Still looking for candidates, Peter :-)
These are all interesting issues. I don’t find I have specific corrosive effects on my confidence, or a single reason which prevents me from flying. I find that I fly the most when I have a favorable ‘ecosystem’ which promotes choosing to fly. For example, in Canada I used to be set up with the following:
- My office was near an airport
- The aircraft was inexpensive to operate
- I could fly myself for work trips on my own schedule, with almost no ramifications for delays or alternative transport arrangements.
- Super flexible work hours
- My in-laws lived on an island with an airport that was only 20 minute flight away.
- There were lots interesting places nearby for my partner and I to visit. Plus great destinations for longer trips. We could always bring our mountain bikes, road bikes, or climbing gear in the plane at no extra charge :-)
- There aren’t really any easyjet style cheap flights, so it is expensive to fly the airlines or small charter flights.
This type of ecosystem means that is always the right choice to fly yourself! However, now I live in the UK, farther from the airport, the aircraft is substantially more expensive to operate, I don’t fly myself for work trips, it is difficult to argue with the £100 flight on easyjet to Greece… you get the picture. I acknowledge that I always want aviation to be a part of my life, so this means that I slowly have to chip away the factors which discourage flight. Once you tip the balance, then it will again ‘always’ be the right choice to fly yourself!
For example, I look forward to the day when I might be able to have a helicopter in my back yard. Surely, it would be the right choice to fly when you need to run out for a pint of milk or some eggs :-).
With respect to passengers, I usually keep it to a day trip for casual friends, or maybe an overnight if it is stable good weather. I think it is quite hard to find other people with the same flexibility of schedule. Also, I like to fly to places that aren’t easily serviced by other forms of transportation. Therefore, it is difficult for a passenger to get back. Fortunately, my partner is always game for an adventure :-).
But, really? I don’t perceive the working world to be like this. I suppose it’s a function of the market.
Also a function of the labour laws. I find this to be impossible in Sweden (and, I would guess, the rest of Scandinavia). Sure, you could get a reprimand if you didn’t turn up for work as expected, but fired? Never, unless you had a history of such things.
Well, you won’t just not “turn up”. You would send an e-mail to your boss the evening before, saying that you are sorry, that due to certain unfortunate circumstances you are blocked elsewhere and that you need to take a day off.
Talking about “repercussions” in this context is totally OTT. I mean, it potentially might happen once or twice in ten years.
Fully agree with Patrick. Nothing will happen unless they wanted to get rid of you to begin with.
But, really? I don’t perceive the working world to be like this. I suppose it’s a function of the market.
I think that’s fair. There are certainly ends of banking where it would be a pretty big black mark, but for most ‘professional’ workers in the UK it would be a non-issue.
On the other hand, I have only been delayed twice in 3 years and 400 hours of flying a low performance non-deiced single: once due to severe convective weather that closed in much more than forecast (to be fair, it was marginal to start with, and I wouldn’t have gone if I didn’t know I could sleep on a friend’s floor if needed) and just this weekend because of a rough running engine. A big part of that was getting the IMC rating as soon as I could – within 6 months of passing the PPL.
I can relate to those who mention the average age of private pilots. I did my PPL at age 22 in 2005, when I had earned enough money, and then my CPL/ME/IR in 2013. Both times, I was by far the youngest student except those who aimed straight for a career in the airlines.
Surprisingly to me, most of these “career students” were hardly interested when I offered to take them along in my aircraft for half of the cost. So much for mentoring. And no, I’m sure it was not because of the overal impression of the pilot or aircraft 
…
I personally know only one other private pilot in my age group. He happened to be a childhood friend, but now he lives in another part of the country, so we meet to fly only once or twice a year. OTOH, I got to know some very nice “older” folks whom I wouldn’t have met personally without flying. The co-owner of my aircraft is well above 50, and that’s fine for both of us.
Nice to see that working conditions differ. In shift work, where there is a plan published 2 months before and set in stone, unfortunately things are not that easy. Also, it does help to have unions in such cases. The situation I was referring to is pretty much close to home, where due to the currency situation lots of people face reduction in force programs and simply can’t afford to be “noticed” in any negative way. Years ago I had to find that in a similar situation I found myself RIF’d due to the fact that the bosses assumed that he who can afford to fly must be loaded sufficiently so loosing the job won’t hurt… well it did, it took me more than two years and the loss of my flying then to find another job…. And at 50+ where chances of re-employment in this country are sub-zero, perspectives of “changing a job” are not as they are for people below say 30. Most of us 50+ folk here have to be glad to be employed at all. Here, it’s university graduates sub 30 which may get away with stuff like that, but not worker bees.
Re motivating wifes or girl friends or others has a lot to do with the old moniker “what is in it for them”. If they understand that due to the fact that you can fly to places you could not economically or timewise reach for a weekend or even a daytrip within a relatively short flight and get to do their things once they are there, then they will be much more motivated to come along. Day at the beach or visiting a great shopping city or things like that will do a lot more than going for a fly-in where another 20 pilots are sitting around talking planes with another 20 bored wifes who can’t wait to get home.
What I found very motivating for myself to restart flying were the trip reports of other pilots who had themselfs a great time going interesting places. You can also share the experience that way, like Peter did and does in his reports and others as well. I find it especcially interesting if people add what one can do at the destination.
Here is an Axiom: Girlfriends do, most wives dont.
Nice to see that working conditions differ. In shift work, where there is a plan published 2 months before and set in stone, unfortunately things are not that easy. Also, it does help to have unions in such cases. The situation I was referring to is pretty much close to home, where due to the currency situation lots of people face reduction in force programs and simply can’t afford to be “noticed” in any negative way. Years ago I had to find that in a similar situation I found myself RIF’d due to the fact that the bosses assumed that he who can afford to fly must be loaded sufficiently so loosing the job won’t hurt… well it did, it took me more than two years and the loss of my flying then to find another job…. And at 50+ where chances of re-employment in this country are sub-zero, perspectives of “changing a job” are not as they are for people below say 30. Most of us 50+ folk here have to be glad to be employed at all. Here, it’s university graduates sub 30 which may get away with stuff like that, but not worker bees.
Agreed it’s fair to add that there are certain job types (for example shift work) for which a laxer view on the things discussed really is not possible/practicable regardless of the market situation. Ironically, even commercial pilots would fall into that category I suppose. 
The rest of the examples are of course market based (availability of jobs vs. availability of equally or better fitting candidates).
I would personally say that others involved in aviation can often knock confidence far more than they would perhaps think through their actions.
This might be other pilots making comments about ones decisions, or ATC perhaps being stressed and being a bit sharp.
When I had just a PPL I remember doing a VFR flight, and I couldn’t very well hear the unit I was talking to due to level and terain. I asked them to say again and was given “G-ABCD, your full attention please if you want to use this airspace, it is busy” or words to that effect. It knocked my confidence a bit after I had gotten more used to ATC and the how friendly they were. In the first company I flew with, a captain made a decision not to depart due to low vis and had another pilot tell him “you know we ARE certified for that” and I know that knocked him a bit, he was a new captain and wasn’t comfortable with the conditions, and was made to feel foolish for it.
