Peter,
I have lost count of how many “simple truths” like that I have heard in business…
Not only in business… and no, they are no real use but they are the generators of urban legends and prejudices. Aviation has many of them, almost all of them are contraproductive up to outright destructive.
As regards girls, the crude device of turning up in a fancy car still does work and I know guys who rent a top-end Merc for a weekend. They pick up a certain type, which the UK (and probably most other places) has plenty of.
Yes, cars do that as they, in the eyes of that kind of people indicate wealth and a certain lifestyle. That quite a few people who own airplanes conciously choose to spend their money on airplanes rather than on these cars, which are often much cheaper to acquire, is beyond them and they don´t care either. The one night stand idea is usually quite single sided too, particularly with people who rent cars like that for this purpose. Women who fall for this kind of bait usually have other ideas on what the car signifies and it turns into one night affairs after they find out.
To do this (picking up girls for a one night stand) with a SEP isn’t going to work (a bizjet would), but if you go to interesting places and the plane isn’t some shagged wreckage, that is potentially a very attractive proposition to a girl who is interested in that sort of thing (seeing places, meeting people, etc and possibly maybe even flying).
A biz jet will work as a status symbol which SEP´s are not, no matter how new and shiny. Girls who are interested in what you suggest are a much better idea anyhow than people who will fall for biz jets or cars and “pay” with certain favours to get into these circles.
They may however be part of a larger image if the gentleman concerned has other assets to show for. I understand that the top selling woman fiction of the recent years about a very rich guy and some student he picks up includes a helicopter as a status symbol. While quite disturbing in its contents, the most disturbing thing about it may well be that it got a lot of women so obviously interested…. which did catch a lot of social sciences as well as marketing folk quite surprised I reckon.
Actually it may well be good for SEP owners or pilots that this is the case, as involvement with this “class” of people is bound to end up in a disaster, unless of course the said SEP owner really lives this kind of livestyle. But even then…
(BTW, as a side note, I did come across some novels by an author named Wendy Holden who describes this kind of snobbish and flat society with such satirical talent that some of her books made me fall over laughing. Probably one of the best of her trade when it comes to rip off the mask rather than glorify it. Only read one or two books of hers on long distance flights, but I do remember them fondly for taking the mickey out of the B,C and D class (and often size) celebrities whose exploits seem to influence particularly young people so much…..)
The 2 kids and a house scenario applies mostly to a particular age group (loosely speaking 30-40) and is nothing to do with a plane
I´d think it is the underlying instinct which leads to the behaviour we see, even though many of the girls concerned would not realize that until the age group you mention. But for females who seek to “conquer” a rich guy rather than making their own life work, that is the underlying idea.
Well, you could make a living of buying cheap airplanes and sell them with a profit… There ’re opportunities out there if you manage to seize them…
That, on the other hand is something I´ve been musing about yes. Buy old but sound airframes, make them up really nice with new cockpit, interior, exterior and overhauled engine/props and then sell them on. There are two outfits who do that in the states I belive with Cessnas. In Europe, you´d have to find a really good and economical way of doing this, which means the revamping would have to be done in a low workcost place, otherwise an updated airplane might end up more expensive than a new one.
It is question two. ;)
I never had a girlfriend who would “run” from airplanes. The women i knew in my first ten years of flying all liked it, and my girlfriend since 2001, mother of my kids, even did the PPL after i tool her for the first ride. She lost interest later, but she could still get us down, i guess, if necessary.
The business jet cliche? I am not interested in shallow, materialistic women (people) – so i never had one as a girlfriend and i don’t even know any :-) You try to find a woman who is impressed by an airplane? … that’s what you get! :-)
Me neither but I´ve seen a lot of youngsters who were deeply disappointed that their new shiny PPL and in some cases newly bought airplanes did not get them the success with the womanfolk they apparently thought they´d get but rather the opposite.
QuoteYou try to find a woman who is impressed by an airplane? … that’s what you get! :-)
Not so much what people are trying to find but what criteria are employed in todays mating game. As for shallow and materialistic, you were lucky. Not many left these days who do not fall into that trap.
Thankfully I never had to deal with people like that but I´ve seen enough of them wreck havock with people I know. No wonder that today´s mating game had become very international… for today´s youngsters the “home market” can be tedious to say the least.
My experience is that 30 years ago people generally were interested when they learned you had a PPL. Today such interest is essentially zero.
Today such interest is essentially zero.
My experience differs. I find most people are very interested in this, but in the places I go to using private flying, rather than the plane or the PPL itself.
Today such interest is essentially zero.
Oh, no, that is not my experience, let alone if it turns out you fly your own airplane. The questions come fast and usually follow the same pattern.
- How on earth can you afford that?
- Isn’t it dangerous?
- How far can it fly
and so on.
Depending on the company I use such occasions for a bit of educational information. No, it does not take a millionaire, in fact, your motorbike, boat, caravan, ……, is probably more expensive. Yes, it can go from here to London,Rome,Belgrade or wherever they ask. And no, if you know what you are doing, it is not more dangerous than driving a car and probably considerably less than driving a motorbike…. e.t.c.
… in fact, your motorbike, boat, caravan, ……, is probably more expensive.
I wonder what kind of motorbike that could be…
And no, if you know what you are doing, it is not more dangerous than driving a car
I’m sorry to say, I imagine that the statistics show the opposite. I would imagine that hour by hour, flying a private aircraft is at least an order of magnitude more dangerous than driving a car – poor weather related and other losses of control, CFIT, mid-airs, medical emergency in the air, EFATO or other engine failure : these risks are low but real, and not so low as the risks of driving a car, notwithstanding the other idiots on the roads.
I wonder if riding a motorbike is more or less dangerous, hour by hour, than a flight in a light aircraft. I do both, and I’d guess that the bike is the more dangerous, but perhaps I say that only because I spend more hours on my bike than I do flying in my plane, and the other idiots often insist on making their presence known!
Stats anyone?
That must be either a very cheap plane or a VERY expensive motorcycle :-)
Of all the people all i know, all find it cool and interesting, It’s another story that nobody has time for spontaneous trips, more so when you’re over 50 … (work, wife, tennis appointment …). That’s why I sometimes ask the younger people.
When i asked around on Facebook about my flight to Greece I got 25 messages in the first hour. And over 100 replies through FB, in one day. Most of these kids seemed really nice. All young student pilots who wanted to go. Well, for paying only the landing fees anyway … But i find it attractive to have an enthusiastic young copilot who usually never has the chance to fly in a Cirrus. To me that’s a win-win-Situation (and I am thinking about starting a website where young poor pilots find rides).
It’s clearly more dangerous than driving a car, there have been enough statistics for that one. About 12 x times more dangerous on average. Motorcycles and planes: very similar risk, i would say.
