I heard this question a gazillion times and then stopped counting, but I’m still happy to answer. Each time someone asks me how and why I started flying is an opportunity to transmit the aviation virus, sorry… passion. Many people think that flying is too expensive and that they can’t afford it. This is why the second question often comes together: it is expensive, isn’t it ?

My answer is always the same: “No, it is not expensive…”, immediately followed by “Well…”. A good argument is to compare with other hobbies. Bowling is not the perfect example but I know people who spend lot of money in skiing, buying and maintaining cars, travels, clothing, shoes, not to mention yachting and so on.

If you’re a long time reader of this blog you know that I live in Germany with my wife and our daughter and that we recently bought a house. The move and the restoration did cost more than my MEP rating. I have no regrets and cope with my status of “pilot flying not so frequently”. Flying on low budget is possible in almost all phases of a pilot’s life and if you don’t think so, read these two posts from Jason on www.m0a.com:

• 10 ways to make your pilot’s license more affordable
• How to save money on your flight training

Hobbies are per definition a luxury and I know that some can not afford any. But you don’t need a mountain of money to become a pilot. As Jason wrote, glass-cockpits and powerful engines are cool (they are, indeed) but not they are not a must. I decided to use all of my budget the get an MEP rating even if this means not flying afterward because I wanted to learn something new and I like high-performance, modern planes. Someone else could decide to use the same budget to fly more on a less expensive plane…

These arguments usually reassure those who think their budget is not sufficient. This brings me back to the first point: how did I start flying ? Professionally speaking, I’m a software engineer. By the end of 2000 I joined an ATC related company. Before that I had no idea about ATC, flying, IFR, VFR and light aircraft. Several colleagues were private or even commercial pilots. I heard lots of discussions and even got some internal training about aviation. One of them took place in the theory room of Geneva’s Aero-Club. Slowly but certainly, I got contamined, sorry, passionate about aviation. I know many pilots who dreamt of flying as kids… sorry if you’re disappointed but I’m not one of them.

What about you ?

And if you’re already a pilot, feel free to use these 10 reasons to bring new members to the flying community.

Take the intellectual challenge
Pilots don’t have to be big-brainers, and holding a Master of Aeronautics is not a prerequisite, but learning to fly is also an intellectual challenge. Particularly if you get an instrument rating, the workload, decision making, and flight management will certainly stimulate you.

Meet interesting people
Whether you fly in a club, school, or within an owners group, you can be sure that you’ll meet tons of interesting persons. Other pilots, instructors, airport staff, engineers, they all have captivating stories to tell you.

Save time
Visiting remote places is much easier as a pilot. You can use the extra-speed to visit family members living away more easily, save time, and make more out of the 24 hours you get each day.

Technical interest
If you like technical things, you’re probably already attracted by airplane. Becoming a pilot means that you’ll develop your technical knowledge in various fields: aerodynamics, avionics, engines, … If you’re not upset when someone calls you a geek, try flying a glass-cockpit light aircraft, you’ll find it even better.

An impressive hobby
The social impact of having “flying” as a hobby can be surprising. I got married the day after my introductory flight, so this is not how I seduced my wonderful wife, but I’m sur it works. The way your colleagues, friends and other relative perceive you will certainly change when you’ll become a pilot. Note that green integrists might not like that…

The 100$ hamburger
Flying to a remote and exciting location is good, but flying to a nearby airport with a good restaurant is not bad either. Even if the concept of 100$ hamburger shall probably be adapted to the 250$ hamburger because of all the cost increase, it’s still really cool. Take your passengers on board, fly 30 minutes, eat on the airport restaurant’s terrace looking at other planes, and fly home.

Change the way you see the world
That might seem a silly, romantic thing, but it’s true: flying and seeing the world from above makes it look different. Pilots also learn to read the weather signs, and get a better understanding of how things are working, on a more global scale.

Can be a second job opportunity

Never say never. Getting a commercial pilot license requires more theory and training than a simple private pilot license, but it could open new opportunities someday. Getting an “upgrade” from private to commercial is also possible within a couple of months. Many pilot jobs do not pay that well, but who knows ?

Help the community
I already posted on this blog about Angel Flights, and other ways general aviation is helping the whole community. There are many of them, and numerous associations need the help of volunteer pilots.

Fun
Last but not least, flying is fun !

Anything else to add ? I’m waiting for your comments !