[-]

New_Line4049@reddit

Id say cost and environmental considerations are biggies, although there are electric aircraft coming onto the market now. The other one is risk factor. Yes, the aviation world is generally very safety conscious, but you can never reduce the risk to zero. If youre flying just to fly, thats extra risk you wouldnt have otherwise had. There are sadly still some accidents that occur, despite best efforts, and they can lead to life changing injuries or death. Its rare, but youre adding that possibility. On a happier note another arguable downside is addiction. Aviation is one of the most powerful drugs out there. "For once you have tasted flight you will forever walk the Earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return". Its surprisingly accurate. Just like addictive drugs youll empty your bank account and go hungry to afford more flight hours if youre not careful. Kids? Yep.... they can be sold, they're probably worth at least a few hours each.

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Loose-Cicada5473@reddit

Another reason, and this one is darker, but I’ve been told the fatality rate is more like motorcycles than cars. It gave me pause enough to do some thinking even if it’s not true.

[-]

Loose-Cicada5473@reddit

Once you get involved, if you have to leave it you’ll feel in your stomach like you’re missing a part of yourself, and it never stops

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Historical-Pin1069@reddit

Definitely the risk of dying when training in an aircraft made in the 70s lol

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gbchaosmaster@reddit

An aircraft made in the 70s that is properly maintained is just as reliable as a brand new aircraft of the same type.

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Historical-Pin1069@reddit

Well internally I don't worry if it is maintain but the structure integrity of the bodyframxe is the concern. These planes are heavily used everyday with hand landings and what not.

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andrewbt@reddit

The myth we tell ourselves. I’d take a C172 built in the last 5 years over one built in the last 50 years any day.

[-]

NlCKSATAN@reddit

money
could possibly die
constant unavoidable attention from women

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VileInventor@reddit

you guys get attention from women?

[-]

JT-Av8or@reddit

Literally yes. My FO was just getting hit on by a 40 year old MILF down here at the Miami layover hotel pool. Unfortunately he’s 25 so he didn’t see her potential expertise. 😚

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VileInventor@reddit

Shit can I be your FO 😅

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JT-Av8or@reddit

All are welcome! Come into the light.

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chumbuckethand@reddit

What does FO mean?

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Windiana_Rones@reddit

First officer maybe flight officer don't know just saw this show up on my feed

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JT-Av8or@reddit

Yeah first officer. I keep forgetting this isn’t just a pilot sub.

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Mountain-Captain-396@reddit

Flap Operator

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AutothrustBlue@reddit

Newbies have so good today. Back in my day we had to hike across the street in a snowstorm in Saskatoon just to eat before our min rest layover…

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VenomShadows305@reddit

Went uphill both ways?

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AutothrustBlue@reddit

In a crj 200 with an APU held together with duct tape and good intentions

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VenomShadows305@reddit

It may not be much but it's got a lot of spirit!

[-]

fridleychilito@reddit

Everyone knows you hike to the Shark Club in YXE

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YakVivid6538@reddit

This is an aggressively airline pilot series of words.

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Ecstatic_vagabond@reddit

My mom

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VileInventor@reddit

she single?

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walleyednj@reddit

Does it matter?

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woop_woop_pull_upp@reddit

constantly collecting panties

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makgross@reddit

Dumpster diving at the retirement home doesn’t count….

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woop_woop_pull_upp@reddit

Everyone needs a hobby

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cmnt777@reddit

Is he merely collecting or smelling them as well?

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walleyednj@reddit

Don’t shame his kink.

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Earshot5098@reddit

Well shit.

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Big_Significance_775@reddit

Wanna trade?

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woop_woop_pull_upp@reddit

Whatchu got?

[-]

Bluevette1437@reddit

Clearly I’m not going out enough

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ZappBrannigansLaw@reddit

The women that work for the FAA

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VileInventor@reddit

all 2 of them

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PhilRubdiez@reddit

“Yeah. I’m a ‘private pilot’”
“Yeah. Commercial pilot. Yeah. An American company.”
“Yeah. I teach pilots.”

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walleyednj@reddit

Had to rent another hangar just for the panty collection.

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Comfortable-Reveal75@reddit

Mostly men but the straight kind unfortunately…

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Pn244@reddit

You don’t???

