What's Flying Like in Retirement?

Pugs said:
. . .

One of the mental challenges has been taking money out of investments. I've always treated that as a one-way street and it's taken about a year to mentally calibrate that it's why we saved and invested for nearly 40 years. It's helps that the balances have gone up in the last year despite taking big chunks out to fund the construction loan over runs. Fidelity has also done a great job modeling it out for us and getting my wife (and I guess me) to understand money isn't an issue.
Click to expand...
As mentioned of few times - Most of us save in retirement accounts that are essentially on one way street. We planned for some gap years before starting Social Security to keep our income low while we convert IRAs/401ks into after tax. It is surreal to finally withdrawal money from accounts after 40+ years of saving (and pay taxes). As far as flying - I worked on my commercial SEL and MEL while I was working. I did the CFI and CFI-I since I retired. That was a fair amount of flying. I am doing some part time instruction to help keep me in the air. I also help run our flying club and fly that plane often - (when the Ohio weather cooperates)
 
My last work day was in Nov 2020, and then I burned accrued PTO until official retirement in Feb 2021 at age 59. I got my Sport ticket and then my Private in the years leading up to retirement and rented LSAs and Pipers for a while. Bought a 1969 Beech B23 Musketeer in June 2021.

Flying is much better in retirement. The skies are CAVU and the winds calm (I choose when to fly), the plane burns fewer GPH (I throttle back), maintenance costs are down (I do some of my own wrenching), and airport restaurant waitresses all look like they could work at Hooters (at my age, any femme younger than 55 looks pretty good).

Our travel plans got wrecked for the first few years, first by COVID and then by ailing parents, but we're hoping to start taking some trips now. We also have some home projects to tackle. Much of my time since retiring has been spent doing volunteer work, and I highly recommend such as a way to stay active and relevant and satisfied.

The comments about being afraid to spend savings are valid and my financial planner keeps reminding me it's okay to spend. A lifetime of saving and investing implants a way of thinking about money that's hard to change, and the crazy inflation of the past few years hasn't helped. We've done some shuffling of funds and are moving some conventional IRA money into a Roth each year while taxes are favorable. It's a little strange to be relying on multiple income streams rather than a single paycheck.

Overall, retirement is wonderful and I love the freedom and the release from work stress.
 
Interesting to read other people's experiences and realise we are all grappling with the same demons!

The elephant in the room being the change in mindset regarding drawing down savings and pension pots over time..... instead of working year in year out to build it up for "retirement".

Biggest problem I had for the first two years when I retired from International long haul flying, was sleeping in the same time zone for consecutive nights! I am sure other retired military/airline transport pilots have experienced the same, it took me a long time to adjust to being at home. I think it took the family even longer !!!

I found that "structure" to a week was really important, mixing it with GA flying, consultancy and writing. The big advantage being the calendar on the fridge became ours and was not owned by an airline scheduler!

As someone has already said....cherry picking a nice day to go flying..... is the icing on the cake.
 
I retired seven years ago and moved to an airpark. If I had the bucks for gas, I’d fly every day, maybe a couple times a day. As it is, I fly two to four times a week. At least one flight is to breakfast with neighbors. Every morning there are at least three, and often as many as eight, planes departing for breakfast. One of my favorite regular flights is going up late in the day to just enjoy the scenery and watch the sun set.

Every Thursday from early fall through mid spring, I fly out to the weekly gathering of the Old Farts Flying Club. It’s actually an informal email list, goes to some place different every week - airparks or public fields with a restaurant or museum or a particularly good restaurant or attraction close by - with anywhere from 60 to 140 planes showing up at each one.

I get up when I want for the most part, although the weather forces an early rise in the summer. With the Florida weather, I want to get my bike ride and workout in before it gets too hot and before the thunderstorms. Plus fly early - it sucks under a bubble canopy when it’s 93 degrees with a feels-like temp of 110+, which is the norm for 100+ days in a row every year.

And practically every day I get to just roam the airpark and see who’s out and about, usually just shooting the breeze about all things aviation.

Retirement life is not just good, it’s incredibly great and every day I look around, take it all in for a few minutes and just grin from ear to ear.
 
ateamer said:
I retired seven years ago and moved to an airpark. If I had the bucks for gas, I’d fly every day, maybe a couple times a day. As it is, I fly two to four times a week. At least one flight is to breakfast with neighbors. Every morning there are at least three, and often as many as eight, planes departing for breakfast. One of my favorite regular flights is going up late in the day to just enjoy the scenery and watch the sun set.

