Do you regret giving up flying?

Have read and enjoyed all the comments. S What is clear is that we all are different individuals, different missions, different goals, and we’re getting older. When I no longer am enjoying my plane(cross country visits to family or vacations), I will sell it. Like others, I enjoy the magic carpet the airplane affords, but when that is gone, no tail dragger, circuits around the pattern, 200 dollar hamburgers. Whether I try RVing, travel by car stopping at motel 6, commercial aviation or smaller day trips, I will try them all and choose not to look back. When I lose my medical/insurance, stop flying instruments, my wife stops flying with me, stop flying 100 hrs a year, or lose my skills(hopefully wife, kids, friend, FAA will tell me), hopefully I quit.

will not have to tell me
 
Checkout_my_Six said:
yup....I had the same thought....then I didn't. ;)
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Buddy bought a 5th wheel for about $25k. Right off bat paid for 4 brand new Michelin tires, paid to have the wheel bearings and brakes serviced. Paid to have his truck fitted with the hitch. The truck is capable of towing it but it has its own gremlins somewhere in the suspension or driveline,

Get it home and finds the floor is soft in several spots, slide leaks, and some other things.

Ends up towing it about 200 miles one way to a shop to fix those items at around $8k.

Let us not forget how crowded the interstates are and how windy it gets when towing these
 
Lndwarrior said:
I rarely ask for people's opinions on this forum, but this is one time I would like to hear so other people's thoughts on the issue. The idea of making a final decision on this is eating at me. Flying has been my over-riding passion for over 35 years. How the hell do I walk away from flying????
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Hi.
It does not have to be a total disconnect. Try some PC Flight simulators, at this stage I would only use XPlane11, stay away from XPlane 12 it has too many problems, and or MSFS 2020. You will need a decent CPU(i9 @ 4.3+) and Video board (RTX 3070+) to have a good experience.
With some of the new hardware and possibly using VR (more expensive $4-500 but not nearly a Real World) it can be very useful, and at some point you may want to get back in it.
I've done both, Sims and Real World flying for many years, since before PC existed, and found them very useful.
Post here if you want / need more details.
 
My partner and I are selling our Ercoupe after it gets out of annual. He wants my ultralight and I have a Aventura HP kit to finish. Both of us are in our 80’s and still like flyIng but the Ercoupe needs to move on. So we’ll still be in the air but at a lower level.

I’ll still be able to take my girlfriend for local trips around the area of the Home Drome via rental but since I introduced her to travel in First Class, any distance travel will be at the front of the big aluminum tube.

So there’s lots of flying left to do but the cash flow will be much lower (until I run out of the couple of million or so FF miles I still have).

Just another avenue to explore as a pilot and not a RV owner.
 
Lndwarrior said:
......What I am beginning to understand is that a used RV will likely put me in the same boat.
........
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in some cases a used RV might be better than new. We bought ours new, and DIY repairs and projects started night 1. Warranty work famously takes a long time in the RV world...and often it's just faster and easier to do it yourself. The workmanship is shockingly bad. Might be exceptions with the most ultra high end custom Prevost busses, but most everything else as I understand it is a lot like mine. I think the manufacturers purposely don't do a lot of QC, passing that sort of stuff off to the dealers and post sale service....and I think count on a big percentage of things just getting fixed DIY. It's really sad.
That said, most of it I've enjoyed because it gave me something to do when sitting in the "trailer park" ;)
I'd say that generally after the first year or so of not full timing, just holiday and weekend warrior trips, the surprise repair projects tapered off
and I don't mean to talk you out of it. RVing can be a great way to travel, even with the down sides..... something good to do for a few years.
Grum.Man said:
Ahhh yes, RVing. Leaving your nice house in a good neighborhood to stay in a trailer park down the road :lol:.
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That points to a thought I've had for a while...and that is how to define camping.
first I find it funny when people call RVing "camping", but a lot of folks do.
As best as I can tell, camping in most folks minds, really just amounts to "roughing it" at some level below their normal standards of living....and yeah..trailer park sums it up well

About hanging up the flying....
seems to me that maybe you'd be happier selling your experimental and getting a certified bird...maybe something simple that requires less maintenance by an A&P.

