Just how expensive is flying?

Anthony said:
If you have a committment to GA, then you'll want to resolve this NOW, and not after. If you know what I mean. It can be the source of a lot of issues, with time, money, priorities, etc.
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I'm afraid it is a bit more complicated than that but thank you for the advice. I have a committment to GA for sure. Every time I drive a car I look up at the hills and countryside (when I drive through the hills) and think how awesome it looks from down here but how much more awesome it is from up there and how I'm not limited to a road which goes in a straight line.
 
DaleB said:
Yeah, what Anthony said, with one caveat. In a sane world hobbies come and go, spouses are forever. I know a lot of people (self included) who were passionately obsessed with various hobbies at one time or another, and are much less so now. You always want to project out a few years. "Will I still be as totally gung ho about this once the newness wears off?" And, "Is this level of passion going to last longer, and grow more deep, than my feelings for my (BF, wife, hubby or whatever)?"
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sure, but i think most people probably keep about the same level of obsession as they change hobbies so having a spouse that is supportive of that level of obsession in one hobby should translate, hopefully.

I, for one, intend to only maintain or deepen my obsession with soaring.
 
At least we are open and calling these things obsessions. Now where is our intervention?
 
just like any good addict we surround ourselves with like minded people in order to prevent any sort of intervention until it is too late.
 
tonycondon said:
sure, but i think most people probably keep about the same level of obsession as they change hobbies so having a spouse that is supportive of that level of obsession in one hobby should translate, hopefully.
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An excellent point. Some people get deeply involved (obsessed, sure) with one thing, some are "serial hobbyists". I tend to get deeply obsessed with something new, then things stabilize at a reasonable level of involvement. My darling wife understands this and bears with me during the early stages.

She, of course, has no such faults. And if she did I would overlook them completely. :)
 
tonycondon said:
just like any good addict we surround ourselves with like minded people in order to prevent any sort of intervention until it is too late.
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We are like drunks, who live in a bar....
 
DaleB said:
An excellent point. Some people get deeply involved (obsessed, sure) with one thing, some are "serial hobbyists". I tend to get deeply obsessed with something new, then things stabilize at a reasonable level of involvement. My darling wife understands this and bears with me during the early stages.

She, of course, has no such faults. And if she did I would overlook them completely. :)
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You do know that you can go to hell for lying as well as stealing right :)
 
I don't think so, but you never know. If Kimberly's boyfriend can find us...
 
kimberlyanne546 said:
Have had several aviation fights. Hopefully I don't have to lose an SO over flying. In other words, I'm getting more and more "into it" and I have the feeling that after a couple of "ho hum" not exciting flights he's "over it." Like been there, done that, don't see what the attraction is.

And I'm the GIRL!!!
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A girl with the precursors of AIDS....
 
This is one reason I love hanging out here... my instructor said his first two marriages ended due to AIDS, and I knew what he was talking about. :)
 
DaleB said:
Yeah, what Anthony said, with one caveat. In a sane world hobbies come and go, spouses are forever. I know a lot of people (self included) who were passionately obsessed with various hobbies at one time or another, and are much less so now. You always want to project out a few years. "Will I still be as totally gung ho about this once the newness wears off?" And, "Is this level of passion going to last longer, and grow more deep, than my feelings for my (BF, wife, hubby or whatever)?"
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Let us know when you find one. My 4 hobbies stay with me, my wife (ex) stayed in TX.
 
Just because your partner is a pilot doesn't mean you won't have aviation related fights... :idea:
 
Henning said:
Let us know when you find one. My 4 hobbies stay with me, my wife (ex) stayed in TX.
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Well, it's a little early to tell yet, I guess. We only got married in '79. Along the way I had a couple of obsessions that I had to turn into careers, they were too expensive as hobbies. That worked out OK... now I can afford to fly as a hobby, but I couldn't afford to do it for a living. Of course at this stage I couldn't afford to do ANYTHING at an entry level for a living.
 
flying is as expensive as you want it to be. I could fish for less money, but I could also spend more on fishing that I do on flying. While my friends will buy a new helmet or a set of pipes, I go fly. Instead of big tires & wheels for my truck I go fly. Instead of clubs and green fees. I go fly. I am just poor working stiff, but I can afford to fly.:goofy:Dave
 
DaleB said:
I don't think so, but you never know. If Kimberly's boyfriend can find us...
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Dude, I TOLD HIM about the thread and emailed him a link personally. I was bragging about how all of you sort of reminded me why he was a great guy from our 7 years together off and on.
 
kimberlyanne546 said:
Dude, I TOLD HIM about the thread and emailed him a link personally. I was bragging about how all of you sort of reminded me why he was a great guy from our 7 years together off and on.
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Yeah, I know. It was one of my (apparently slightly off target) attempts at humor.
 
