Does anyone see a practical use or purpose of a pilots license?

Like to keep the oil companies in the green,love 100 dollar hamburgs,love to have fun,fun,fun. Did use my lic for a short time doing charter work. It's all about what makes you happy.
 
Warlock said:
I get a $23.00 discount on my Boat Insurance for having a license...whatever it takes
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Your certificate is also an acceptable form of identification when you apply for or renew your passport.
 
I have never flown for any reason other than the love of it
 
One practical use of a pilots license is to use it to scrape frost off of courtesy car windshields.

And I used one to open a locked door once.
 
tinerj said:
One practical use of a pilots license is to use it to scrape frost off of courtesy car windshields.

And I used one to open a locked door once.
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That only worked after plastic cards became available.
 
For many years I held the title of "World's Coolest Uncle"...does that count as a practical use of a pilot certificate?
 
jordane93 said:
It seems like you don't have any motivation to do it. Save your money and do something else.
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Not sure that's a fair statement. Lack of motivation and lack of justification are two different things.

I started training around the turn of the century (how's that for sounding like an old-timer?), but after losing my third instructor to the regionals I paused long enough to wonder how I was going to support this when the training was over. Wasn't a motivation issue, I just couldn't justify sticking with it while trying to start a life with the new wife.

Now, I have better means, the same lovely wife that loves to travel, a son that wants to fly in the military, and another that just loves to ride in planes. The calculus changed, and I'm close enough to my ticket that I can smell it.

I think the OP is just trying to find a way to turn a "want to" into a "need to".
 
Frogs97 said:
Not sure that's a fair statement. Lack of motivation and lack of justification are two different things.

I started training around the turn of the century (how's that for sounding like an old-timer?), but after losing my third instructor to the regionals I paused long enough to wonder how I was going to support this when the training was over. Wasn't a motivation issue, I just couldn't justify sticking with it while trying to start a life with the new wife.

Now, I have better means, the same lovely wife that loves to travel, a son that wants to fly in the military, and another that just loves to ride in planes. The calculus changed, and I'm close enough to my ticket that I can smell it.

I think the OP is just trying to find a way to turn a "want to" into a "need to".
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I didn't mean that statement to come off as snide at all. But I think the OP should try to spend money on something else or even save it. It seems he is trying to justify getting a license that he doesn't really want or need. Better to keep the 8-10K and save it for something else.
 
jordane93 said:
I didn't mean that statement to come off as snide at all. But I think the OP should try to spend money on something else or even save it. It seems he is trying to justify getting a license that he doesn't really want or need. Better to keep the 8-10K and save it for something else.
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Another winner. Your on a roll Sir!!!!
 
What is your "other" aviation work you mentioned? If you are an airport manager, or aspiring to be one, having a PPL with IR would add greatly to your understanding of "both sides" of the airport, and help you know what needs to be done to keep the airport useful for its users. If you are an A&P or a wanna be, the PPL would also be a real asset. I don't make my living flying, but the PPL/IR has been a real asset in my job. Very practical.
 
somorris said:
What is your "other" aviation work you mentioned? If you are an airport manager, or aspiring to be one, having a PPL with IR would add greatly to your understanding of "both sides" of the airport, and help you know what needs to be done to keep the airport useful for its users. If you are an A&P or a wanna be, the PPL would also be a real asset. I don't make my living flying, but the PPL/IR has been a real asset in my job. Very practical.
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Well I do work at a GA airport right now in airport ops. I was talking with my other college aviation friend the other day and he stated exactly what you said. Having knowledge and experience in airport ops is like speaking one "language" but with a pilots license of any sort, I could speak another "language" in aviation and have expertise on both sides. That is what I hope to gain out of flying, using it to understand all the issues that aviation faces as a whole.

Of course, I always wanted to fly since I was in high school, because I love flying too and love this industry. So I guess there is both a want and need in my reasons to fly.
 
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N918KT said:
Well I do work at a GA airport right now in airport ops. I was talking with my other college aviation friend the other day and he stated exactly what you said. Having knowledge and experience in airport ops is like speaking one "language" but with a pilots license of any sort, I could speak another "language" in aviation and have expertise on both sides. That is what I hope to gain out of flying, using it to understand all the issues that aviation faces as a whole.

Of course, I always wanted to fly since I was in high school, because I love flying too and love this industry. So I guess there is both a want and need in my reasons to fly.
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Will that ability benefit you at this point? If not, shelf it, you need to focus on getting yourself forward on the operations end for right now; that is where you are going to make your living, and that where you need to focus your efforts right now. Since you are only going to fly for recreation, you can't really afford to develop that set until you have reached a position where you either can afford it, or an opportunity is presented where it will benefit you.

Focus....
 
evapilotaz said:
I'm addicted to airplanes and flying. If it's not practical who cares.
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No one. For the OP it's a more complicated choice set, and he isn't addicted. He's already taken lessons and stopped once, and none of the conditions that stopped him have changed yet. Some people go 20 years between stop and restart.
 
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DFH65 said:
I have never flown for any reason other than the love of it
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Amen, and I'm starting to lean in the direction that if the OP doesn't want to be up there flying and soaring and twisting and turning like a bird every day then he's not doing it for the love of it.

Therefore, it's going to be tougher imo. :redface:

Apologies OP if you love it, I'll just say practical never stood in the way of love. :nonod:
 
"Practical" is way too subjective a term to matter.

Either you want to fly, or you don't.

Most pilots view it as we "get" to fly.
 
It can be very practical depending on what your professional situation is. In my case, there are a lot of companies within a few hundred miles that I work with that I'd like to meet with occasionally, whenever we go racing I can get to the tracks much quicker without having to drive there the night before, and it provides me the flexibility to go on day trips or weekend trips to destinations that were once completely unreasonable to go to in a car.

If you ever want to go up after work shoot me a PM, I generally go flying once a week.
 
Thanks for the responses everyone, and Maciej, thanks for your offer to take me up. Maybe one day I could go up flying with you.
 
N918KT said:
Thanks for the responses everyone, and Maciej, thanks for your offer to take me up. Maybe one day I could go up flying with you.
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I'll PM you my cell number, feel free to text me whenever. :thumbsup:
 
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