Unscientific survey - why are you a pilot?

On Thu, 16 Aug 2007 00:52:20 +0100, me wrote in
:

Fear of Flying - no joke!
Got my PPL
and still nervous about getting in a plane.
Think I Need a shrink?


I don't think so. That's a healthy attitude toward an unnatural
activity for a wingless creature. You just need more time in the air.
How many flight hours have you logged?

Larry Dighera wrote:
On Wed, 15 Aug 2007 08:14:53 -0700, Doug Semler
wrote in . com:

To play among the clouds as every child imagines. Why lay on your
back wishing you could cavort among the cottony forms when piloting
enables you to fulfill those dreams?


My all time favorite Peanuts from Charles Shultz; an absolute genius!


"Lucy, Linus and Charlie Brown were looking at clouds. Linus said one
formation reminded him of Steven being stoned in the Bible, another
reminded him of British Honduras, and another reminded him of the
sculptor Thomas Ekins. When Lucy asked Charlie Brown what he saw, he
said, "I was going to say I saw a duck and a horsie, but I changed my
mind."

--
Dudley Henriques

Doug Semler wrote:
(Trying to steer a thread to the topic of the group g)

A response of mine in another thread got me to thinking (dangerous, I
know) about what makes a person *want* to become a pilot. This has
probably been asked umpteen times before, and will be asked umpteen
times in the future, but I am trying to get a feel for the
psychological aspect that causes a person to WANT to be a pilot. So
this is directed towards non-pilots and students as well. Of course,
every individual is different, but these 2 newsgroups are pretty
directed towards pilots so can be taken as an unscientfic
representative sample.

In some cases looking in Jay's general direction it's because it's
an opportunity for family bonding and whathaveyou. Some cases are
probably your run-of-the-mill "cool factor" cases. And, of course, I
am sure that there are the cases of the "I'm better than you because I
can do something you can't do" syndrome. But I'm wondering if there
isn't some deep commonality amongst most pilots to which we can
point?

Do you have a "family history" of aviation/piloting?
Are you an adventure seeker (anything from "true" adrenaline junkee to
"every day is different and brings a new challenge")
Are you constantly seeking new challenges?
(subpart) Do you find that you get bored easily?
Do you have a "thirst for knowledge" (e.g. would you rather be in
school than working)?
(subpart) Do you find yourself constantly seeking out new things
about flying regularly or do you only look it up when you run across
something you don't know.
(subpart - for instructors) Do you enjoy it when your student "gets
it" or has that "aha! moment?"
Are you a "control freak" (type-a)?
Do you have hints of "delusions of grandeur?" or is it more like "I'm
on top of the world when I fly"
Are you an introvert or an extrovert?
If given the choice, would you rather read fiction or an aviation
oriented book?
(For those that use the radio) Do you find that you have always had
good communication skills?
Are you left brained or right brained (logic-and-math or Artsy
fartsy)?

Or am I missing something soooo obvious that I'll die of embarassment
when it's pointed out to me? Or even worse, is there no measurable
psychological correlation to flying and I'm just out to lunch
(wouldn't be the first time g)

Note:
I was thinking about including education history (e.g. are pilots more
likely to be college graduates) but that introduces 2 biases (age and
income) into it. However maybe a question along the lines of "while
in school did you consider yourself to be a good student" would be
better.

I started out as many of you did, as a kid with a dream. As a young boy
I sat in the cockpit of a P51 fighter and like a million other kids my
age dreamed of flying one someday. Sixteen years later I did a climbing
roll in a P51 over the grave of the pilot of the P51 I had been sitting
in that day to thank him for inspiring me to straighten out my life and
learn to fly.
(Reader's Digest April 1985 "A Little Help From A Friend" Dudley Henriques)
I enjoyed much of my life in aviation. I learned a lot, I taught others
a lot, and I'm still learning. At times the road was strewn with pot
holes. Counting friends on the jet teams, I've lost 32 friends while
involved with the demonstration flying community.
In retirement now, I look back sometimes and wonder if I had it all to
do over again, would I do it the same way? I think I would.
Aviation gave me more than I ever would have known without it.
It was one hell of a ride!!

--
Dudley Henriques

"Dudley Henriques" wrote in message
...
Larry Dighera wrote:
On Wed, 15 Aug 2007 08:14:53 -0700, Doug Semler
wrote in . com:

To play among the clouds as every child imagines. Why lay on your
back wishing you could cavort among the cottony forms when piloting
enables you to fulfill those dreams?

My all time favorite Peanuts from Charles Shultz; an absolute genius!


"Lucy, Linus and Charlie Brown were looking at clouds. Linus said one
formation reminded him of Steven being stoned in the Bible, another
reminded him of British Honduras, and another reminded him of the sculptor
Thomas Ekins. When Lucy asked Charlie Brown what he saw, he said, "I was
going to say I saw a duck and a horsie, but I changed my mind."

--
Dudley Henriques


They all look the same from the inside. :-)
While skydiving, I always consider it a special treat when I "inadvertently"
bust through
one of the scattered "white puffies" that are common in the Central Florida
summertime sky.
Like they say, "I know what a cloud tastes like"! (I've been in some
not-so-puffy ones too)
Maybe flying will be next after I've raised my kid.

