanza because you can't stick those on gravel bars ;))
Click to expand...

I'm surprised your enthusiasm for flying has waned so much. Back in the learning phase, and even in your first years of flying for a living, you often expressed the joie de vivre that makes flying special.

I hope you can find a plane that will revive those feelings.
 
CharlieD3 said:
What about the process of getting there? IOW:
Do you enjoy the flying/looking/exploring part... The scenery... The "Hey! What's that over there?.. Let's go take a look!" (VFR, naturally)...

OR

Do, you just want to get there? File IFR, get to VFR on top if you're lucky, fly the AP way... Direct if you're luckier, and just "get there." Little need to hand fly, much... Just point a to point b..
Click to expand...

Yes! And that's why it's such a hard choice to make. I love it all. Airplanes as time machines that get us places to do other things are great (especially in the great morass of traffic here in the mid-atlantic) and at the same time it's just plane fun to go out and fly and look at the world.

Yesterday just went to fly. A short field landing, followed the Susquehanna River from it's mouth up towards York PA, land there then back to Frederick for an ILS - All alone with just the joy of flight. But, I'm looking forward to flying to Georgia to bird hunt with friends in Feb just as much (and hoping for no ice or it's SWA)
 
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Flying, especially to a destination, is still a joy for me. All the more so if there is scenery, or if you just have to fly IFR in the clag, only to break out like (predictable) magic at your destination. Even at 115 kt, I can get to fun places like DC or Boston or Maine in a few hours, with much less stress and torture than driving 5-8 hours. Even longer trips, say to North Carolina, which would be a brutal drive, is just a morning's worth of flying. And the trip is always a little bit of a fun adventure, not just a grind, to do something few others have the privilege to enjoy.
 
DavidWhite said:
I don't think Super Cubs or Super Cruisers have ever had issues, besides they're safe from that school as no one there knows what rudder pedals are for.
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LOL LOL. Yeah, was just saying they’re hard on Pipers. :)
 
If you are deciding between Bo an 182's- here is my thoughts since I was on the same path as you.

With the Bo-
The gear goes up and down. This makes me smile like a kid. This is a positive for me, worth the money and extras. Dunno why. Yes, a 182RG exists but when I went to rent a local one he said they keep a broom handle in the cabin when the gear doesnt lock down. I want to believe he was kidding but I wasnt sure, and the plane was down for a long annual so that never happened.
The extra speed is nice. Some days I am 19inches and 2200 and sight seeing. Other days I want to get high and fast and at 23.5/2400 and hoping for every tailwind I can find.
I find more passengers like seeing a wing under them than over them. I do agree on the little reduced ground views but really its not noticeable.
And when was shopping, the price of the Bo was comparable to a 182(non RG), but it seemed like I got a better plane for the money in Beech world.
I wanted fuel injection. Again, personal preference.
ABS is an amazing resource.
I think its one of the best looking planes that I can afford to buy and maintain.

if the prices were better and I had a better exposure to a 182RG, I probably would have one of those or would have bought the first good Bo or 182RG I found. The 2 doors are nice, and the loading is better.

Thats the thing with either plane(or most planes), you can launch up and do 100-120 kts and just marvel at the world and the magic of flying. Or go high and wring it out and go someplace quicker than car and usually commercial. I am not the first to say it, but I do like the label of magic carpet. In less than 2 hours door to door, I can land at a island where no cars are allowed. Or a little more I can be in the middle of Arkansas to do a graveside visit. Or when I found out a neighbor likes a beer only sold in Wisconsin, I can go there and back after work just because. Or join a few thousand of my friends trying to land at AirVenture ( I still get self proud hearing "rock your wings- well to osh kosh")

So to say is it the process or results? The answer is yes. You get to decide which flying you want to do that day.
 
charheep said:
If you are deciding between Bo an 182's- here is my thoughts since I was on the same path as you.

With the Bo-
The gear goes up and down. This makes me smile like a kid. This is a positive for me, worth the money and extras. Dunno why. Yes, a 182RG exists but when I went to rent a local one he said they keep a broom handle in the cabin when the gear doesnt lock down. I want to believe he was kidding but I wasnt sure, and the plane was down for a long annual so that never happened.
The extra speed is nice. Some days I am 19inches and 2200 and sight seeing. Other days I want to get high and fast and at 23.5/2400 and hoping for every tailwind I can find.
I find more passengers like seeing a wing under them than over them. I do agree on the little reduced ground views but really its not noticeable.
And when was shopping, the price of the Bo was comparable to a 182(non RG), but it seemed like I got a better plane for the money in Beech world.
I wanted fuel injection. Again, personal preference.
ABS is an amazing resource.
I think its one of the best looking planes that I can afford to buy and maintain.

if the prices were better and I had a better exposure to a 182RG, I probably would have one of those or would have bought the first good Bo or 182RG I found. The 2 doors are nice, and the loading is better.

Thats the thing with either plane(or most planes), you can launch up and do 100-120 kts and just marvel at the world and the magic of flying. Or go high and wring it out and go someplace quicker than car and usually commercial. I am not the first to say it, but I do like the label of magic carpet. In less than 2 hours door to door, I can land at a island where no cars are allowed. Or a little more I can be in the middle of Arkansas to do a graveside visit. Or when I found out a neighbor likes a beer only sold in Wisconsin, I can go there and back after work just because. Or join a few thousand of my friends trying to land at AirVenture ( I still get self proud hearing "rock your wings- well to osh kosh")

So to say is it the process or results? The answer is yes. You get to decide which flying you want to do that day.
Click to expand...
No, it wasn't between choosing aircraft. It was about overall mission determination.

Do you wanna fly and SEE, FEEL, SENSE?

Or

Fly to get there and back?

Both will get you to your destination, one might be more enjoyable to you than the other... One might be a little quicker, but not necessarily... One might be more "procedural," and that might be "your thing." One might be more spontaneous, and that might be "your thing."

Just don't lose the joy, the awe, the greatness of being able to see the world as few can...
 
Good thread Charlie. Recently I flew to Lake Havasu along with a few members of this forum. I took off before Chris @deyoung in his Cherokee 235 and Jeff @Pilawt in his 172. Both ended up passing me on the way back to Tucson. I was a little upset about that but it only made sense that Chris has a lot more horsepower than I do and Jeff has at least 30. I love my airplane, have done a lot to it and many have told me it is the nicest Cherokee 140 that they have seen. After I put things into perspective I was okay about being outrun on the trip back. It's all about the destination and the friends you enjoy when you get there.

I just need to find some more friends with slower airplanes than mine. ;)
 
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