Do you ever lose the Wow!!?

ScottK

ScottK

Pre-takeoff checklist
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ScottK
I hadn't flown in about 3 weeks before Saturday. Sandy and scheduling had kept me grounded.

Locally, Saturday was beautiful. High clgs, light winds and plenty of sun. Just a perfect day to get out.

I pulled the plane out, did the preflight and went up for 5 loops around the pattern. I was sharper than I expected to be, the landings were good and I had a blast. After putting the plane away, I actually felt refreshed and generally in a better mood.

Getting to my question...do you still get the wow from flying? Even a couple trips around the pattern? I'm amazed at how much I really enjoy flying. My wife doesn't get it, but I'm guessing that most of you do. Does that feeling go away or lessen after the hours start to accumulate? As soon as I land, I'm thinking about when I can go up again.

I'm only at 78 hrs (25 since my checkride), but I'm hooked.
 
I have been flying for 30 + years.... and.. I still get that WOW... every time..:yes::thumbsup:
 
Not so much. I need another plane, maybe a low&slow plane to have some fun. Our beechcraft is treated just like my wife's station wagon. It's a good plane and gets us to the places we need to go. But there is no "wow" and i hope it remains that way. Things that cause "wow" are often followed by writing big checks.
 
now that I'm crossing the 200 hr mark and close to getting my IR, flying is actually more fun. My landings are smoother, and I can communicate better on the radio. I may not have the "wow" factor like I did on my discovery flight, but flying is more enjoyable.
 
Never. When I do it will be time for the dirt nap. Yesterday I took a big step and got into a helicopter for some refresher dual. This might get expensive......
 
I am still amazed by the ability to actually fly, and hope I am able to always have that feeling. What a privilege it is to be able to do what we do!
 
I don't mean to be negative but after 40 years of flying I have to break it to you - yes, you do lose the Wow!! At least if we're talking about the same Wow!! the kind where you're head is still in the clouds several days after a one hour lesson.

That doesn't mean you will sour on it or no longer enjoy it but at 75 hours, especially if you are renting, you are going to have some hurdles to get over as you formulate what it is exactly that you are going to do with this new hobby of yours. Over the next 100 hours you'll have to figure out how to justify and balance the costs along side all of the other financial pressures that life entails but if you're really hooked, and it sounds like you are, you'll always figure out a way to make it work.
 
I haven't flown PIC since Oct 22, 2011.... :( But on my recent trip to Oshkosh this summer I managed to get a flight with a friend in the great and mighty Piper Cub. It was one of those great evenings when the balloons were setting up and going up, and we flew with the door open, no headsets, just lumbering around low and slow.

It was fantastic. Towards the end, I was given the chance to fly and I took the stick,... my heart jumped with excitement and the smile was even bigger on my face as I was once again flying......

Damn,.. I miss it.
 
2,000 hours later, the wow factor doesn't go away. Even when I was flying 135 and flying pretty much every day, I loved it and didn't get tired of it.

There were some things I did get tired of (hence why I quit that job), but not the flying.
 
ScottK said:
Getting to my question...do you still get the wow from flying? Even a couple trips around the pattern? I'm amazed at how much I really enjoy flying. My wife doesn't get it, but I'm guessing that most of you do. Does that feeling go away or lessen after the hours start to accumulate? As soon as I land, I'm thinking about when I can go up again.

I'm only at 78 hrs (25 since my checkride), but I'm hooked.
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After 35 years it's still the highlight of any week. Still amazing and something to be savored.

And yes, many don't get it. In a way, that makes it even more special.

The exhilaration of flying is too keen, the pleasure too great, for it to be neglected as a sport. — Orville Wright
 
Yeap, I still love it every time and am constantly amazed by the views I am afforded by flying GA. That is what makes it worth the cost to me, I love the views, especially in the mountain west.
 
$7.00 gas is fast diminishing the WoW.
 
The flying WOW? I haven't lost that.

The thrill of owning an airplane is gone. Beat down by all the various regulations, airport regulations, and aircraft equippage requirements.

But the flying WOW is still there, and I suspect it will always be there.
 
A big front blew through our area yesterday and left a giant patch of puffy cumulus coverage in its wake (all the thunderstorms had cleared out). We flew down to Austin from Dallas just after the passage and got close to the top of the layer but couldn't quite get all the way above it. So we were "cloud surfing" for about an hour with hardly any turbulence even when we flying through the clouds. With no ground reference it feels like you are flying in the mountains except without all the rocks. It's still surreal and I don't know of any other experience in life that compares to it. There were several moments in the trip when my wife and I just looked at each other and said, "wow!" because there isn't any other way to respond to it. So I guess for us the answer to the OP's question is still no, we haven't lost it yet. And I still feel "wow" every time I break out of the slag and see the runway just ahead, but of course that is a different kind of "wow".
 
