I have been thinking about this whole Back country etiquette debate going on.

It occurs to me that we may not have the same reasons for flying.

For me I love flying I am fortunate enough to have found a way to make a living flying.
When I fly for fun it is not primarily to go out and Hunting, Fishing, Hiking or rafting.
(Although i do those things on occasion, they would be a secondary reason to fly for me.)
I can do all of those things without needing to fly but flying opens things up a bit.

I like to fly and land different places, enjoy the scenery while honing my skills to be the best I can.
I find myself wondering as I fly along looking at gravel bars, lakes, rivers and ridgetops hmmm I think I can get in there.
Most times I am on my way hauling people to different locations so I can't do anything about it but I catalog those places in my brain for some future adventure.

My reason for flying Backcountry is because I like to fly Backcountry. I don't think we should have to have any other reason to go land somewhere other than I wan't to go there!

I enjoy being out in the middle of nowhere by myself but also enjoy being out in the middle of nowhere with a few friends checking out different places. I also enjoy being out somewhere and a bunch of people come in and land and we start up conversations, usually about airplanes and equipment, weather etc.

Thats why I fly!

When I stumbled on this site many years ago I thought "cool, other people like me" and joined up

I guess we all must like the backcountry flying to some degree but for people other than me maybe the flying is merely a means to go Hunting, Fishing, Hiking or rafting with the flying being a secondary consideration.

So why do other people here fly?

Do you go places because it means you get to fly or....
Do you fly as a means to do other things?

Kinda curious

Used to be it was the only way to get to town. You name it, I’ve hauled it. Lodge support, building supplies, groceries, burned kids, friend who cut a finger off, chest pains, pets, outboard motors (250 Yamaha will fit in a C180), to name a few of the highlights.

Now it’s more for recreation, although to me it was more “fun” when it was actually useful. Only so many touch and go’s and beach and mountaintop landings you can do. Never boring, just senseless for the most part. I suppose I just am not passionate about screwing around with an airplane.

Anyway that’s me. Good discussion.

"Do you go places because it means you get to fly or....
Do you fly as a means to do other things?"

Both in that any reason to increase the utility and purpose of operating the plane.

I'm with you. I just love to fly. I never chose to pursue it as a career because I thought that would take the fun out of it. But just getting out there and hitting as many sandbars as I can on the river, hit some new spots if I find them, or just cruising around for a few minutes is all the reason I need.
And now I fix planes for a career, so i have to test fly them every so often...

The reason I fly right now in the Scout is to explore places.

Being a pilot however takes a certain passion for learning navigation, science, weather, physics, personal health etc.. To me it’s about learning and growing better at living life, I love to learn things (hopefully the easy way).

A beautiful river where seaplanes are welcome, fuels my passion as this one certainly did last month:

The Idaho backcountry is the reason I got my pilots license. I love flying the backcountry and exploring places with no one else around. I also enjoy learning, or attempting to learn, the precision skills required to get a plane into tight places.

Now this is a topic I dig!
I started flying because it was a way to see things differently. Perspective, activities, abilities. I’ve been known to land any number of places just for the heck of it. Some places precisely because “they” said “you can’t fly that type of plane in here”.
Aircraft have allowed me to experience things I simply couldn’t with any other means.
Camping? Hiking? Fishing (poorly), Mountain bike? Motorcross? Road race? Clam digging, Eat? Annoy purists? Make lots of friends? Introduce non aviators to aircraft? I’ve done all of that with an aircraft. I try and see how many I can combine in a day.
It’s My favorite vehicle to try out new experiences.
I always thought that was the point. Experience collecting.

I don't like flying, what I like is taking off and landing, mostly landing. I fly to get me to the next landing, I only travel any distance by air if the landing is worth it. So as you can see, I don't use the airplane to access other activities. A typical flight for me is 20 minutes around the local area to let the engine temperatures stabilize followed by 3 to 6 landings. Always chasing the perfect landing, thinking what I need to do to make the next one better. This is the same reason I fly tailwheel airplanes.

