Try something else - Fighting boredom
Boredom is probably the second reason for which private pilots stop flying, after price increase. I can’t do anything against price increase, but I have many ideas to fight boredom. This of today is simple: try something new !
There is a phase, usually a couple of years after getting their license, where private pilots feel like they have done everything in range. This feels like flying always to the same airports with the same planes, and the question about continuing or not pops-out…
If you’re in such a phase, my tip is simple: try something new ! Flying light aircraft is a very multi-sided activity, and unless you’ve been doing that for many many years, I’m sure you did not explore all of them. Here is a short list of possibilities, to give you new ideas…
Complex aircraft training
If you ever flew in PA-28 or C172, why not try to get an upgrade ? Retractable gear, variable pitch prop, modern avionics, more speed… Moving to a more complex type of aircraft is a rewarding challenge, and it usually makes more options available, because of the extra speed. Where a PA28 cruises at 120 knots, a PA32 can fly up to 160…
If your budget allows, you can also think of going multi-engine. The training is not that long, the major issue being then to find a twin for rent.
New ratings
There are a couple of ratings you can obtain on top of your PPL. The most common is probably the night VFR rating. Flying at night is a truly different experience, everything gets more tricky, classical (non-radio, non-GPS) navigation is a real challenge. Needless to say, the view out of the cockpit has nothing to do with what you know by day.
The next one if obviously the instrument flying rating. This requires more time and money, but it will also change your pilot life. I already talked a lot about it on this blog, so I’ll keep it short in this post. If you fly in the UK, you can also get your IMC rating, which will allow you in some clouds as well.
If you like G’s and adrenaline, why not undergo an aerobatics course ? I’m personally not G or extreme attitudes friendly, but I know many pilots who love loops, barrels and spins. This is big step forward in controlling an airplane. As most aerobatic planes are tail-wheel, you’ll also have to get through the tail-wheel endorsement.
Some countries (sadly not a lot in Europe…) still offer the possibility to get a seaplane rating. I flew seaplane only once, as passenger, and must admit that it’s an amazing thing. Whether you do that in Australia, or on the lakes of Canada, it also requires to learn more and develop new skills.
Fly in foreign countries
Don’t forget that your license is valid worldwide. If you have a US license, you can fly in all parts of the states, and easily get a validation in foreign countries. If you’re an European pilot, your JAA license is valid everywhere in Europe, and getting a validation is also relatively easy.
So why putting a part of your flying budget aside, and plan some flying during your next vacation trip ? All what you will need is to be signed-off by a local instructor, and here you go ! You will not only discover new places, but possibly new kind of flying. Come to central Europe, and you’ll be given a chance to fly through the Alps. If you learned in a flat country, this will be a real change. However, be careful with mountains…
Another option, at least in France, is to get some site qualifications, in places like Courchevel. It might seem useless if you live far away, but getting the training will be the opportunity to see something different, and to improve your flying skills.
Flying with instructors you don’t know can also be refreshing, and as each instructor has his or her own techniques and favorite topics, there’s still a lot to learn.
Add your own
You probably have some other tips, and if you went through this boredom phase, I’d be interested to know in what it resulted. Did you stop ? Did you change your flying ? Did you try something new, and if so, what was it ?