Every Thursday from early fall through mid spring, I fly out to the weekly gathering of the Old Farts Flying Club. It’s actually an informal email list, goes to some place different every week - airparks or public fields with a restaurant or museum or a particularly good restaurant or attraction close by - with anywhere from 60 to 140 planes showing up at each one.

I get up when I want for the most part, although the weather forces an early rise in the summer. With the Florida weather, I want to get my bike ride and workout in before it gets too hot and before the thunderstorms. Plus fly early - it sucks under a bubble canopy when it’s 93 degrees with a feels-like temp of 110+, which is the norm for 100+ days in a row every year.

And practically every day I get to just roam the airpark and see who’s out and about, usually just shooting the breeze about all things aviation.

Retirement life is not just good, it’s incredibly great and every day I look around, take it all in for a few minutes and just grin from ear to ear.
Click to expand...


Let me know if you ever drop into KGIF and we’ll grab a cup of coffee or something. (Or if you want to meet up somewhere, for that matter.)
 
Hmmm…. Maybe I should start an Old Farts Flying group here in Ohio? :happydance: Week day flying only!
 
I retired almost 8 years ago. I had been flying my Cessna 140, an IFR plane, for quite a while and still fly it a lot. About six months after retirement I added a Mooney M20C to the fleet then shortly after hurt my shoulder and could no longer handle the Johnson bar gear. Moved on to a mid body Mooney with electric gear. The 140 is my fun plane for local flying and the Mooney is for making it to Galveston and our youngest daughters place near Austin, both about 1 1/2 to 2 hour flights versus five or six hour, brutal drives.

Not only do I fly much more, but I spend much of my time in the midst of an extraordinarily wonderful airport community that includes my son in laws hangar filled with a Citation Encore and a Baron B58 as well as the museum that my hangar adjoins which is full of airworthy warbirds.

I never dreamed that my retirement would be so filled with Aviation. Life is good! There’s no reason NOT to enjoy flying in your retirement years. I plan on flying as long as I can pass a medical.
 
Retirement means you are closer to that age 70 insurance cliff.
 
skyking3286 said:
Retirement means you are closer to that age 70 insurance cliff.
Click to expand...
That's the fly in the ointment. Some retirees may find that by the time they retire they can't get insured, at least in their dream machine.

My hedge plan against that was to have my wife get her certificate, which she did in a C172 in short time almost 25 years ago but hasn't logged time since. She was never comfortable with the C206 though, and I haven't forced that so we've flown in it a lot but with just me doing the flying. She's 18 years younger than I am, so in theory she could act as PIC with my non-CFI oversight. (I let my CFI lapse due to low usage after we sold the floatplane.) But in the meantime we also bought a motorhome and have enjoyed slowly touring the country in that and plan to do it some more.

I got my certificate 50 years ago and have flown consistently since then, so flying certainly doesn't owe me much, and I still have the Cub to use for floating around Vermont, which I love. The Cub will almost certainly end up in my estate for my heirs to worry about . . .

Here's a pic I too of my wife getting instruction from my original flight instructor (from 50 years ago) who went on to become an airline pilot with Delta, and we've remained good friends ever since.

DougHR.jpg
 
dbahn said:
My hedge plan against that was to have my wife get her certificate,..... She's 18 years younger than I am,.....
Click to expand...


I don't think I can afford one of those; almost any insurance premium would be cheaper.

(Besides, I'm quite content being married to the World's Cutest 4"11" Brunette and can barely afford her.)
 
What is this "retirement" you guys speak of? I left my full-time job as a TV station manager in 2010 to work full time as a CFI and line guy at my local airport. No more personnel management. Now I just instruct and no longer work the line, but I love being active at age 78. I sold my last airplane a few years ago but have access to two Cherokees and can always rent a Cessna from my employer. I want to get to 8,000 hours before I hit 80 (right now 7,700) and take great pride in the success of my former students. One is flying F/A-18s in the Navy, several are airline pilots, and one is flying medevac helicopters. And a whole bunch of others are flying for fun.

I will retire when I can no longer pass the medical exam.
 
Last edited:
What free time? How did I ever find time to work...

The first year was a bit weird, getting used to leaving my phone at home and not caring. Then it was the best. Spending more time with wife and kids.

Consulting a couple days a week, my deal with my wife is I'll make enough to pay for my hobbies without touching the investments.