Tim

I was in my late 20's when I finally started taking lessons. Old man was Air Force (130 Gunships) then eventually Piedmont/US Air so I have been around airplanes my entire life. I have a computer degree and it was just not my thing. My parents moved into an airpark north of CLT when I was in my mid 20's and Dad eventually bought a Super Cub. After a few rides in it I was hooked. When I finally decided to pursue this for a living he helped me out. Got my commercial ticket at age 31 two weeks before 9/11. First job I lucked into flying Casa 212's and Twin Otter's for a large jump outfit near RDU. Then flew a 58 Baron around for about a year for a construction outfit. That turned into a construction job instead of a flying job and I moved on. One of my father's neighbors hooked me up with a guy who had decided to start selling Husky's and no one locally had enough tailwheel time to meet the insurance requirements. I became the demo pilot and was on all of the forum's trying to learn from others. ( I remember MTV back then and he was the same pain in the butt.... )

Anywhoooo.... The reason for the history is that I can remember thinking then that I could not wait to get into jets as that is where it was at, both in flying and in $$. I remember meeting some guys in a Falcon 900 once and we both wanted to change jobs. I should have wondered why.... lol.

Not sure why but imo the more honest flying makes the least amount of bread. I am typed in the same Falcon these days and while I have been to places and seen things I never thought I would I can understand now why those guys back then wanted to trade. I miss the days of flying 21 loads of jumpers in a day or doing a Husky demo for some guy 2 states away. I was just not smart enough to find a way to make then what I make now. Not that I am making much money. But it is definitely more than the 15K I made in 2003 being a demo guy. Such is life I guess....

I am still envious of you guys who have made a career out of doing what I feel is the more honest type of flying. In my next lifetime I will figure out how to do it differently....


And I fly because there is nothing else like it.

I have to agree, I've never felt that flying was a means to any other end. I talk to a lot of people that love using their airplane as a means of access for mountain biking, fishing, hunting, or whatever, and that is great. For me, I can't possibly pay attention to anything else when I've got the airplane at my disposal. I just love flying and the operation of the airplane... and all the engine/prop/tires toy aspect to it too.

I do enjoy sitting on my ass with a beer in my hand after the flying is done for the day, though.

Like bat443, I love taking off and landing, or flying slow with flaps out, observing stuff. Some days I'd be happy back in an ultralight in shorts and a t-shirt and goggles.

But then there is moviemaking...that's the exception.

I work in aviation and there are those that live and breathe aviation and those that don’t. Those that don’t rarely make it their whole career without finding something else to pass the time.

I on the hand love the feeling every time the wheels break ground. If I have to explain the feeling, you are probably in the latter group.

I fly nearly everyday for work and I find myself still flying on my off days. It is a great feeling when you nail a short strip or grease a wheel landing.

I love taking my family on flying vacations, but if I could only fly a two seater around the local area, would without regret.

My .02.

I’m less of a purist than many here, in that I got into flying as a way to access hunting and fishing. I flew for a lot of years (though minimal hours) until I got into a backcountry capable airplane, and that’s when I fell in love with flying just to fly. But even now, the primary reason I fly is to access lonely places full of adventure. I very much still enjoy a day of flying that doesn’t involve parking the plane on some gravel bar or backcountry strip to climb a mountain, but given the option, my favorite type of flying includes land-based adventures. Just last week I spent the night of my 40th birthday alone in the mountains many miles from the nearest human. I was ostensibly “bear hunting”, but what I was really doing was savoring solitude. That’s why I fly more than any other reason.

I fly for the chicks

AEROPOD wrote:I fly for the chicks

How's that working out?

Zzz wrote:

AEROPOD wrote:I fly for the chicks

How's that working out?

Ha Ha, I can tell you that in AK if you tell them you are a pilot they usually roll their eyes and sometimes walk away!
Lower 48 is a different story

AEROPOD wrote:I fly for the chicks

First honest answer on this thread.

How many of those chick's were turkey's.

I don't like to drive...

House to cottage; 4.5 hrs by Subaru or 1.3 hrs by Cessna, floats and skis make it a year round option so its the preferred choice of transportation for me !!!

Mapleflt

CFOT wrote:I don't like to drive...

I’m with him ^^^

MTV