Addiction
06-18-2009, 07:09 AM
#1
Self Employed.
Thread Starter
Joined APC: May 2005
Position: Corporate Pilot
Posts: 7,119
Addiction
Over the years I have come to believe that aviation can become a dangerous obsession for some people. We have a young guy at my local airport who has blown his net worth on a dead end Cessna 170. He just will not leave it alone. He put a bigger engine in it. Then he upgraded the radios. It got a stol kit and new paint. On and on he has dumped a fortune into a plane that he hasn't been able to fly much since it is always in the shop. He will never see most of that money again.
Yesterday he announces that he want to sell it and get a Cessna 180. It is never good enough. He and his wife make good money but are living in a two bedroom apartment to support his addiction. Two years ago I heard him promise his wife that they were going to buy a house that summer. With the money he has blown they could have paid cash for a home. I can only imagine what the arguments are like in their 800 square foot apartment. A few years ago thew same guy asked me what kind of plane to get and I told him to buy a 150. It just isn't good enough I guess.
I have seen many others get sucked into bad aviation obsessions. Plenty of my co-workers have burned up their lives constantly choosing aviation over friends and family. Some can not let go of the high the get from taking risks in flight. Others loose sight of balance in their lives and just let flying consume every corner of their lives until they are alone and living in a studio apartment without so much as a houseplant to keep them company or a dollar int he bank to secure their future with.
Sooner or later the obsession leads to a gruesome end of some kind. To me aviation has the power to destroy lives as much as any drug or addiction can. I mentioned this before to a friend and he told me that horse addicts are the same way.
Skyhigh
Yesterday he announces that he want to sell it and get a Cessna 180. It is never good enough. He and his wife make good money but are living in a two bedroom apartment to support his addiction. Two years ago I heard him promise his wife that they were going to buy a house that summer. With the money he has blown they could have paid cash for a home. I can only imagine what the arguments are like in their 800 square foot apartment. A few years ago thew same guy asked me what kind of plane to get and I told him to buy a 150. It just isn't good enough I guess.
I have seen many others get sucked into bad aviation obsessions. Plenty of my co-workers have burned up their lives constantly choosing aviation over friends and family. Some can not let go of the high the get from taking risks in flight. Others loose sight of balance in their lives and just let flying consume every corner of their lives until they are alone and living in a studio apartment without so much as a houseplant to keep them company or a dollar int he bank to secure their future with.
Sooner or later the obsession leads to a gruesome end of some kind. To me aviation has the power to destroy lives as much as any drug or addiction can. I mentioned this before to a friend and he told me that horse addicts are the same way.
Skyhigh
06-18-2009, 08:24 AM
#2
Line Holder
Joined APC: Mar 2009
Position: EMB145 FO
Posts: 45
Hey, at least it's not crack!
06-18-2009, 10:01 AM
#3
Flying Farmer
Joined APC: Jul 2006
Position: Turbo-props' and John Deere's
Posts: 3,160
So because someone found happiness in aviation it's wrong? I'm not saying what he's doing is necessarily responsible, but it's their choice. Obviously his wife is still putting up with it.(And we all know if the misses signs off on it, it must be ok!)
06-18-2009, 02:18 PM
#4
Bracing for Fallacies
Joined APC: Jul 2007
Position: In favor of good things, not in favor of bad things
Posts: 3,543
Yeah, I do agree flying is an addiction to some. But like one poster said, at least it's not crack or some "bad" addiction.
I would enjoy seeing the science behind this. There probably is a release of endorphines or some hormone that triggers a stong, pleasurable response. A person could assign some metric to measure how addictive aviation is. Seriously.
People will do crazy things to support their addictions
Unfortunately I think this has manifested itself in a race to the bottom type pay scale.
I would enjoy seeing the science behind this. There probably is a release of endorphines or some hormone that triggers a stong, pleasurable response. A person could assign some metric to measure how addictive aviation is. Seriously.
People will do crazy things to support their addictions
Unfortunately I think this has manifested itself in a race to the bottom type pay scale.