My WOW was many moons ago going out to the boat with DACM in an F-14 but I still get a wow droning along in a Warrior with a few simulated traps at a quiet country field thrown in once in a while. That's accuracy only, not thumping the deck although that has been known to happen by accident.:rolleyes: Hard to simulate a CAT shot though. :wink2:

Flying as PIC or even as a safety pilot in a GA aircraft sure beats any other form of locomotion. :yesnod:

Cheers
 
Henning said:
Yeap, I still love it every time and am constantly amazed by the views I am afforded by flying GA. That is what makes it worth the cost to me, I love the views, especially in the mountain west.
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Seeing the earth from a bird's eye view is why I learned how to fly. I have incredible vision, way better than most even at my age. I really enjoy low & slow flying, some days I have to pull up to get in the pattern after flying on the deck for 3 hours.... just looking around.
 
No loss of "wow" here. Fairly glad I never made it my vocation though, and kept it my avocation instead.
 
DrMack said:
A big front blew through our area yesterday and left a giant patch of puffy cumulus coverage in its wake (all the thunderstorms had cleared out). We flew down to Austin from Dallas just after the passage and got close to the top of the layer but couldn't quite get all the way above it. So we were "cloud surfing" for about an hour with hardly any turbulence even when we flying through the clouds. With no ground reference it feels like you are flying in the mountains except without all the rocks. It's still surreal and I don't know of any other experience in life that compares to it. There were several moments in the trip when my wife and I just looked at each other and said, "wow!" because there isn't any other way to respond to it. So I guess for us the answer to the OP's question is still no, we haven't lost it yet. And I still feel "wow" every time I break out of the slag and see the runway just ahead, but of course that is a different kind of "wow".
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My only experience with cloud surfing was on a Southwest flight from EWR to BWI. It was sunset and we didn't climb up terribly high. We were cloud surfing for the whole flight, and it was amazing! I can only imagine what it's like when you're flying our own airplane through it...
 
Been around aviation my entire life and still today, I always have a grin on my face when it comes flying. Yes, gas prices are a lot higher now days, but still getting the chance to get up in the sky never gets old. And speaking of that, I took the 140 up this afternoon during a break in the rain up here and had some fun in the pattern. I also watched a young lady solo for the first time today as well. The grin was ear to ear!
 
I fly for a living, so it can get routine. But I have a wow moment every time I fly in some form or another. Whether its being vectored over the Golden Gate bridge, or being stuck by lightning, there is always a wow moment. I just flew a Citabria for the first time in over a year and it was such a freaking blast. There is no shortage of wow moments.
 
Inverted said:
I fly for a living, so it can get routine. But I have a wow moment every time I fly in some form or another. Whether its being vectored over the Golden Gate bridge, or being stuck by lightning, there is always a wow moment. I just flew a Citabria for the first time in over a year and it was such a freaking blast. There is no shortage of wow moments.
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I think those of us who were/are lucky enough to get paid to fly often forget the wow moments unless we concentrate on them. This thread has got me thinking about special moments in my past, (Thanks ScottK ) One was a flight back to Barbers Point from Midway, right at sunset. There was a scattered layer of popcorn cumulus a few thousand feet below us and each one was lit up by the sun setting behind us, glowing in the sky above the sea which was already dark. I think we flew along for nearly half an hour without saying a word. When the sun finally set my co-pilot sighed and said, "Wow, and we're getting paid for this."
 
Ya I have to remind myself how cool it is, and try not to forget why I started flying for a living. That being said, you need to have a little "outside of work fun" in an airplane every once in a while.
 
Inverted said:
Ya I have to remind myself how cool it is, and try not to forget why I started flying for a living. That being said, you need to have a little "outside of work fun" in an airplane every once in a while.
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:yeahthat:

At this point in my life that equates to 100% of my time... :D
 
I still enjoy every flight, even after 34 years and 3,000+ hrs. It's a form of relaxation for me, much like golf is for some. Which is cheaper is subject to debate.
 
38 years flying, 20 of those in the military in a nice go fast jet.
Took a XC to Alaska and back last summer, WOW, what a trip! Ready to go again.

Flying gliders for the last 15 yrs, took retired 18,000 hr UPS 747 pilot up for his first glider lesson. Came back with grins and a new "student", fun all around. I guess that counts as WOW!
 