I gave up flying temporarily after realizing that renting makes little sense. Over paying for poorly maintained rental aircraft with horrible availability. I decided the only way it made sense to keep flying was to buy my own...so I started off on a plan to buy a plane....then got laid off from work, had kids, and basically life happened....and many trips around the sun later I'm still daydreaming about it.

I've thought that renting something like an RV to try it out would be a similar bad experience...so it's not something I recommend. Seems to me that it won't be the floor plan that fits you, it won't be set up the way you like it with your stuff sorted out.... etc.... and you won't know how anything works so little minor or even non-issues that come up will be magnified.... so it just won't be nearly the same experience unless you are very lucky.
 
Eldorado said:
What is clear is that we all are different individuals, different missions, different goals, and we’re getting older. When I no longer am enjoying my plane(cross country visits to family or vacations), I will sell it. Like others, I enjoy the magic carpet the airplane affords, but when that is gone, no tail dragger, circuits around the pattern, 200 dollar hamburgers
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Yep, all different. If I was just going places in a plane I think I'd get bored quickly. I may make the occasional 100 or 200 mile cross country, but most of my flying is around the local area for the sheer enjoyment of it... including, yes, circuits around the pattern in an antique taildragger just because it's fun. I don't see myself ever losing interest, though the specifics may change. I flew ultralights before the current string of biplanes, and may well go back to ultralights when I get older and poorer. Or a glider certificate or seaplane rating could be in my future... who knows?

RV's... you can spend boku bucks on a 30-10' class A or 5th wheel, but you can also do it on the cheap. Ours (my wife would say it's hers, she uses it solo more often than with me) is old, 16' long, and can fit anywhere a car can go. We bought it sight unseen, flew the aluminum tube to CA to pick it up, and drove it home 3000 miles to CT. Yes, we've had the occasional adventures with mechanical trouble over the past few years, but we paid less than $10K for it.

And sometimes I fly to meet her.

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Salty said:
For the price of a nice class A motor home you could rent one for about 1,500 days and come out ahead - without having to maintain it. Think about it. That’s 5 months of the year for 10 years You could be using it , while letting someone else fix it in between trips.
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But its nice to know who or what was in that bed before you jump in!

I'd love to fly and now have all the time in the world but had to take a ssdi and retire because of my back issues. Haven't been able to renew my medical becuase of it. Dealing wth docs and pain mangement and cant get into appointments for months on end. God help you if they say they called you becuase if you dont get the message, your put back out in left field for months. There is your pain management for you.

My plane or partnership rather has been for sale, just really dont know where to list it anymore. Hung flyers at the local airports but basically just had wing walkers call. I quess everyone does facebook now but i never used it, no one needs to know what i am up to every minute of the day. Where does everyone have the best luck advertising their partnership?

I need to make a flight to pick up a relative for xmas and it sucks to have it sitting in the hanger and have to ask a partner to fly so they can hold my hand and work around another schedule.
 
Since our budget would limit us to a +/- 10 year old Minni Winni or similar, the reality of the maintenance issues is a deal breaker. Physically I'm not able to do it and I get zero joy out of vehicle maintenance.

I'm going to keep the plane and rent an RV when we get the urge for an adventure.
 
Lndwarrior said:
Since our budget would limit us to a +/- 10 year old Minni Winni or similar, the reality of the maintenance issues is a deal breaker. Physically I'm not able to do it and I get zero joy out of vehicle maintenance.

I'm going to keep the plane and rent an RV when we get the urge for an adventure.
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I owned a used Minnie Winnie for about 3 years. Not that big a deal on the maintenance side.
 
X3 Skier said:
My partner and I are selling our Ercoupe after it gets out of annual. He wants my ultralight and I have a Aventura HP kit to finish. Both of us are in our 80’s and still like flyIng but the Ercoupe needs to move on. So we’ll still be in the air but at a lower level.

I’ll still be able to take my girlfriend for local trips around the area of the Home Drome via rental but since I introduced her to travel in First Class, any distance travel will be at the front of the big aluminum tube.

So there’s lots of flying left to do but the cash flow will be much lower (until I run out of the couple of million or so FF miles I still have).

