Interesting (certainly more than mine) prof career @yeager, thanks for sharing and looking forward meeting you in flesh one day… we’d sure have some stories to share 
PS
Yes, I realize not being asked for any comment on the subject, just couldn’t help it 
Hi Bosco, South east of the UK from someone’s private strip. Cessna T210.
Nearly always 1 10 day tour of 2 countries each year and as many city breaks as the budget will handle.
She’s thirsty so can’t keep up with Peter.
Silvaire, thanks, agree with what you wrote. That was clear detail and I’m happy I was imagining sort of close to what you describe. I’m sure I’d like it.
It was the Mustang Jet, I think I’d find it exciting (I get it’s not for everyone) but covering distance easily above most wx all at your own agenda does have an alure for me. If I could afford one, I could probably also afford a Husky to go with it.
Why we fly is an interesting question.
I’ve been a flying nut since I was a kid. I followed the path to aviation regardless of the fact that I was turned down by all then “free” ways to go there, military, airline sponsored programs and so on. Paid my way to an IR/CPL/MEP but did never get hired by anyone, but could not let go of the dream. Personally I think it is like an addiction, once in it, there is no way out. Or at least not one which leaves you happy. Clearly, I could have made a better career and maybe had more money to fly at a later age if I had not thrown away everything to simply work and be near airplanes, being a load controller first, dispatcher later and now met guy since 25 years. But somehow it felt right at the time and it was huge fun as well.
I bought my first plane at 21 in 1983, a Cessna 150 with which in retrospect i did most of my flying with. I went flying every free minute, I took friends along and I had a girlfriend who liked flying. It was a cheap and easy way to fly, still an IFR plane in the end (old style, before EFIS and GPS) but we flew great trips to France, Italy, Germany and Austria mostly, once even down to Spain. It never had an AP but it had the full 2×NAV/COM, ILS, HSI (Narco DGO10), ADF, DME and Pronav(Garmin) 100 GPS.
I sold it when I was out of work and had no money to fly it anymore.
Got back into flying 2009 with my Mooney which I upgraded to IFR and AP at great cost. Flying that plane with AP and Aspen was super! It gave me huge satisfaction and was the kind of flying I love. Going places, even if it’s not that far, short trip times, relaxed flying with the AP and great versatility at a bargain price (still with all I spent I could not have gotten a more economical plane). Destinations were Bulgaria, France, Germany and Austria, the plane in the mean time has been around in many more places. It just returned from an italy trip.
I liked the Mooney with it’s equipment because it is comparatively cheap to operate, it is reasonably fast (140 kt) and its cockpit is now close to one of my favorite airplanes which is the A310. I like flying on AP, like following the magenta line, like programming routes up to the point where even VFR arrivals can be flown in RNAV mode. It’s my thing, while others love to stick and rudder around for hours. Done that, but with the AP it’s much better and nicer for me. I would never consider a plane without one now.
Big stop came when I became a dad at 54. No more time, no more incentive as the wife sais, not with the kid on board. Total change from before when she loved coming along and was actually proud of us being airplane owners to total risk aversion. We also have to attend to family and property abroad so all our vaccations go to this, no more travelling other than to the “2nd home”, no more anything. Life has become duty and duty only, all work, no play. Also flying there and back is no longer an option as the goal is always fixed dates and times and optimum stretch of vaccation time. That can’t be done with this kind of plane.
I still am hanging on and will give it another go in the next few months to get my SEP back. I have stopped dreaming about IR or anything, as I have no time whatsoever to do much extra activity. Maybe a few burger runs will still be possible. I also managed after 10 years to finally secure a hangar space, so that is another motivation, along with my wife also telling me not to sell the plane and promising to give me time. Well, we shall see. The aircraft will need major upgrades such as new paint and new windows in the very near future as well, so that is another very large step which I am not sure I can actually finance. I might well be outpriced and may have to give up.
About a year ago I got hold of the use of a 737NG sim nearby, which has hugely renewed my interest in flying. Being an airline pilot was my failed life’s ambition and the 737, while not my favorite plane, gives me all of this. My “fun flying” in the sense of not going anywhere, has been entirely in the sim now and it is much more rewarding than the constant hassle faced in real world flying. It also means to be able to do a bit of flying when I actually do have time (e.g. after a late shift from midnight to 2am or so) and do all sorts of interesting places I will never be able to go to in real life.
So if I had my way (which I obviously don’t) I’d do my “fun” flying in the 737 sim and my travelling with the Mooney, even if travelling means being alone on board and short trips like seeing my friends in Salzburg and other places or maybe drop into a Euroga fly in if it’s near. We’ll see how it goes.
