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Do you guys have people around you who do not like your hobby?

Well, I cannot leave my dad! :)

I think the issue is that the media always blows any plane “crash” out of proportion. So that’s all in his mind when it comes to small aircraft flying. I think that GA flying is rather safe if one doesn’t go “crazy” (e.g. flying at night in clouds in the mountains in uncontrolled airspace). Sure, there is still a rather small chance that your plane will catch fire during a flight, but there is also the chance that your wheels falls off when driving a car and you flip over.

I’d be lying if I said couldn’t understand why he is worried. I would be worried as well.

I am sure that most risks are minimized by flying in VFR conditions in a good plane.

Once I get my PPL I will be flying many hours on my own and then hopefully take my dad up into the sky as well one day.

I remember that he asked how bad you can feel turbulence and such, and I explained to him that the only issue I had was when we did stall training. On hindsight, I maybe should not have explained that to him because I think he imagined it as falling from the sky like a brick.

Always keep the horizon in view!
LSZH

cucumber wrote:

Once I get my PPL I will be flying many hours on my own and then hopefully take my dad up into the sky as well one day.

I could get a person with me on my PPL training on the very first flight. I don’t know if there are any laws against it but I am sure at some point you are allowed to (e.g. to make a flight at MTOW). Not on your solos of course. So maybe you can take him with you even in the early stages, especially if you have a confident and reassuring instructor as I did.

LSZH, LSZF, Switzerland

Do you guys have people around you who do not like your hobby?

Yes. So what? Who cares?
I’ve got people around me who do not like my style of dressing.
I’ve got people around me who do not like my accent.
I’ve got people around me who do not like my hair style (or rather, the lack thereof).

EBZH Kiewit, Belgium

OK, so here’s a view from the other side. As the partner of a dedicated pilot I have learned to stop worrying about him and in return he has learned to stop hassling me about flying with him on long trips, in less than perfect Wx, to meet up and talk planes with other pilots etc. I am only ever encouraging and supportive of his flying though. It gets him out of the house, gives me precious time for my own stuff, and stops him pacing around and gazing out of the window like a dog on a wet afternoon. I guess it’s different for everyone but personally I find relationships work best when each person has the freedom to pursue their own interests and is generous enough to give the other the same.

Jan_Olieslagers wrote:

Yes. So what? Who cares?

Well, maybe I should have been more clear in the title. I was referring to people who you care about. Like parents, partners,…

Obviously, I don’t care if my neighbor doesn’t like that I am flying :)

I also asked my dad again about this and it turns out that he is fine with me doing a PPL, but he is still worried, because that’s what parents do. He would prefer if my hobby was collecting stamps instead, though :D

Ironically, I looked up an article about statistics of flying GA and in some old post from 2013 a flight instructor was quoted. He owned a plane of which the tail number was mentioned in the post. I went ahead and googled it just to see that that particular plane was involved in a crash a year later or so. The first result in Google was an NTSB report.

Athene wrote:

stops him pacing around and gazing out of the window like a dog on a wet afternoon.

I can relate to that!

Last Edited by cucumber at 17 Apr 17:56
Always keep the horizon in view!
LSZH

cucumber wrote:

I was referring to people who you care about. Like parents, partners,…

OK, that’s fair enough. There, I have not a comma to add to @Athene’s words!

Last Edited by at 17 Apr 18:08
EBZH Kiewit, Belgium

cucumber wrote:

I also asked my dad again about this and it turns out that he is fine with me doing a PPL, but he is still worried, because that’s what parents do. He would prefer if my hobby was collecting stamps instead, though :D

At some point you should start doing what you want to do and not what your parents want. Try to keep them calm, do your best in the airplane (not only for them, but for you and your passengers) and enjoy the ride. Also, everything in life is risky and only death (and taxes) are a sure thing. That’s what life is.

LSZH, LSZF, Switzerland

@cucumber your assessment that day VFR in a well maintained Piper Archer in nice California weather (most of the time) is relatively safe is very fair. The aircraft type, and the flying you plan to do has a superior safety record to the average in GA, a statistically significant one.

My advice is keep initial flights with newbie passengers short (max 30-45 minutes), AtoA, and stress free. Fly out to a well known local landmark, or round the local town, and follow up with a nice family outing/meal.

Build up slowly from there – a few more local flights spread over several weeks, and then a very simple cross country, again keep it short, not much longer than an hour or so. The destination ideally should allow an overnight and be pleasant, with a nice short flight home. If weather is not good for the return trip hire a car, and pick up the ’plane at a later date.

Don’t try and sell your very practical PA28 as reliable transportation – that’s what Part 121 equipment is for, assuming its not overbooked.

Oxford (EGTK), United Kingdom

inners wrote:

Your Dad’s anxiety about your flying is easily cured. Tell him you’re buying a really fast motorcycle.

I’m too old to worry about my parents attitude to flying, but my father was a pilot who introduced me to flying at age 15, so that was never an issue. My parents also allowed me to pursue motorcycling from a very early age (like age ten!) so maybe in reality I was ‘set up’ for both, and needed only to find a wife who understood that.

My wife understood before we married that if I had to give up motorcycling or flying to maintain the relationship, then the relationship would be doomed. Happily she loves motorcycling with me, and tolerates flying with some physical issues. She also enjoys the social aspects of both – probably 80% of our friends are associated with one or the other, with the other 20% associated with her independent interests. She knew what she was getting into.

Last Edited by Silvaire at 17 Apr 18:33

Let me provoke a bit: Isn’t it a bit selfish of your father to put psychological pressure on you as to what you should and should not do in life? Does he reason out of your or out of his own interest? Surely he must know that you are a responsible chap who will make the right risk/reward choices in your flying.

Private field, Mallorca, Spain
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