06-19-2009, 06:30 AM
#5
Self Employed.
Thread Starter
Joined APC: May 2005
Position: Corporate Pilot
Posts: 7,119
Crack
Yeah, I do agree flying is an addiction to some. But like one poster said, at least it's not crack or some "bad" addiction.
I would enjoy seeing the science behind this. There probably is a release of endorphines or some hormone that triggers a stong, pleasurable response. A person could assign some metric to measure how addictive aviation is. Seriously.
People will do crazy things to support their addictions Unfortunately I think this has manifested itself in a race to the bottom type pay scale.
I would enjoy seeing the science behind this. There probably is a release of endorphines or some hormone that triggers a stong, pleasurable response. A person could assign some metric to measure how addictive aviation is. Seriously.
People will do crazy things to support their addictions
Unfortunately I think this has manifested itself in a race to the bottom type pay scale.Skyhigh
06-19-2009, 06:49 AM
#6
Line Holder
Joined APC: Mar 2009
Position: EMB145 FO
Posts: 45
Anything can be ok in moderation. I get your point but self-control is the number one issue here, not airplanes. For some people it's cars, for others it's boats, for even more people it's houses, gambling, sex, drugs, rock-n-roll, porn, the list can continue until you run out of nouns. I'm sure there are some people out there who have an unhealthy addiction to their own families! Heck, I've even heard of people who are addicted to being healthy, and it's unhealthy that they're addicted to being healthy! And what about the people who are addicted to being successful? You know, the ones who completely neglect their families for the almighty dollar? Are they not addicts as well?
If the guy gets his jollies from airplanes good for him, me, I like the sauce.
Personally, I can't stand to be in or around airplanes by the end of the week. On monday, you bet I'm ready to take her back up.
06-19-2009, 07:04 AM
#7
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Apr 2007
Position: Dream within a dream
Posts: 1,306
Almost 5000 posts since you left the industry . . . I'd say you still have to get over your addiction, too 
If it's so terrible, why don't you just flush it out of your mind and stop thinking about it 
Your 150 should be able to fill that gap, as long as all the negativity hasn't rotted too much away
If it's so terrible, why don't you just flush it out of your mind and stop thinking about it Your 150 should be able to fill that gap, as long as all the negativity hasn't rotted too much away
06-19-2009, 07:07 AM
#8
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Apr 2008
Position: Sleeping in the black swan’s nest.
Posts: 5,725
Over the years I have come to believe that aviation can become a dangerous obsession for some people. We have a young guy at my local airport who has blown his net worth on a dead end Cessna 170. He just will not leave it alone. He put a bigger engine in it. Then he upgraded the radios. It got a stol kit and new paint. On and on he has dumped a fortune into a plane that he hasn't been able to fly much since it is always in the shop. He will never see most of that money again.
Yesterday he announces that he want to sell it and get a Cessna 180. It is never good enough. He and his wife make good money but are living in a two bedroom apartment to support his addiction. Two years ago I heard him promise his wife that they were going to buy a house that summer. With the money he has blown they could have paid cash for a home. I can only imagine what the arguments are like in their 800 square foot apartment. A few years ago thew same guy asked me what kind of plane to get and I told him to buy a 150. It just isn't good enough I guess.
I have seen many others get sucked into bad aviation obsessions. Plenty of my co-workers have burned up their lives constantly choosing aviation over friends and family. Some can not let go of the high the get from taking risks in flight. Others loose sight of balance in their lives and just let flying consume every corner of their lives until they are alone and living in a studio apartment without so much as a houseplant to keep them company or a dollar int he bank to secure their future with.
Sooner or later the obsession leads to a gruesome end of some kind. To me aviation has the power to destroy lives as much as any drug or addiction can. I mentioned this before to a friend and he told me that horse addicts are the same way.
Skyhigh
Yesterday he announces that he want to sell it and get a Cessna 180. It is never good enough. He and his wife make good money but are living in a two bedroom apartment to support his addiction. Two years ago I heard him promise his wife that they were going to buy a house that summer. With the money he has blown they could have paid cash for a home. I can only imagine what the arguments are like in their 800 square foot apartment. A few years ago thew same guy asked me what kind of plane to get and I told him to buy a 150. It just isn't good enough I guess.
