Done . . .

dbahn

dbahn

Pattern Altitude
Joined
Aug 28, 2007
Messages
1,607
Location
Vermont
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Display name:
Dave Bahnson
We all face it sometime, but my own time has come to be permanently self-grounded. With no warning, I had three small focal-aware seizures involving just my right elbow about three weeks ago (and none since). An extemely extensive work up in both Vermont at at UPMC in Pittsburgh ultimately demonstrated a malignant brain tumor, which can't be "cured" but can be managed. Even on Basic Med, however, self grounding is appropriate and that's not going to change. With age 77 coming up next month insurance became a looming issue as well.

In July this year it will be 50 years and over 4,000 hours of contiuous activity as a certificated airman, and I've had a fabulous run, forty of those years owning the same C206 with trips to places everywhere between Alaska and the Bahamas to Nova Scotia to the Southwest, many with camping out with the motorcyle in the plane. I look back fondly at thousands of tows in the Pawnee and other aircraft,doing paid sightseeing flights in the PA12 on floats, instructing, and flying for just plain fun in my own Cub, which I helped restore over 25 years ago and still own. It's been a great run with zero accidents and zero FAA certificate actions.

As I told one of my pilot friends today, as hard as it is to give up flying, it's better to be able to do it standing on the ground instead of rushing towards it while out of control . . .
 
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So sorry to hear, Dave. The time will come for all of us. As your last comment tells us, it’s so important to know when that is. :(
 
Sorry to hear of the circumstances! I do hope you will continue to hang around here and remain active on the board.
 
What a fantastic run! It was great meeting you and I have truly enjoyed our posts and wisdom over the years! You gonna get a boat? :biggrin::biggrin::biggrin:
 
I am planning to stick around, here and elsewhere. Social media can be informative and constructive at the same time, even though it can go haywire every now and then.​
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In the middle of the night a few days ago I conjured up a plan. I have to return to Pittsburgh a few weeks after my brain biopsy. It's a 600 mile drive and there are some direct flights, and then I thought, "why not charter - in my own plane?" in which case it's not a charter if I have a commercial pilot acting as PIC an I have oversight of the operation. I have quite a few former student either teaching or now in the airlines, so I'm exploring that possibility before I sell the C206. It might work out well all the way around, and would certainly be convenient with more flexibility.​
 
A friend hired local pilots to fly him all over the country in his plane once he couldn’t pass the medical anymore. He did that for many years.
 
dbahn said:
I am planning to stick around, here and elsewhere. Social media can be informative and constructive at the same time, even though it can go haywire every now and then.​
​
In the middle of the night a few days ago I conjured up a plan. I have to return to Pittsburgh a few weeks after my brain biopsy. It's a 600 mile drive and there are some direct flights, and then I thought, "why not charter - in my own plane?" in which case it's not a charter if I have a commercial pilot acting as PIC an I have oversight of the operation. I have quite a few former student either teaching or now in the airlines, so I'm exploring that possibility before I sell the C206. It might work out well all the way around, and would certainly be convenient with more flexibility.​
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Sounds like a great idea!
 
Bravo on the self grounding! You are blessed to haven been able to fly so long. Hopefully you still lurk around POA and the local airport. Your input and experience is valuable.
 
Sorry to hear, but glad you’re alive to make the decision. I hope you’ll be able to stay in the air with other PICs. Does your wife fly?
 
dbahn said:
We all face it sometime, but my own time has come to be permanently self-grounded. With no warning, I had three small focal-aware seizures involving just my right elbow about three weeks ago (and none since). An extemely extensive work up in both Vermont at at UPMC in Pittsburgh ultimately demonstrated a malignant brain tumor, which can't be "cured" but can be managed. Even on Basic Med, however, self grounding is appropriate and that's not going to change. With age 77 coming up next month insurance became a looming issue as well.

In July this year it will be 50 years and over 4,000 hours of contiuous activity as a certificated airman, and I've had a fabulous run, forty of those years owning the same C206 with trips to places everywhere between Alaska and the Bahamas to Nova Scotia to the Southwest, many with camping out with the motorcyle in the plane. I look back fondly at thousands of tows in the Pawnee and other aircraft,doing paid sightseeing flights in the PA12 on floats, instructing, and flying for just plain fun in my own Cub, which I helped restore over 25 years ago and still own. It's been a great run with zero accidents and zero FAA certificate actions.

As I told one of my pilot friends today, as hard as it is to give up flying, it's better to be able to do it standing on the ground instead of rushing towards it while out of control . . .
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I’m very sorry and sad to read about this.

Nevertheless, it looks like you’ve had a nice, long, aviation-saturated life. If a crystal ball revealed that I had until age 77 before I would have to be grounded, I’d be ecstatic.
 
Sorry to hear. Best wishes and Blue Skies!
 
It’s a tough decision for a pilot to make as I age I hope that I will be able to make it good luck with your upcoming endeavors
 
Half Fast said:
Sorry to hear, but glad you’re alive to make the decision. I hope you’ll be able to stay in the air with other PICs. Does your wife fly?
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She got her certificate quickly after we returned from Alaska in 1998 but never really wanted to pilot the C206, although that’s an option if she’s interested. She’s 19 years younger than I am and could extend our usage but we have other things to do as well.
 
Best wishes Dave.
Thanks for the insight a wisdom you've provided. Glad you are going to hang out here with us.