It's 3 point 5 years and 550 hours since the Discovery flight and the WOW factor is still there every bit as strong. Just love it, probably for all the same reasons mentioned above. It's a passion that never disappoints. And yeah, few non pilots get it; but I'm just happy my husband doesn't stand in the way--actually he supports me 100% which helps tremendously. It's just a wonderful hobby that keeps on giving!! I feel blessed.
 
I still get the WOW.

And every once in a while I find those truly priceless moments that reminded me why I got into flying in the first place.

Greatest WOW moment I ever had was cloud surfing in a DC-3.
 
I had a different kind of WOW during my last annual! :D
 
If you've having problems with that cost equation, how do you manage to find your way home each night? :rofl:

I do both. Golf can be pricey, but downright penurious compared to aviation. There are no senior discounts, free lunches or twilight rates at the airport.

LDJones said:
I still enjoy every flight, even after 34 years and 3,000+ hrs. It's a form of relaxation for me, much like golf is for some. Which is cheaper is subject to debate.
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Although I still very much enjoy flying and with two airplanes and three hangars I am undeniably wholly invested and immersed in it but when the OP asked about the "Wow!!" I was thinking of that very intense feeling that I had when I started flying as a kid. I guess the best word for it is agog, where you are so absorbed in it that it's all you think of and for days after a flight you are still in the sky re-living it.

So that's the feeling I meant when I said it would fade and it's probably a good thing because it would be hard to function normally through life if you were always afflicted by such intense feelings about something as that.
 
Only 100 hours under my belt, but the moment wheels leave the ground, it's WOW for me. I treat every flight as an event. And honestly, it feels like a mini-vacation. So, I would do my best to preserve this.
 
ScottK said:
I hadn't flown in about 3 weeks before Saturday. Sandy and scheduling had kept me grounded.

Locally, Saturday was beautiful. High clgs, light winds and plenty of sun. Just a perfect day to get out.

I pulled the plane out, did the preflight and went up for 5 loops around the pattern. I was sharper than I expected to be, the landings were good and I had a blast. After putting the plane away, I actually felt refreshed and generally in a better mood.

Getting to my question...do you still get the wow from flying? Even a couple trips around the pattern? I'm amazed at how much I really enjoy flying. My wife doesn't get it, but I'm guessing that most of you do. Does that feeling go away or lessen after the hours start to accumulate? As soon as I land, I'm thinking about when I can go up again.

I'm only at 78 hrs (25 since my checkride), but I'm hooked.
Click to expand...
It's like heroin, you'll always be somewhat hooked :wink2:. The aspect I enjoy most about flying is the ability to leave all my problems/thoughts on the ground and focus 100% on flying the airplane (or teaching someone else how to fly the airplane). Works every time..
 
GCA319 said:
It's like heroin, you'll always be somewhat hooked :wink2:. The aspect I enjoy most about flying is the ability to leave all my problems/thoughts on the ground and focus 100% on flying the airplane (or teaching someone else how to fly the airplane). Works every time..
Click to expand...
Yeah That! :yeahthat:
:rollercoaster:It's like heroin, Hmm, people kick heroin, maybe it's more like Meth...
 
Tom-D said:
$7.00 gas is fast diminishing the WoW.
Click to expand...

And I thought $5.80 here was bad but they say we have some of the cheapest price on gas around.

I have to agree with Henning. It's not just the joy of flying that I hold onto but also the many different views that I get to see. When I can hop in a twin and be somewhere in 1 hour that would normally take me 4 hours by car in California (stupid mountains) I'm always amazed at what I can see.

If you're losing the wow factor, sometimes a break helps and sometimes it best to just get back to basics and remember what it was you loved about flying in the beginning and I think a lot of it has to do with the learning involved. Always remember there's always something new to learn when it comes to flying, look for new ways to challenge yourself as a pilot within your own safety realm. There's always a new airport out there to adventure to, a new scenery to be explored and new restricted airspace to avoid. hehe.

I really enjoy flying a lot even after 6 years but I'll be honest after my training was done I almost felt like never flying again. in 11 months I had received my Single Engine PPL, Complex Endorsement, Multi-Engine PPL, then my Multi-Instrument and finally my Single and Multi Commercial License. It felt like it had happened so fast but I was flying almost every day but weekends, studying 5+ hours day, watching videos, taking tests doing ground lessons that it I felt more like flying was being jammed down my throat because the school wanted me as a CFI as soon as possible. But after all was said and done I was so burnt out that I walked away for a while and took a break. I had to get back to the basics of flying and get in touch with what flying really meant to me and why I loved it.

For a lot of people it's just easier to enjoy something when they want to do it, not when someone is telling them they have to do it and they don't have a choice. Like flying freight or ferrying or any of that. But even then I hope I can tell myself that no matter what I love flying because it's who I am and it's something I look forward to doing forever.
 
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