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Kilometers2004@reddit

Seems to attract more men then women

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ResoluteFalcon@reddit

Every woman I encounter says my PPL isn't big enough for them.

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cjxmtn@reddit

it's not the size of the PPL that matters, it's your stick and rudder skills

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Infamous_Leek8897@reddit

Yeah that doesn’t change with my ATPP either

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GryphonGuitar@reddit

For the rest of your days you'll weigh every expense against how many hours that would have bought you in the air. That's why I wear nine dollar jeans.

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Lord_Giles@reddit

Mr. Fancy pants here is too good to buy jeans by the pound at goodwill outlets. Maybe you could have flown another hour if your wardrobe weren't so opulent.

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GryphonGuitar@reddit

Damn you, Old Navy!! Damn your winning marketing strategy!

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Taylor_Pilot@reddit

please tell me this a troll post..."carbon footprint" is a downside, but you aren't concerned over the added risk of killing your whole family in a fire ball?

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InternationalSort714@reddit

Learning how to fly gives you a perspective that changes how you perceive your subjective experience as a human on earth. This is both an upside and a downside.

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andrewbt@reddit

I never thought about it this way before but you’re totally right

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chumbuckethand@reddit

Wdym?

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TurnandBurn_172@reddit

It’s a hobby that is expensive to get into and somewhat expensive to maintain your skill level. Your skills will diminish relatively quickly, and if life gets busy you’ll be back to spending money for an instructor to get up to proficiency.

The time commitment to mentally prepare for leisure flights, and the time commitment to go to the airport, pre-flight, do your hundred dollar hamburger, post flight is pretty significant in terms of a hobby. I would estimate $100 hamburger run will take around 3 to 5 hours of your time and a few hundred dollars.

Your expensive hobby can turn into a lot of mini vacations within a couple hours of your home airport, and mini vacations get expensive over time.

Unless you have a significant other that is super into aviation, many of your hours in this hobby will be spent on solo flights. Unless you get involved with a flying club, or own a plane and hang out at your hangar at the airport, I find it to be a somewhat isolating hobby. Many of my non-aviator friends do not have the time or money or interest to attempt this hobby, so it is a somewhat unrelatable pastime. Although my friends and family are somewhat impressed that I have a pilots license, they don’t understand aviation, or relate to this hobby at all. Eventually, your flying will become more of a lifestyle than a hobby and you will meet a lot of other pilots, or it will be a seldom used hobby depending on what you have going on in your life. Or it will be a tool for your business or vacation aspirations.

There is certainly some chance that you could die in an aviation related accident, and that is a pretty high burden for a hobby for many people. If your life circumstances change, you may find that the perceived risks are not worth the reward of flying. However, your certificate is good for your lifetime and you can return to Flying at any point with some remedial training.

The biggest downside to hobby Flying is that it takes a good amount of money and a significant amount of time. For a middle class family, I think it can be a little hard to justify the time and expense compared to outlets that the whole family wants to enjoy. If you are single or have a partner, but no kids, I think it is a lot more fun for the average hobby pilot.

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Dangerous_Ad_5467@reddit

Excellent comment!!!

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TurnandBurn_172@reddit

Thanks! I sometimes wonder why I chime in lol. This was my lived experience though. PPL at 19 in 52 hrs, and then only added 80 hrs over the next 20 years for all the reasons I mentioned. But, I’m licensed and I got to pay for it in 2004 dollars ($5,500!).

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ltcterry@reddit

Downsides? You'll be infected by an incurable disease and spend all your money flying. But you'll be able to casually tell people "I'm a pilot..."

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lovelyfeyd@reddit

I don’t even have to tell people anymore. My husband does it for me. I think he is living vicariously through my glory. He gets sick flying commercial, so me flying just for the pleasure of getting off the ground must seem like a super power.

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Senior-Storm-7119@reddit

Sense of superiority over lowly land dwellers

Having the duty to inform everyone what the weather is doing and why

Money.

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Anonymoose_404@reddit

Correction: peasants

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Prefect_99@reddit

Groundlings.