I have seen many others get sucked into bad aviation obsessions. Plenty of my co-workers have burned up their lives constantly choosing aviation over friends and family. Some can not let go of the high the get from taking risks in flight. Others loose sight of balance in their lives and just let flying consume every corner of their lives until they are alone and living in a studio apartment without so much as a houseplant to keep them company or a dollar int he bank to secure their future with.
Sooner or later the obsession leads to a gruesome end of some kind. To me aviation has the power to destroy lives as much as any drug or addiction can. I mentioned this before to a friend and he told me that horse addicts are the same way.
Skyhigh
Last edited by Airhoss; 06-19-2009 at 08:08 AM.
06-19-2009, 07:16 AM
#9
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Jul 2007
Position: FDX 767 FO
Posts: 818
If I read this thread in the blind, I could have picked the author...no surprises here...move along.
06-19-2009, 07:26 AM
#10
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Mar 2008
Position: FAA 'Flight Check'
Posts: 13,839
Over the years I have come to believe that aviation can become a dangerous obsession for some people. We have a young guy at my local airport who has blown his net worth on a dead end Cessna 170. He just will not leave it alone. He put a bigger engine in it. Then he upgraded the radios. It got a stol kit and new paint. On and on he has dumped a fortune into a plane that he hasn't been able to fly much since it is always in the shop. He will never see most of that money again.
Yesterday he announces that he want to sell it and get a Cessna 180. It is never good enough. He and his wife make good money but are living in a two bedroom apartment to support his addiction. Two years ago I heard him promise his wife that they were going to buy a house that summer. With the money he has blown they could have paid cash for a home. I can only imagine what the arguments are like in their 800 square foot apartment. A few years ago thew same guy asked me what kind of plane to get and I told him to buy a 150. It just isn't good enough I guess.
I have seen many others get sucked into bad aviation obsessions. Plenty of my co-workers have burned up their lives constantly choosing aviation over friends and family. Some can not let go of the high the get from taking risks in flight. Others loose sight of balance in their lives and just let flying consume every corner of their lives until they are alone and living in a studio apartment without so much as a houseplant to keep them company or a dollar int he bank to secure their future with.
Sooner or later the obsession leads to a gruesome end of some kind. To me aviation has the power to destroy lives as much as any drug or addiction can. I mentioned this before to a friend and he told me that horse addicts are the same way.
Skyhigh
Yesterday he announces that he want to sell it and get a Cessna 180. It is never good enough. He and his wife make good money but are living in a two bedroom apartment to support his addiction. Two years ago I heard him promise his wife that they were going to buy a house that summer. With the money he has blown they could have paid cash for a home. I can only imagine what the arguments are like in their 800 square foot apartment. A few years ago thew same guy asked me what kind of plane to get and I told him to buy a 150. It just isn't good enough I guess.
I have seen many others get sucked into bad aviation obsessions. Plenty of my co-workers have burned up their lives constantly choosing aviation over friends and family. Some can not let go of the high the get from taking risks in flight. Others loose sight of balance in their lives and just let flying consume every corner of their lives until they are alone and living in a studio apartment without so much as a houseplant to keep them company or a dollar int he bank to secure their future with.
Sooner or later the obsession leads to a gruesome end of some kind. To me aviation has the power to destroy lives as much as any drug or addiction can. I mentioned this before to a friend and he told me that horse addicts are the same way.
Skyhigh
I've got an idea. Why don't you find an automotive website with a message board and try spreading this message to the people who spend 30 years tinkering with a car in the garage, pouring money into it and fixing it up and never driving it around the block and see what kind of responses you get. MAYBE he finds enjoying with the process of revamping the 170. Maybe it is a stress reduction strategy?
Btw - what are the house prices around your part of town where a person could pay CASH for a house in just two years on money spent on a Cessna 170? Me thinketh you exaggerate - - - again.
USMCFLYR
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