BlueSkies, Tony P

"Doug Semler" wrote:

Do you have a "family history" of aviation/piloting?

Yes. My grandad was in the RFC in WW I, my dad was in the AAF in WW II and
the USAF later.

Are you an adventure seeker (anything from "true" adrenaline junkee to
"every day is different and brings a new challenge")

No.

Are you constantly seeking new challenges?

Yes.

(subpart) Do you find that you get bored easily?

Yes.

Do you have a "thirst for knowledge" (e.g. would you rather be in
school than working)?

Yes.

(subpart) Do you find yourself constantly seeking out new things
about flying regularly or do you only look it up when you run across
something you don't know.

The former.

(subpart - for instructors) Do you enjoy it when your student "gets
it" or has that "aha! moment?"
Are you a "control freak" (type-a)?

No.

Do you have hints of "delusions of grandeur?" or is it more like "I'm
on top of the world when I fly"

The latter.

Are you an introvert or an extrovert?

Introvert.

If given the choice, would you rather read fiction or an aviation
oriented book?

Fiction.

(For those that use the radio) Do you find that you have always had
good communication skills?

Yes.

Are you left brained or right brained (logic-and-math or Artsy
fartsy)?


Both.

.... is there no measurable
psychological correlation to flying..?

There probably is, but I can't give you a pat answer to the question of of why
I love airplanes and flying. I've been that way since I was 4 years old.

--
Dan
T-182T at BFM

Doug Semler wrote:
A response of mine in another thread got me to thinking (dangerous, I
know) about what makes a person *want* to become a pilot.

In a nutshell:

Dad was a pilot (Navy & commercial), so I grew up going to airshows and
having aviation related things around me. I'm not an adventure seeker,
more of a homebody. I don't get bored easily. I'd rather be in school if
it would pay me as much as working does. It took me four years to get
through junior (two year) college because I kept taking all manner of
courses that sounded interesting or fun. I then spent another four years
at a university, but that was about six years later. I'm a student
pilot, so everything is new--I don't have to go looking for it. I am a
bit of a control freak (so was Dad for that matter). I love to just look
at the scenery; to see the world in a different way. I'm an introvert
and enjoy reading sci-fi, mysteries, and the occasional bodice-ripper
set in historical times (so I can learn some history in the process). I
don't think I've got good comm skills, and don't like doing the radio
work as I'm always afraid I'm going to screw up. I'm whole brained
(definitely artsy-fartsy, but scientifically inclined as well).

Debbie

Doug Semler wrote:
A response of mine in another thread got me to thinking (dangerous, I
know) about what makes a person *want* to become a pilot.

In a nutshell:

Dad was a pilot (Navy & commercial), so I grew up going to airshows and
having aviation related things around me. I'm not an adventure seeker,
more of a homebody. I don't get bored easily. I'd rather be in school if
it would pay me as much as working does. It took me four years to get
through junior (two year) college because I kept taking all manner of
courses that sounded interesting or fun. I then spent another four years
at a university, but that was about six years later. I'm a student
pilot, so everything is new--I don't have to go looking for it. I am a
bit of a control freak (so was Dad for that matter). I love to just look
at the scenery; to see the world in a different way. I'm an introvert
and enjoy reading sci-fi, mysteries, and the occasional bodice-ripper
set in historical times (so I can learn some history in the process). I
don't think I've got good comm skills, and don't like doing the radio
work as I'm always afraid I'm going to screw up. I'm whole brained
(definitely artsy-fartsy, but scientifically inclined as well).

Debbie

On Wed, 15 Aug 2007 08:14:53 -0700, Doug Semler
wrote:

(Trying to steer a thread to the topic of the group g)

A response of mine in another thread got me to thinking (dangerous, I
know) about what makes a person *want* to become a pilot. This has
probably been asked umpteen times before, and will be asked umpteen
times in the future, but I am trying to get a feel for the
psychological aspect that causes a person to WANT to be a pilot. So
this is directed towards non-pilots and students as well. Of course,
every individual is different, but these 2 newsgroups are pretty
directed towards pilots so can be taken as an unscientfic
representative sample.

Because I love to fly.

That's the simple answer. The complete answer is far more complex and
probably not understood by even me. Part of it is the absolute three
dimensional freedom coupled with the absolute responsibility for
myself, my passengers, the airplane and others around me, and
everything on the ground beneath me.

Ron

In some cases looking in Jay's general direction it's because it's
an opportunity for family bonding and whathaveyou.

This description only scratches the surface of my motivation to fly.
In fact, the family bonding part of flying is more a pleasant
byproduct than a goal, to be quite honest.

I fly because I *need* to fly, as surely as any crack addict needs his
next fix. Just ask Mary what happens to me after a few weeks without
air time...

I have taken flying as far as any non-commercial pilot can, both
personally and professionally. I have infected all that I love with
my passion for flight, for better or worse. And I have a plaque on my
office wall that simply says "Flying Is Life".

It doesn't get any more succinct than that.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

"Viperdoc" wrote in
. net:

I am a pilot because MXSMANIC (Anthony Atkielski) isn't. This
distinguishes me from him in many ways, all good.




By that reasoning about 99% of the population could become pilots. those
not in prison, institutions are sequestered to their bedrooms.


Bertie