Flying wise, I started making good progress on my CH750 build and started some aviation bucket list things. Got My ME and my ASES (fun!). I bought a Seneca in an auction and have been putting it back into shape, almost done. Currently doing my Helicopter add-on, don't know why, just because i guess. I have the AA1A I'm flying for currency I guess, sharing it with my son who is building hours before starting college.

Owning my calendar is the biggest joy.
 
MarkH said:
I'm not near retirement but, if the grandkids are already around, then I would suggest "fly and make memories". Airplane camping, $100 hamburgers, and sightseeing flights are experiences they would never forget. If you don't have it already, consider picking up a CFI rating. I'm not saying that my life has turned out poorly, but my 20s would have been very different if my grandfather had taught me to fly.
Click to expand...
I agree. The closest any family member got to their PPL was Dad's brother, who soloed an ErCoupe.
Dad worked on the Boeing B52 flight line and built Cessna 336's and 337's.

I spent 20+ years being a responsible husband to my late wife, Tammy, and don't regret a minute of it.
Still, if I had had my PPL when we met, I might have gone commercial aviation, but now I'm finally getting my PPL at retirement age. However, there are so many things I want to do, I'm not sure I'll ever be retired. I wouldn't say I'm rich, but I'm too the point where I can do about anything I want and not have to worry about how much I'll be making.
 
Since my retirement funds are not all that large, I'm thinking that (along with flying club airplanes) flying for the local CAP might be a low-cost way to stay in the air in retirement, health permitting (D.V. another 3 years away) I realize there's hoops to jump through with the CAP, but "ya pay's yer money and ya takes yer choice". I've been told there's a need for more 'orientation flights'.
 
I retired from full-time work in 2010 and started part-time consulting. I kept that up until Dec 2022 when I stopped doing any work for money. In between, I moved from the east coast to the west coast for more open space and less crowded skies. As a retiree, I hate flying on weekends because the traffic patterns at my favorite breakfast and lunch places are too crowded. Part of that crowded airspace is filled with pilots that don't fly enough to stay competent or compliant with regs and procedures. I only fly on weekdays now unless I'm on a long cross country. I've flown to AirVenture a couple of times, I've flown to Sun-N-Fun once, I've flown to the High Sierra fly-in twice and I've airplane camped all over the mountain west. I do some Pilots-And-Paws volunteer flights and I fly Young Eagles. The San Juan Islands are just 15 minutes from my home field by air, but 8 hours away in a car (due to long waits for 2 ferry rides). Flying to the San Juans for breakfast or lunch only takes a couple of hours total, and yet I feel like I've been on a week long relaxing vacation when I get home. I have a Maule, so it is easy to toss one of my bikes in the back and fly to someplace I want to ride. Having a plane in retirement is magical and it expands what I can see and do in a day in ways that non-pilots can't imagine. Here's a typical morning flight:

And here's a flight into the mountains for lunch with fellow pilots from my home drome:

Retirement with an airplane is FANTASTIC!
 
The big lesson I just learned about retirement is the first year taxes can be NUTS. You end up with several streams of income, but each either doesn't withhold or withholds as if that is you ONLY income. So SERIOUS under withholding.

My retirement plan was buy a second airplane. :D
 
I'm a year or two away. I've been saying for a few years now that if I didn't want to keep the plane and cabin, I would already be retired. As it is, my wife spends up to 6 months of the year at the cabin (2 hours away) and I stay at home 4 nights a week during the summer to work and fight Friday night traffic to get there, up at 5am Monday morning to drive directly back to work. That part's getting real old.

When I do retire, I'll probably continue as a part time contractor for my current employer as a couple of the other already retired engineers there have. At a higher contractor hourly rate, probably won't make all that much less, though without benefits of course. My employer doesn't currently allow remote work, but plan to insist on it, at least partially... they'll need me; I'm the last of the experienced engineers in my group to retire and the kids they've hired, while smart enough, can't at their experience level begin to do what I can.

The project for the next couple of months is a real serious review of our finances.

I want to keep the Hatz for another few years at least, I'm not done exploring all the things I want to do with it, they I may drop back to something smaller. My wife doesn't like to fly, so a single seater (I've owned several, both N-numbered and ultralight) is always an option, and they're cheap. Whatever it is it will be experimental, which keeps cost down as I do all my own work.
 