Just another avenue to explore as a pilot and not a RV owner.
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any chance the mentioned hp kit is for sale?
 
Soloed in 1966. Have been through over a dozen airplanes 182s, Lake Aircraft, Meyers 200, Cirrus, Stemme, PIK 20, SZD 55, Huskys and most recently a Just Superstol. In the latter part of the journey I have stopped flying with the longest period being a year but the withdrawal becomes too intense. One flight around the valley with its the natural beauty looking at the elk, bear, sheep and moose and the withdrawal is satiated. The Superstol will be my last airplane, when I can no longer crawl up into will probably keep it in the hangar and have some young Buck or Buckette help me into it and still fly me around. We lifted with my father into our Lake Renegade with an engine hoist at age 95 and he flew it like a pro and cried afterwards. I simply cannot stop flying, nothing gives me such tranquility and joy and wish to go out like my Dad. I have tried RVs, motorcycles, boats and they are just not the same.
 
Zeldman said:
This and sleeping in your own bed every night.

I used to fly for a living, then stopped because of health problems. I am toying with the idea of flying again, but I need a reason to fly. I have never been one to go up and circle for an hour. I need a challenge in flying, and I am not sure I can get that without going back to Alaska.

Looking back, I have missed flying. I have not missed working for crappy operators and having bosses that have no knowledge of aviation. And I have not missed the ''go or get fired'' business owners.
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Are you a member of NM pilots association?
 
Since the SOB who ran AeroAdventure failed to deliver all the parts before he abruptly closed down, I have a partial kit. And the engine. PM me if interested.
 
This was a timely reboot of this post. Haven’t flown much recently due to a little health, busy with parents and school. Going up this morning with an instructor to knock the rust off. Been thinking of selling because I can’t stand the thought of it sitting. But when I go up I get a renewed sense of awe. Hopefully once again.

Wife has been talking about RVing. We’ve rented a few decades ago. Might do it again to see what it’s like these days.

Picked up kart racing. Might have to find a toy hauler RV…
 
At times. But, then I look at the prices of airplanes these days, and start remembering all the costs behind the "last mile" problem of travel...and the itch starts to fade. TBH - for most trips at least around the midwest, I'd rather spend a little more time driving and have my vehicle with me vs. deal with rental logistics and driving something I don't like.

I imagine the day will come again for me, but, I feel in no particular hurry to jump back in.
 
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My bride and I have talked about selling the plane for the last year. We finally moved forward and listed our commander. We have visited 34 states, checked most bucket list items (didn’t get to the Bahamas) and flown 1600 hours pic. The hours have slowed down and the cost outweighs the ownership benefit. I will still rent here, and while in Florida for the winter months.

Commander 112A FOR SALE
 
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Once a pilot always a pilot. The Campers and RV's we have had were as much maintenance as the airplanes. Not as expensive, parts wise. (I'm an A&P). I retired 7 yrs ago from a long aviation career. Professional pilot and for a time professional A&P. I miss it terribly, but not enough to get back into the hassle. Rentals are just that, rentals. You don't have the latitude to do what you want, go where you wanted. Always constraints. Like it must be back on time, and if you not fluing it today, you still pay for it, etc. I'm done fixing the thing we rented for the owners. But, oh yes I miss flying like I miss nothing else. But I have no need to smash bugs for couple hours. And I'm largely traveled out. At thsi point, if it doesn't fit in the saddle bags on my ADVenture bike, it doesn't need to go.
good luck with your decision.
 
@lindewarrior- what is the followup?
You subsequently flew coast to coast and still own your zenith?

I’m close to your age, also grew up around mil pilots/AFBs, quit flying for 9 years after first solo (essentially all training needed for ppc, but moved and didn’t have time) then had a 12 year hiatus (various reasons, including a young son and lots of stuff that goes along with that) before restarting active flying in 2021.

I rent. Would love to own, but it doesn’t currently make sense (yes, I know, ha, flying doesn’t either

Love using planes to actually go places. Including just sightseeing, going somewhere new for a run. Love the occasional chance to bring a friend or two somewhere. Recentish highlight- overflying Grand Canyon w/two of my besties for one’s 60th bday

Anyway, want to hear your thoughts. Did you consider selling your home built to buy a certified plane with a higher “dispatch rate” for your journeys?