Hope to stumble into you at a fly-in sometime. I use that word, as it's the most likely scenario ;)
 
Sorry to hear you are hanging it up, but happy that you are able to do so on your own terms. Quite a fantastic aviation career, and I know many would feel fortunate to have gotten to 77yrs before that time came. Make sure to stay around as the wisdom you gained over the course of so many hours deserves to be relayed to the rest of us lowly airmen!
 
dbahn said:
"why not charter - in my own plane?" in which case it's not a charter if I have a commercial pilot acting as PIC "​
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That's exactly right, happens all the time & perfectly legal.
Usually in more complicated aircraft where the owner has the finances for the jet/kingair, but has not yet gotten the hours/experience/ratings.
 
I’ve been reading,learning from, appreciating and enjoying your posts since the old red board days.

I had been wanting to glide, and finally did, with Tom last summer- kinda hoped I’d meet you, too, then.

Will continue to seek out your posts. Godspeed
 
I never know what to say in these threads. Congratulations on your retirement from flying. It’s better to be on the ground wishing you were flying than in the air wishing you weren’t. Etc.

You can clearly look back and see a life in which the opportunities to fly and simply to live have not been squandered. Nicely done. I’m sure you’ll have pilots standing in line to fly you around in your 206.

I hope I live long enough to have to give up flying at or beyond the age when insurance really starts to punish me for it, and I hope I have the strength of mind and will to make that decision at the right time.
 
iamtheari said:
I never know what to say in these threads.
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Me neither. However, I'll try to do my best:

Glad you were able to have such a long and successful flying career. Sad that it has to come to an end, and for that I sympathize. Wish you the best going forward.
 
Well, after several trips between Vermont, Pittsburgh and Boston it turns out that the seizures might have alerted me to the diagnosis earlier, so I have a bit of a head start, but with new molecular markers rather than the old histologic determinants, this turns out to be the deadlier glioblastoma, which will be treated with radiation and chemo (the chemo doesn't really help much) so the best I can hope for is to slow the process down to last another year or so. It's been particularly hard on my wife and kids (and grandkids) but it is what it is, and despite all the well wishes I'm not expecting one of those miracles that you hear about.

I'll fly a little more until I sell the airplanes, but with another pilot as PIC which is never quite the same as being the acting PIC. I'll certainly miss the Pawnee where acting PIC is the only option . . .
 
Oh man. I am so very sorry to hear that. Glad to know you have a loving family and won’t be facing this alone. Prayers for you, friend.
 
Wow, Dave. Terribly sorry to hear that news.

I've gleaned some good info and habits from your posts here and on the purple board. Hoping for the best for you and your family.
 
Barney....this life does come to an eventual end sometime and none of us knows our fate. You've been given a glimpse of what yours could be. We do have a savior that stands at the door and knocks....waiting for us to open the door. He waits for our surrender. Hope to see you on the other side bro.
 
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I'm very sorry to read this news. Praying for you, and hoping that you maximize your enjoyment out of each day you have with us.
 
Brad W said:
I'm very sorry to read this news. Praying for you, and hoping that you maximize your enjoyment out of each day you have with us.
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Hell, I plan to maximize death itself. Vermont has a liberal "death with dignity" policy, which I will use, and my advance directive includes my request to fire my ashes from one of the bronze cannons I made years ago. My daughter's not wild about that, but my wife is on board and I think my daughter will come around. ;)

I made the bore size to be able to shoot golf balls, which happen to be the same size as a one pound lead ball.

DHB cannon.jpg
 
So sorry to hear this, Dave. I’ve enjoyed your contributions here. Enjoy the time you have left with your family to the fullest, but never give up. Give it hell!
 
dbahn said:
Well, after several trips between Vermont, Pittsburgh and Boston it turns out that the seizures might have alerted me to the diagnosis earlier, so I have a bit of a head start, but with new molecular markers rather than the old histologic determinants, this turns out to be the deadlier glioblastoma, which will be treated with radiation and chemo (the chemo doesn't really help much) so the best I can hope for is to slow the process down to last another year or so. It's been particularly hard on my wife and kids (and grandkids) but it is what it is, and despite all the well wishes I'm not expecting one of those miracles that you hear about.

I'll fly a little more until I sell the airplanes, but with another pilot as PIC which is never quite the same as being the acting PIC. I'll certainly miss the Pawnee where acting PIC is the only option . . .
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While you may not expect to be the recipient of a miracle, I heard about some positive news of treatment on the local news channel last week. While I can’t find it, I believe this is related:

Clinical trials show promise in treating central nervous system lymphoma, breast cancer, and glioblastoma | Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute researchers are leading 3 separate studies with encouraging results in treating patients with central nervous system (CNS) lymphoma, breast cancer, and glioblastoma. The studies support future research in these potential breakthroughs where treatment options may be...
www.dana-farber.org www.dana-farber.org
 
455 Bravo Uniform said:
While you may not expect to be the recipient of a miracle, I heard about some positive news of treatment on the local news channel last week. While I can’t find it, I believe this is related:

Clinical trials show promise in treating central nervous system lymphoma, breast cancer, and glioblastoma | Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute researchers are leading 3 separate studies with encouraging results in treating patients with central nervous system (CNS) lymphoma, breast cancer, and glioblastoma. The studies support future research in these potential breakthroughs where treatment options may be...
www.dana-farber.org www.dana-farber.org
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We've been looking at participating in one of those clinical trials but they all require recurrent follow up at the trial site, which for us is a six hour round trip and difficult parking at the site.
 
dbahn said:
We've been looking at participating in one of those clinical trials but they all require recurrent follow up at the trial site, which for us is a six hour round trip and difficult parking at the site.
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Fwiw, that is exactly what organizations like Angel Flight and PALS are built for. I can tell you from experience that the flights are way more fun when the passenger is interested in aviation, and I would jump at the chance to fly a fellow pilot to treatment.
 
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