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TxAggieMike@reddit

Upsides:

you’re doing something less than 10% of the world population can do
you know how to use a “Time Machine” (drive from DFW to Houston is 4.5 hours. Flight time in a Cessna 172 is about 2.5)
Your pilot certificate comes with the added privilege of telling everyone one you’re a pilot before they even ask.
You can visit some very interesting places directly that going by commercial airline requires more time and more resources to get to.

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TheCoffeeSweats@reddit

Probably closer to 1% of the world population

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ammo359@reddit

About half a million pilot licenses in the US - close to 0.2%. Gotta imagine that ratio is much lower in the highly populated areas of the world (India, China, etc.) so I’d easily believe less than 1% of the world population can fly.

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Crescent03@reddit

And a lot of those pilots licenses are old timers with PPLs that don’t fly anymore. The number of Pilots with legal currency is probably much lower

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rat-tar@reddit

I’d honestly believe that less than 0,1% can fly since I think the ratio in the US is probably higher than even in other wealthy countries.

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SuperStallionDriver@reddit

And don't forget all the people with licences that can't fly worth beans lol

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chumbuckethand@reddit

3rd bullet point shouldn’t be there, be humble.

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TxAggieMike@reddit

To quote the great Foghorn Leghorn, “It’s humor, son. I mad a funny and you ain’t laughing.”

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Sticky_Corvid@reddit

Less than 10%? I think it's probably higher, just hard for people to do it for financial reasons. If it was free there would be a shit ton of pilots.

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cbph@reddit

Less than 10%? I think it's probably higher

Lol, what? In the US, there are about a half a million active certificates at the private level or higher, in a country of 350 million. So like 0.015%. In probably the most accessible (regulatorily and financially) country for aviation in the world.

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Sticky_Corvid@reddit

It's still incredibly expensive to do. Regardless of how many pilots there are, there are plenty more who would do it if it was financially feasible. If that hurts your ego then I'm sorry to burst your bubble.

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cbph@reddit

What does this have to do with expense, or my ego? The comment said flying is "something less than 10% of the world can do."

If you take someone who has never been near an airplane or had any flight training, even if that person is fabulously wealthy and has all the money in the world to spend on flight training, they can't fly an airplane.

As in they physically can't start the engine, fly around the pattern, and land it safely. Can't fly.

[-]

TxAggieMike@reddit

I’m leaning towards that obtained private pilot…

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VectorsToFinal@reddit

Hahaha third bullet point is too accurate.

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Infamous_Leek8897@reddit

It’s gotten to the point that’s just how my best friend introduces me now. “This is my friend, he’s a fucking pilot”

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walleyednj@reddit

2 & #4 continue to my prime motivators.

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VolCata@reddit

Addiction.

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AssetZulu@reddit

Probably biggest downside is the amount of money you have to save up for plan b’s and the constant panties thrown at you. Being a pilot is exhausting.. women can be so heartless thinking you’re just a piece of meat. Me and my wife hate it

[-]

Mediocre-Ebb9862@reddit

Carbon footprint - you'd have to rule out many things (like air travel in general) if you approach life with this lens.

There're some risks to this hobby, especially if you don't take it seriously. The sky doesn't forgive over-confident.

May take lots of (self)pressure if you try to go up and become CPL/CFI later on.

[-]

MichaelOberg@reddit

Carbon credits to offset gallons burned is really cheap, likely pennies to maybe a buck or two per flight. I buy carbon offsets for my work truck each year and it runs about $40/yr

[-]

AstronomerThick8905@reddit

Honestly spraying the area around the airport with lead is probably worse for the environment.

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Mediocre-Ebb9862@reddit

Compared to the number of cars that drive by this airport daily?

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AstronomerThick8905@reddit

I mean cars ain't spraying lead anymore.

[-]

JustAnotherDude1990@reddit

Cocaine is a cheaper habit

[-]

mingocr83@reddit

Well you can get paid to haul blow from the south...

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Commercial_Lab_6210@reddit

Funny cause it's actually true

[-]

olek2012@reddit

I’ll touch on the financial downsides of flying. It’s a huge up front cost but what most people don’t realize is that it costs a lot to stay proficient and keep your skills up after you get your ratings. Flying is a perishable skill, especially instrument flying. Different people have different personal minimums in terms of hours per week they need to fly to stay feeling proficient. For me it’s minimum about 10 hours a week. That adds up very quickly and if you take a break you might need additional training and time studying to get back to where you were.