Think you’re still flying. If so that makes me happy.
 
As I get older the question comes up,how many good VFR days do I have left,before I quit. I have a boat ,as my fall back hobby when I quit flying. Rented an RV and that won’t work for me.
 
I've resisted the temptation to dive into this thread when it recently resurfaced because my full reply would tax the software and the reader, not to mention it would read like a therapy session.

TL;DW: Yes.
 
Gilbert Buettner said:
I tried the RV rental, too. Did not enjoy it at all. I am fortunate to be able to fly other people's airplanes. Probably have another year or two.
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The biggest problem with the RV game, is that by the time you pay for the fuel, and the ridiculously over-priced trailer-park like campgrounds, you could have stayed in a 5 star hotel for less money.

They can only begin to make sense if you're wanting to stay somewhere where such hotels simply don't exist.
 
jesse said:
The biggest problem with the RV game, is that by the time you pay for the fuel, and the ridiculously over-priced trailer-park like campgrounds, you could have stayed in a 5 star hotel for less money.

They can only begin to make sense if you're wanting to stay somewhere where such hotels simply don't exist.
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Well, I spoiled my wife by staying in Marriotts and Hiltons when we travelled early on. Now I’m stuck! lol
 
jesse said:
They [RV's] can only begin to make sense if you're wanting to stay somewhere where such hotels simply don't exist.
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National Parks come to mind. Either you're in an cramped rickety old lodge or you're sleeping on the ground or you're off-site 50 miles away overnight.
 
We did the RV rental thing several times and enjoyed it. The last time, less so. For us to get an RV would mean limiting us to a small towable or getting a new truck for greater towing capacity. Also, the difficulty of getting a spot at an RV park is a big turn off. Being concerned about regretting giving up flying is one of the reasons I’m still flying, but I’m getting closer to accepting it should I chose to. The things I can do with the flying money may be worth it, it just won’t be RV ownership.
 
Many years ago.....13 to be exact, I purchased a motorhome. My bride LOVES the beach, me, it's just a place with more traffic and people. The original plan, her plan, was to buy a beach house or condo here in Ocean City MD. Noway did I want a sticks and bricks place, I thought it would severely limit our flying adventures. So, with the motorhome we secured a seasonal lease here at the beach, bought an airport car, and flew back and forth most weekends. I slowly started to enjoy myself and we started looking for a retirement home. All in all a great experience since it was a fixed destination. We sold the motorhome and bought a single family home in an over 55, we love it. The airport is ten minutes away and we still flew to many new destinations. The retired life is good.

I don't think we would have enjoyed the RV life style. Honestly it was hard enough to convince my bride it was not camping with the motorhome. She still has horror stories of her childhood girl scout camping and sharing space with so many different "creepy crawlers". The other downside for the RV life, at least for me, would be all the driving. Everyone has different wants and needs and for those who enjoy, good on them. I'm happy coming home to a fixed location.

Now that we have settled into our retirement life here at the beach time has come to step away from airplane ownership. As I stated in post #61 not enough hours to justify keeping my Commander. With the new to us winter home in florida I'll be happy to rent when there and there is a club available. Here in OCMD there is also rental opportunities and a club at a nearby airport.

motorhome.jpg
 
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We travel in an RV, 8,000-10,000 miles/year. It takes us around the USA to a lot of interesting places off the beaten path and is very comfortable. It also takes us to airplanes at some friends/relatives who became aviators, largely due to primary instruction I gave to see if they liked it. I get to fly into Oshkosh most years. Lots of airplane museums along the way.

I cannot imagine doing the hotel/resort bag drag in retirement, I didn't care for it when I was working. Boating would be good, they are like floating RV's. Life on the dock is pretty good. We are not ready to be stationary at a second home. Yet.

Everyone has different interests. After 55 years of aviation, it's more of a habit than a desire.
 
I had to double check if I was reading the GA is dying thread!

Seems like the best plan is to strategically place friends a couple states away in all directions so there’s always a place to go
 
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