Normal to "self-ground" for a while?

rtk11

rtk11

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So... have others "self grounded" for a while? A while being more than 3 months?

Work has been exceptionally challenging as of late, and I've been working long hours for the last 6 months and dealing with a lot of work related stresses that I thought I could handle.

Somewhere toward the beginning of the year, I found that I was getting sick more often than usual (cold and flu) and have been pretty fatigued. In mid-January, I went up with another pilot, but had him take the controls mid-flight when I felt that I was becoming ill again (cold sweat). I've not flown since that time as my weekends are full with family time, and work has not relented. I am starting to think about getting back in the cockpit, but with a safety pilot along.

I have an acquaintance in a totally different line of work (though likely equally stressful) and he and his wife are flying all the time. He doesn't have kids, so that may be part of it.

Has anyone else gone through a spell where they've self-grounded and not flown for a while? Is this normal?
 
Plenty of people have self -grounded for various reasons and various periods of time. Technically, I guess everyone who ever got his or her certificate and stopped flying, self-grounded. Some come back in several months. Some come back after several years. Some never come back at all.
 
I went thru a time several years ago: wife with a serious illness,surgery, recovery. I knew that I was not 100% at that time . Parked the airplane for the 10 month duration, went up with my CFI for recurrent and BFR...... self grounded, resumed flying, no problems.


edit: preflight yourself before you preflight the airplane.
 
There's a lot of truth in the saying that it's better to be on the ground wishing you were in the air than in the air wishing you were on the ground.
 
Well for me flying is a cure for stress so a lot of the time if I have been stressed... I go fly. Long hours of work/fatigue would be no bueno though.

I do seem to end up going through a period from around Dec - Feb where I don't fly much. It isn't planned it's just a combination of weather, short days, schedules, and the plane going in for it's annual end up with me just not getting up as much as I want. When this happens I find a nice spring day afterwards, fly the pattern for an hour to re-certify myself so to speak, and resume.
 
Thanks guys. I may stay grounded for another month or two. I need to get mentally healthier and more physically fit after the last 6 months. Food therapy has its drawbacks too!
 
Sounds like very good ADM to me!! Kudos on the judgment

Flying is emotionally cathartic to me, like cowman said, but physically being tired or otherwise not well from long work hours, etc., is a def no go for me

I've been through periods where I wouldn't say I grounded myself but would grab a CFI and take them along. Usually this was after transitioning to a new plane. Despite a good checkout and the "all clear" it takes me a few flights in a new plane to feel competent
 
Serious: Self grounding is good whoever you are and for whatever reason you don't feel fit to fly.

Joking: I self grounded once for eight years because the stress of possible bankruptcy if I didn't, would have made flying a lot less fun. LOL.
 
^my prior hiatus was as well definitely $$ driven. Argh!
 
Take off is optional...Landing is mandatory. I live this way and some days I fail the preflight, where the airplane almost never does.
 
If you are questioning your fitness to fly, you are not fit to fly.
 
I self grounded for a week once, there's a post somewhere in here about it.

Do whatever ya got to do, you know you best.
 
Yes...this is what you're supposed to be doing.
 
Yes, for about three months over late fall/early winter... half because of money, half because of other things going on in my life that needed priority. I still went up, but as a safety pilot. Got back on the saddle by joining another pilot friend on a xc from Dayton, OH down to Phoenix and then up to Vegas.
 
rtk11 said:
Thanks guys. I may stay grounded for another month or two. I need to get mentally healthier and more physically fit after the last 6 months. Food therapy has its drawbacks too!
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^ This. Exercise is the one of the best things you can do for stress. It is hard to make the time sometimes, but it pays back in spades. Walk, run, ride a bike... It is amazing how little I get sick when I am working out regularly. The flu skipped right by me this year, even though my GF got it twice (and we live together).
 
Got my Private cetificate in 1989 in Tennessee. Moved to California to start work in the semiconductor industry, start a family, etc. Didn't fly again (except once or twice with my CFI father on visits back home) until 2011. So, I could guess you could say I self-grounded. I suspect this is not completely an uncommon thing. My sister got her license in 1988 and flew for a couple of years, but she hasn't flown since.



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If you're overwhelmed with things you have to do, then the things you'd like to do just become additional burdens and you're better off putting them off. I found this out after my father died, when I had to settle his affairs and fend off his crazy second ex wife while trying to keep a new business afloat. I wasn't flying at the time, but I was still racing cars and I just parked it for a year.

Step out of the cockpit for a few months and try to get caught up, then get with your instructor and get back into it.
 
I've been self-grounded for over a year and a half. Well, self-grounded for 9 months until my SI expired, then just plain grounded since. All due to a serious injury in 2015. Hoping to get back in the air next month thanks to BasicMed.

Agree with whoever said that's what you're supposed to do. Sometimes it can be a hard decision, but it is always the right one if you're not feeling your best.
 
rtk11 said:
So... have others "self grounded" for a while? A while being more than 3 months?

Work has been exceptionally challenging as of late, and I've been working long hours for the last 6 months and dealing with a lot of work related stresses that I thought I could handle.

Somewhere toward the beginning of the year, I found that I was getting sick more often than usual (cold and flu) and have been pretty fatigued. In mid-January, I went up with another pilot, but had him take the controls mid-flight when I felt that I was becoming ill again (cold sweat). I've not flown since that time as my weekends are full with family time, and work has not relented. I am starting to think about getting back in the cockpit, but with a safety pilot along.

I have an acquaintance in a totally different line of work (though likely equally stressful) and he and his wife are flying all the time. He doesn't have kids, so that may be part of it.

Has anyone else gone through a spell where they've self-grounded and not flown for a while? Is this normal?
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I've self grounded because all the rentals around me are too expensive and/or too crappy to bother with at the moment. Until I can get my own plane again, I'm only flying for BFR's.

My next BFR is in 2018 so that'll be a little over a year of no flying by the time I go up, maybe year and a half.
 
If you have never been ill during the period of your valid third class medical certificate you're probably in a tiny minority.
 
I've had a pretty persistent cold for the last two weeks, might be bronchitis. Anyhow, I've grounded myself since I feel fatiqued, I have coughing fits, and am taking various OTC cold medicines, which make me pretty drowsy. First time I've had to do this and I've missed some great flying days, but it was a good learning experience on applying IMSAFE.
 
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