Pinecone said:
The big lesson I just learned about retirement is the first year taxes can be NUTS. You end up with several streams of income, but each either doesn't withhold or withholds as if that is you ONLY income. So SERIOUS under withholding.
Click to expand...

One of the many things my accountant and I spoke of as I al looking down the barrel at this in December. Told me to make sure my last pay is on or before 12/31. Also told me not to touch the retriment as long as my wife is still working... which she will for another couple of years.

Dana said:
When I do retire, I'll probably continue as a part time contractor for my current employer as a couple of the other already retired engineers there have.
Click to expand...

When I wanted to retire two years ago they asked if I could stay on a while longer... but this year I told them 12/31/2024 is my last day. They asked if I would stay on in a consultative role with product development to which I politely declined. When I asked that VP why the request - she said, you can't AI 30 years of industry experience.. guess that is a compliment.
 
How is flying in retirement? I am not exactly sure. Got my PPL and IR but have had lots of upgrades being completed. C172M, 180 HP new engine, new gadgets, painting should be done in the next three weeks. All of this was supposed to be done Dec 2022 with long trips planned for Jan/Feb 23, then for 2024... will see.

Plan to have fun, see a lot, take a few more lessons. Have the funds for better/faster but not sure we should upgrade. There seems to be a trajectory to start small, get bigger/faster, then retire with small. I already have an excellent like new plane, why bother? Bushliner 185 redux, 182/210, or even a Cirrus could all be fun. Wish I could find a partner.

I'm hoping to drop weight enough for rotary wing lessons also.

Great flying partners help, mine sure is. She has never slept in a car on a road trip, but slept on our last long plane flight. I was proud (and ignoring her not wanting to check O2 levels).
 
Ventucky Red said:
When I wanted to retire two years ago they asked if I could stay on a while longer... but this year I told them 12/31/2024 is my last day. They asked if I would stay on in a consultative role with product development to which I politely declined. When I asked that VP why the request - she said, you can't AI 30 years of industry experience.. guess that is a compliment.
Click to expand...
In my case I still like what I do for a living, I just want more time off to do other things... and I'd rather be doing the design work I'm good at instead of dealing with corporate BS that I'd be less exposed to as a contractor.

One guy I knew, he was one of our suppliers, owned the business with a partner, retired slowly over several years. He started by taking every Friday off, then a bit later every Monday as well, then another day, then another, until he was down to one day, then for awhile he came back for the occasional special project when they needed extra help before disappearing completely. Somewhere along the way he sold his share of the business to one of his employees. Not a pilot but he was into E-Type Jags, which is almost as serious an addiction as airplanes. His original partner is still there, must be about 90 years older than God now.
 
Dana said:
In my case I still like what I do for a living, I just want more time off to do other things... and I'd rather be doing the design work I'm good at instead of dealing with corporate BS that I'd be less exposed to as a contractor.
Click to expand...
:yeahthat:

I love engineering, but now I do only pro bono work. No money, no finance BS, no cost account management, etc., etc. It's absolutely wonderful to just do engineering design work without all the corporate ca-ca, and I'm free to accept only the projects I like, and I get to help some very worthwhile organizations.
 
Dana said:
When I do retire, I'll probably continue as a part time contractor for my current employer as a couple of the other already retired engineers there have. At a higher contractor hourly rate, probably won't make all that much less, though without benefits of course. My employer doesn't currently allow remote work, but plan to insist on it, at least partially... they'll need me; I'm the last of the experienced engineers in my group to retire and the kids they've hired, while smart enough, can't at their experience level begin to do what I can.
Click to expand...
I did this. My hourly pay is about the same as when I was working full time, but since I am not paying retirement or health care, working 1/2 time, my take home is 65% of what it was full time.

They keep me around mainly for my historical knowledge of the program and my experience. It works well for both of us. :D

And I get to work from home 99% of the time.
 
I retired in October. I had been (slowly!) working on my commercial I finally had the time to finish up on my commercial and got it done last week. I'm being encouraged to start on the CFI, but am of mixed emotions about it. I'm hoping to do more flying around for fun along the east coast.

Money hasn't been a problem, having worked as a software developer for 45 years (which I loved) so retirement funds should be good. Getting done with the commercial caused a spike in costs (I rent and there was an instructor and DPE involved). I'm thinking I'll be flying less, but for longer distances. I will still rent and have a great place that has instructors and rental aircraft (C172, RV12, Tecnam Eaglet) and have the use of a C172 for a monthly fee and a lower rental rate. Maybe the commercial will be of use for something too. (I mostly got it for greater proficiency and flexibility)

It's also great to look outside and go flying on the nice days too. Maybe I'll check out the charity flying too.
 