It’s not a hobby where you can spend $20k on your training and call it good. You have to keep spending money on rentals, instructors, insurance, etc continuously

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AstronomerThick8905@reddit

10 hours a week? You got Alzheimer's or something?

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GorillaNipSlip@reddit

10 hours a week?! To stay proficient at what level?

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scooterboog@reddit

That’s what he tells the wife

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olek2012@reddit

Yes I need everyone to back me up on this one

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olek2012@reddit

Typo sorry. I meant 10 hours a month.

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TurnandBurn_172@reddit

You must mean 10hrs per month?

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olek2012@reddit

Haha yes I meant 10 hours a month. Though I wish I was flying 10 hours a week that would be amazing

[-]

PresentationJumpy101@reddit

Apparently student pilots also can pull flight attendants

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kiwiphotog@reddit

The moment you fly anywhere there’s a whole new set of laws you can break and get yourself in trouble that people who don’t fly won’t know anything about..

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nolaflygirl@reddit

1 Downside: It's a dangerous hobby bc you risk your life everytime you go up!

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walleyednj@reddit

Fuck that. I live in NJ, I risk my life just driving to work.

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nolaflygirl@reddit

Yeah...my area too. Murders in broad daylight. Although outskirts of major cities can be safer. But flying is a whole other category. Just taking off is risky...not to mention landing. Whereas, initially putting your car in gear & driving away, or slowing down your car to park on a street or driveway isn't. And stalling your car won't kill you, but stalling your plane just might!

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walleyednj@reddit

That’s why we train for proficiency,not currency.

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nolaflygirl@reddit

Yep. That's true.

[-]

CaptMcMooney@reddit

don't think of it as a financial investment, think of it as digging a whole, pouring you money in, mixing with gas, then setting on fire, while someone else get's to enjoy the heat from the fire.

there is NO way to think of GA as green.

wouldn't worry bout the death thing, you can die tomorrow brushing your teeth.

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Beautiful-Low9454@reddit

I need to brush mine right now

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theguineapigssong@reddit

Once you get paid to fly, the concept of doing actual work becomes almost unbearable. If I ever have to fly a desk again I'm going to just retire and move somewhere cheap and tropical.

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PK808370@reddit

It’s a great thing to learn to do.

Enjoy it.

GA can get boring, depending on how your mind works, etc. the most exciting things for me to do are challenging landings in helicopters and, even more, flying with other folks who have more experience than I do or different experiences - senior pilots, military, weird aircraft, etc.

Make friends with everyone. Network for opportunities to do fun stuff

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TheJuiceBoxS@reddit

I only have my private, but the downsides for me are money, time spent studying, and stress associated with check rides. Danger is another downside, but I'm going to sell my motorcycle soon so I'm basically trading one dangerous hobby for another.

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nolaflygirl@reddit

I also had a motorcycle. Also fly. I think motorcycle was more dangerous bc vehicles pay no attention to us. Although it was a motorbike that darted out from a side street & hit me, damaging my bike. I was ok -- a little bruised bc I was riding in a bikini. Sold my motorcycle to a relative who repaired it. Took up flying a few yrs later which is my 1st "love". Just couldn't afford it until I was 31. Finally looking to buy my own 172...& a horse. I guess ppl like us just can't stay away from these "dangerous hobbies"! 😁

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PK808370@reddit

I fly helicopters, airplanes, and ride motorcycles. Motorcycles are, by far, the most dangerous.

[-]

Zakluor@reddit

Aviation can be hazardous to your wealth.

Wait. I meant health.

Wait, they're both true.

[-]

nolaflygirl@reddit

🤣

[-]

globesdustbin@reddit

Money and in some cases complications from medical issues.

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Mre64@reddit

Time money stress, in that order

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Glass-Breadfruit7374@reddit

The only real downside to GA is losing a place to rent if you're not rich enough to own. That's why I no longer fly,...but it took around 16 years for that to happen. So its not all that bad.

