Most of us are not able to fly as much as we would like – for a combination of reasons e.g. money, time, aircraft availability, lack of people to fly with, etc.
What do you do to make sure each flight delivers real value?
Peter
I know what you mean, however each flight brings real value, it brings lots of fun, even flying straight lines at 2000’.
Like Ben, I have no issue. Those rare occasions when I do manage to get airborne, there’s always something new.
Perhaps flying is a bit like sex: the longer one must wait for it, the more delight it brings 
To me it means to fly to the same standards on every flight as on a skill test or competency check.
Jan_Olieslagers wrote:
Perhaps flying is a bit like sex: the longer one must wait for it, the more delight it brings
The longer one must wait for it, the more frustrated he is
For me every flight delivers value. If nothing else then a pure joy of being airborne – I’ve been doing since I was 16 and I still haven’t had enough of it. Both sex and flying 
I have to have a mission. This means going somewhere on the chosen day and coping with the weather. So I will fly on my allocated day unless the weather is diabolical. That is the way I get maximum value.
For me it is one or more of
However, I do work hard to get to fly once a week, and will go even if it is a local flight.
I used to have a list of people who expressed interest but they were mostly busy so I don’t ask them anymore. I am sure every new PPL knows this well… you soon run out of passengers unless you get away from the local burger runs. But it’s tricky for longer flights too; most people have to work. Women are more likely to have spare time but you can’t fly with them much – for obvious reasons In most cases you also get the pressure to get the person back on time because they have to be at work.
The things I try really hard to avoid are
)fly an instrument approach…
For me, it’s the contrary: To make a flight count, it must end with a visual approach. That’s the only thing the autopilot can’t do better than me This morning, we got a wonderful one into Farnborough, before the airshow started. With an A380 and the Red Arrows lined up along the runway. Unfortunately we had to get out again before the show otherwise we would have had to stay until the end with insufficient rest time for tomorrows flight (another nice one with a night stop at Dinard).
In the beginning of my flying, I kept something like a diary with a few lines about every flight. Hoping that I could write something special or interesting about each of them. As it turned out, this was not the case (that every flight has an interesting bit of it’s own) so I stopped making those notes. Now I’m happy if one flight out of ten gives me something to remember for a while…
Peter wrote:
The things I try really hard to avoid areflying to nearby airfields (say under 1hr drive)
I think I must be unique…
For me, is all about the ‘voyage’. I’ve almost zero interest in getting airborne unless it’s to go somewhere, oddly enough distance not being an issue. Yes, I know, help yourself to a pitchfork :) I’ve no interest in types, aeros, speed, actually not a vast amount of interest in the a/c itself, and my sole reason for learning to fly is to travel from A – B using a different perspective and viewpoint.
I’ve flown to many places, but strangely enough my best day was a flight to Calais back in January. Zero cloud, the light was almost ethereal, and it gave me a buzz that lasted a week. I do anything to avoid Calais when driving :)
It’s a cartographic thing. I almost find it therapeutic. Alain de Botton wrote a good book about it, ‘The Art of Travel’, which essentially argues that it’s all about the journey not the destination.
I fly to look at the landscape. Land away to refuel if needed. Book-out “local VFR, endurance 4 hours, duration up to 2 1/2 hours, to W”. Mode S, and often just keep a listening watch away from airfield in Class G. On mogas before refueling, so below 6,000’. No DI nor AH.
(No autopilot, so duration is controlled by desire to visit restroom in aft cabin.)
Jodel DR1050 has a poor heater, and draughty cabin.