Henning said:
Let us know when you find one. My 4 hobbies stay with me, my wife (ex) stayed in TX.
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Proves the old adage: Aviation does not cause divorce as much as divorce causes aviation.
 
DaleB said:
Well, it's a little early to tell yet, I guess. We only got married in '79. Along the way I had a couple of obsessions that I had to turn into careers, they were too expensive as hobbies. That worked out OK... now I can afford to fly as a hobby, but I couldn't afford to do it for a living. Of course at this stage I couldn't afford to do ANYTHING at an entry level for a living.
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Newlyweds! '73 for us. Seriously, congratulations. It isn't always easy, but when you find the right one it's always worth the effort. And mine tolerates the flying. She likes it when we can get somewhere faster than driving, but complains that I always want to go flying. I'm not sure she understands the need to stay proficient so she's safe when flying with me. It isn't like driving a car.
 
Ghery said:
Newlyweds! '73 for us. Seriously, congratulations. It isn't always easy, but when you find the right one it's always worth the effort. And mine tolerates the flying. She likes it when we can get somewhere faster than driving, but complains that I always want to go flying. I'm not sure she understands the need to stay proficient so she's safe when flying with me. It isn't like driving a car.
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Well boy do I feel young. My wife and I got married in '81. She is so supportive of my flying that she gave me a big chunk of the money for my IR a few years ago. I did about 1/2 then and am finishing up this year.

John
 
All of your money and you won't regret it. The more money I make, the more expensive the aircraft I fly.
 
Minivan concept clarification: I drive a white/rust 15 year old paid for Dodge Grande Caravan with all the seats except the two in front taken out because it is the perfect vehicle for transporting stuff from the Man Store to the hangar.
 
Whether or not you'll regret it is highly speculative and dependent on many factors that may or may not be under your control. The number of sad-sack stories at the airport is appalling, most from guys who thought aviation was great fun and kept throwing money at it while they tried to make a career of it.

Depending on your age and experience, you're likely to run into either group at the airport. I was never tempted to go whole-hog, simply because the career path was so dismal. After 50+ years, I've yet to meet a single pilot who accumulated a significant net worth based on his time spent in the cockpit, and most who thought they might have done so have lost most of it through bankruptcies or other reorganizations that have gutted their pension plans.

Unfortunately, most don't realize the need for the dough until it's too late to find another way to make it. If you've ever wondered why the FAA ranks are filled with old GA pilots, it's not because they dreamed of the career, it's because they're trying to scratch out some kind of retirement security.

A good friend is a former PanAm pilot who quit many years ago because he figured out it was a dead-end career. He now owns a financial planning company, and since I had a long career in a related field we have spent many hours discussing the pitfalls that pilots often encounter. It's not a pretty picture.

jesse said:
All of your money and you won't regret it. The more money I make, the more expensive the aircraft I fly.
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I hope it's okay to bring back such an old thread, but I wanted to mention that the gentleman referenced in the initial post is now divorced.
 
Challenged said:
I hope it's okay to bring back such an old thread, but I wanted to mention that the gentleman referenced in the initial post is now divorced.
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His wife didn't happe to be "Becky" from that thread a while back, did she? :yesnod:

JK...sorry for your friend...hope it works out OK for him.
 
Challenged said:
I hope it's okay to bring back such an old thread, but I wanted to mention that the gentleman referenced in the initial post is now divorced.
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Can I borrow your plane for training? My wife approves :D
 
onwards said:
Sounds like she laid down the law.

And I am betting this is a marriage that will not last. The resentment this sort of "mutual decision" breeds runs deep and over time, corrupts everything. Just sayin'
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+100000000000000000000000000000000000

Yup, I don't think cost is the issue at all.

Challenged said:
I hope it's okay to bring back such an old thread, but I wanted to mention that the gentleman referenced in the initial post is now divorced.
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LOL. And flying again, I hope?
 
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Challenged said:
Unfortunately my co-worker just informed me that he is giving up on getting his pilot's license (he's already soloed), since it is too expensive now that he and his wife are considering having a child.

The kicker here is that I was letting this person use my airplane at no cost, all he had to do was to pay for fuel and for his instructor fees...this should be an eye-opener to just how expensive flying is for most people, and if you, as a potential pilot, don't have a complete and unwavering passion for it, it's just not worth it.
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Wait until he gets the bill for the kid. Flying will look cheap...
 
Challenged said:
I hope it's okay to bring back such an old thread, but I wanted to mention that the gentleman referenced in the initial post is now divorced.
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How long was he married before the whole flying vs. kid flap started ?

Sounds more like this was about control and communication, not flying or money.
 
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