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BillySpacs@reddit

Not only that but even though I can rent I have to plan way in advance and if I cancel day of I have to pay one hour ($160). So it’s Labor Day weekend and I had last minute plans come up that are a 5 hour drive or a 1.5 hour flight each way. I would love to fly but no planes are available so I’m stuck driving and it’s not worth it really. Having a pilot license without your own plane kind of sucks

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TobyADev@reddit

Loads of money, loads of effort (pro or con tbh)

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buchwaldjc@reddit

For me the money was one thing for sure. But also, not having enough income to buy my own plane and the constant anxiety of damaging someone else's and potentially no on wanting to rent to me again.

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Low_Reputation_5358@reddit

Money.
Money.
Also money.

[-]

Hemmschwelle@reddit

Training to be a recreational pilot can be incredibly fun and beneficial, but you should be prepared to find that shortly after your checkride (say a year), you decide that it is just not worth the cash and time needed to maintain/improve your proficiency. If you stick with it, you'll want to invest in IR, and then you will have the ongoing expense of maintaining proficiency in IR. All good if you're still getting a kick out of flying, but I found that flying tailwheel airplane was just not worth the expense and ongoing risk. Cruising in an airplane is kinda boring because it is too easy. But I loved learning to fly tailwheel airplane, so do it if it is fun for you. The practical value of 'going places' in GA airplanes only works for a few people.

I've stuck with gliding longer because done right you can keep climbing the learning curve for decades and there are a lot metrics to measure your progress. This season, with the heat and smoke, I've had trouble getting enough glider flights to maintain proficiency, and the fixed expenses of owning a nice glider are making me think twice about continuing after 15 years of flying. I'm recently discouraged by my decline in proficiency, though I may be able to get back to the level that I was flying at in prior years, and it's possible that I will get to the next level.

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juuceboxx@reddit

Biggest downside is that if you’re unfortunate enough to love this, it’s gonna be a loooot of money burned to satisfy the itch of flying

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MoreSpoiler@reddit

None, it cost money, but yeah so does everything

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coffeepagan@reddit

It's the incessant Danger Zone playing in the background.

[-]

jamtillimpact@reddit

This is muck like asking what the downside to snorting coke off a strippers ass is, there isn’t one! (Unless you’re flying for BA)

[-]

lavionverte@reddit

You may get AIDS.

(*) Aviation Induced Divorce Syndrome

[-]

blimpmech@reddit

The inability to give a crap about anything else

[-]

smoothbrainape1234@reddit

You have to tell everyone that you’re a pYlot

[-]

_flyingmonkeys_@reddit

You become that guy at the party🤣

[-]

notryanreynolds_@reddit

Once you learn you’ll permanently be in a class of people that are inherently better than the rest of the population. It’s a lonely burden s/

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Author_Noelle_A@reddit

When you reach a point where you can’t afford to fly (and did you know most scholarships require you to already have enough money to fly and you need your log book to prove it?) and you’ve got a flight review coming up that you will miss, you’ll get frustrated. It’s an expensive hobby to maintain.

[-]

hifiaudio2@reddit

Definitely let the carbon hoax be a roadblock 🤪

[-]

ATrainDerailReturns@reddit

Brokeeeee

[-]

andrewrbat@reddit

Cost.

[-]

discgolfpilot@reddit

GA flying.

Like others have said money. If not doing it for a living stay current after training. A solid private student gets a lesson in 1.5 times a week and probably reads over something every night. Money

Aircraft availability after. Want to rent a plane for a weekend good luck finding a place to rent. If you buy your own aircraft money. If you have your own aircraft hanger space. Oh and money

[-]

Ok-Stomach-@reddit

take.lot of time and it's something you have to keep doing to be safe, it's a commitment not just a pure hobby, depending on your circumstances, it'd become somewhat a obligation you have to juggle along with work, family and other hobbies

[-]

Daliwallaby@reddit

Money

[-]

Valuable-Shelter-863@reddit

Money bruh

[-]

SuspiciouslyB@reddit

You’ll be the coolest friend in your circle

[-]

FiberApproach2783@reddit

No money😔💸

[-]

rFlyingTower@reddit

This is a copy of the original post body for posterity:

What are the downsides of learning to fly? I have dozens of reasons for wanting to learn, but ai want to make sure my thinking is balanced.

The main two as far as I can see are that it's a significant financial investment that you might not get back (almost certainly won't in my case as I'm only really interested in GA), and that it creates a significant carbon footprint (although not insurmountable via offsetting).

What are some other downsides?

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