Ghery said:
My wife and I are retired. "Work" is a four letter word. I am still active in some standards work, and the travel for that makes for some good trips, we were in Barcelona in September and I went to meetings in Shanghai in October. Singapore last April was nice, too. But, going to Hawaii a couple times a year and doing as little as we can get away with is even better.
Click to expand...

I wrote the above in 2019. I'm still active in some standards work (writing this in a meeting in Milan, Italy), but the end is in sight. 2 more years and I'm finished. And not a moment too soon, I'm over 70 now.

And jbarrass is right. I'm so busy that I wonder how I found time to work. Retirement is the best "job" I've ever had. We travel more now than we did when I worked, and I traveled plenty then. The difference is, for the most part, I (or my wife) choose where I travel to. And multiple weeks in Hawaii are nice. This year we spent about 3 1/2 weeks on Kauai. After spending a couple weeks in Egypt. And in April we have a couple weeks scheduled in Puerto Vallarta. And so it goes. :)
 
I don't know what it'll be like because I am 1-2 years away from retiring.
I didn't start flying until I was 55, 8 years ago. I wished I would have started when I was much younger.
I am doing my best to make up for it by flying 3-7 days a week still 8 years later.
I think to myself it could end any time because of my health or other factors so I am not waiting for retirement to fly a lot.
I am still flying a 172 that is affordable to poke holes in the clouds with and go no where. I am past 1500 hrs now ready for the airlines! lol
When I retire I will go to the airport in the morning instead of in the afternoon after work is all I hope that changes.
 
Last edited:
Skyrys62 said:
Which should really help in the winter... at least for me. That getting dark at 4:30pm is for the birds.
Click to expand...
Not always, if you want to fly during the golden hours of dusk you don't have to wait until nine o'clock in the evening to do it and as you get older, if you didn't take a nap or two during the day, by nine o'clock you might be ready to hit the sack ;)
 
Silvaire said:
Not always, if you want to fly during the golden hours of dusk you don't have to wait until nine o'clock in the evening to do it and as you get older, if you didn't take a nap or two during the day, by nine o'clock you might be ready to hit the sack ;)
Click to expand...

:yeahthat:

Since becoming a sexagenerian, I have discovered that while 60 may be the new 40, 9pm is the new midnight.
 
Thank all of you for your comments I have really enjoyed reading everyones thoughts on retirement flying , I have been retired for 12 years I am 82 in June , I bought my first plane in 1972 and have had a lot of different planes from a 150 to a turbo commander , I have a Glasair 1 RG now and really think that for retirement a experimental aircraft is the way to go I enjoy the forums and fly ins and have flown to meet people I have met on line it’s a fun group and you don’t have to deal with the certified aircraft issues, I have most of the ratings and a A and P , i don’t want to teach any one to fly or sign there annuals off one wrong deal is a life changer , we fly all over the midwestern stares in the summer and west coast in winter , lot of trips to Mexico we have a certified plane for the Mexico trips that’s the only reason I keep it , I can see the end of having a plane getting closer for me , insurance is a big deal when you get old yearly checkups and flight review now , I flew 92 hours last year but probably spent 300 days in my hanger that’s what is important to me I have a hanger in California and one in Minnesota i know all the guys at the airports , my planes are as close to perfect as they can get but when you work and tinker on them all day they should be , we will fly to Florida in a couple months and stop in savanna on the way back so we are still doing it. Keep doing it as long as it’s fun and affordable , I can’t imagine not going to the hanger and working on a plane ,
 
Consider yourself lucky in being alive, to say nothing of medically able to PIC at the age of 82, but being able to shoehorn yourself into a Glasair 1 at your age. Truly, you are blessed. Cheers and many more years of health and flying to you. :cheerswine:
 
thank you actually it’s easy once you get it figured out , getting in and out is easy my wife is 78 and she does it , but I keep my AAA card handy in case I might need a wrecker with a crane someday , I know I am fortunate I don’t take any prescription pills and stay away from doctors as much as I can I just went to basic med 2 years ago I had a 2nd class till then , I told my wife if she was smart she wouldn’t fly with me any more , she said she would rather face death than see me somewhere having a good time so off we go
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top