Flying As A Hobby

Ask a room full of people what hobby they have and you will get as many answers as there are people. Others will confess that they don't have a hobby. They probably do; but just don't label it as such. By definition, a hobby is an activity or interest pursued outside one's regular occupation and engaged in primarily for pleasure.

Whether flying, stamp collecting, chat rooms, trains, softball,scrapbooking, golf, reading, painting, tap dancing, yard work, crafts, auto mechanics, music, hunting down garage sales, sewing, fishing, cooking, boating, furniture refinishing, javelin tossing or a plethora of other activities or interests the key element is balance. You must find balance between your family life and your extracurricular activities.

Too much of a good thing turns bad. Everyone should have an outlet and a special interest that they enjoy doing for themselves. Self indulgence, to a point, is quite healthy. Escaping from day to day grinds to take some time to devote to your flying hobby or concentration is therapeutic. You've all heard, "if Mamma ain't happy, no one's happy." It doesn't matter if your role is father, mother, husband, wife, boyfriend, girlfriend, son, daughter, brother or sister, if you're just going to work or school and have no real outside activities, you're probably not always the most friendly person to be around.

Conversely, if you bury yourself and it seems to others that all you care about or all you ever want to do is fly all day (or hang around the airport), you're setting yourself up or prolonging discontent. People deal with depression in many ways. Some sleep all the time. Others want to do nothing but read,read, read. Still others will spend hours upon hours downstairs building a bigger, faster widget, just to avoid the real cause of their frustrations. Hobbies are supposed to be a healthy outlet, not a catalyst to ignore issues that need addressing.

Likewise, hobbies can get very expensive. Sure, flying, snow mobiles, motorcycles and ski equipment are obviously expensive. But sometimes those seemingly low cost activities can add up. You start out with trying to budget for the weekly flying lessons. Then you need (or want) the unnecessary (but fun) goodies that we all "need" to pursue our passion. "Let's see, do we pay the mortgage this month, or get that (fill in the blank) that you just have to have?"

If your flying hobby is doing more harm than good, if it's dipping into the family budget and time allocation, more than you can or should be spending, it's time to reevaluate. Not stop the flying, mind you, just make sure it's appropriate for you and your family and its lifestyle.

Yvonne Volante, webmaster for http://www.fixairplanes.com, is a big fan of flying and flight travel. She operates a web site that is devoted to flying and aviation resources. Email her at yvonne@fixairplanes.com

---

General Aviation Manufacturing is in the Tank; Hang On It is Going to Get Worse

Change is a constant, Outsourcing Jobs, Capital flows, Emerging Markets... Read More

Fighter Jet Trainers Sport Planes

You want a fighter jet as your personal aircraft; do... Read More

Fuselage Mounted Laser Vortex Enhancer Directed to Airfoils

DARPA has developed a small laser cannon, just like Star... Read More

How to Save on Airfare

The Internet has provided a revolution in the way people... Read More

The Wright Brothers

Orville and Wilbur Wright were mere bicycle mechanics, yet they... Read More

Sex in a Cessna, Part III

So far we have learned the safety aspect of setting... Read More

Entering Business Aviation, Part I: Types of Aircraft

The jets that people fly in corporate aviation are usually... Read More

The History of the Aircraft Wash Guys, Part Three

As we study this grass roots history of a franchise... Read More

Airline Security; Stewardesses The Last Line Of Defense!

Introduction:It might come as a chock to many people, including... Read More

Downed Pilots Hibernating From the Enemy

When we watch Oliver North's "War Stories" or the "Wings... Read More

Entering Business Aviation, Part IV: Crafting a Resume

Writing a résumé can be one of the most daunting... Read More

Making a Mechanical Manta with Material Memory Manufacturing Methods

I propose building a mechanical manta ray as a Underwater... Read More

Inflatable Slots for STOL

Short Take Off and Landing Aircraft are extremely valuable in... Read More

Jet Lag - You Can Suffer From It...Or You Can Do What This International Airline Captain Does

Whatever the reason for your travel, you have made a... Read More

Learning to Fly

Flying is fun. I learned to fly myself when I... Read More

India Air Traffic Issues to Come

As India increases its economic growth the population is taking... Read More

Cracking Aircraft Windows with Directed Sound Waves

Today our modern military scientists have found many uses for... Read More

Flying With Your Dog

A pet owner must research the many requirements before taking... Read More

Travel Tips For Getting Through the Airport Easier and Quicker

Traveling is different now than it was before 9/11. Arriving... Read More

Moving Troops and Evacuation Strategies

There are many ways to evacuate people from disasters like... Read More

Automated Satellite Following System for UAV Swarms

Much work is being done and the USAF has implemented... Read More

Airlines, Price Wars, and Branding

Here are some thoughts on the study of the theory... Read More

Airbus to Build $600 Million Aircraft Manufacturing Plant in US

Airbus has announced that it will build a $600 million... Read More

Is your air traffic control person real?

Have you ever been flying around in your private plane... Read More

17 Ways to Keep Safe and Secure When Flying

Here are 17 ways to keep safe and secure when... Read More

Laser Beam Guidance for Oshkosh Air Show

The Federal Aviation Administration is devising a method of alerting... Read More

Essential Oil Skin Care Tips for Frequent Fliers

Are you one of those people that has lots and... Read More

NASA SATS for Point-to-Point Air Travel Solutions

It appears NASA's studies of the future of air travel... Read More

Future Shuttle Launches

The military aircraft we have are all equipped with anti-SAM... Read More

Helicopters Outfitted With Airbags

You know those airbags in your car? Did you know... Read More

Jet Lag ? 5 In-flight Tips

The secret to combating jet lag, and arriving at your... Read More

A Look at Fractional Jet Ownership

We've all experienced it - the commercial flight. After a... Read More

Several Facts to Obtaining Cheap Airfares

AirfaresNeed a vacation but dont want to stay around town?... Read More