Peter wrote:
And nobody on EuroGA has ever said that the latter is not real flying or whatever. I pop down to Le Touquet quite often too. I also try like hell to encourage people to stretch their legs, and I do it constantly, online and offline, and other IR pilots I know do the same. Getting someone who thinks Shoreham to Goodwood is a long trip (yes, there are many, due to the way the PPL is trained, rental constraints, etc) to go to Le Touquet is a huge achievement!
I agree with LeSving here to a degree and it’s not about singular posts or anything rude or really arrogant towards anything differing from the “A to B mission”-type of flying. But there is a tendency between the lines and simply by the way most content is made up (and, like I said before, this is rather meant as a characterization of euroga than criticism. It’s just the way it is, it is the essence of the people who post here, the soul of euroga as a community maybe). But if you look at your last sentence, it again implies that people who go to Goodwood miss out and shall need to be convinced to do otherwise. Now, on a personal level, I’m absolutely with Peter: I enjoy long trips, adventures, and I like to encourage other people who only fly locally (not that I know that many!) to take on more trips and step out of their comfort zone. But on a more general level, a sentence like that suggests that flying only to Goodwood every now and then is somehow less worthy or less of a “mission”, to use that phrase again. And that just might discourage the type of people who like that kind of thing to contribute. And there’s obviously nothing wrong with that type of mission. Why, it’s great for those who really just like to go flying every now and then and don’t care so much about the destination or don’t look for adventures (anymore?).
… suggests that flying only to Goodwood every now and then is somehow less worthy or less of a “mission”, to use that phrase again. And that just might discourage the type of people who like that kind of thing to contribute.
I think we can agree that it’s more interesting to read about a flight from Shoreham to Crete than about one from Shoreham to Goodwood. No? But neither does that have to be an IFR flight, nor is anything about writing such a report “arrogant”. It’s maybe the reciients impression that “his flights are not worth as much”, but is that really my problem?
A forum like this is mostly fro fanatics, for people who ARE somewhat extreme, right? My BEST and oldest friend who is almost my brother, and who flies aswell, has absolutely no interest in this forum, he does not even read it. Why? Because it doesn’t interest him. He’s not interested in airplanes much (has a share in a old 182), has no interest in avionics or technical gimmicks… All he does is an ocasional VFR flight with his family and after 20 years he is still unsure about how to set the mixer. He just doesn’t have the ambitions i have … and that’s ok with me., althoigh it can be a bit boring :-)
Other people might read all the stuff here but have better things to do with their lives than to discuss things here … .they go to the opera when I’m still in from of the PC, or read good books …
Flyer59 wrote:
I think we can agree that it’s more interesting to read about a flight from Shoreham to Crete than about one from Shoreham to Goodwood
I would say it depends. Generally I agree, but flying IFR at FL 190 on top can be boring as well 
OTOH my most “interesting” trip was a short hop from EDLE to EDFZ, which unfortunately I – for several reasons – wouldn’t post here, since it would match chapter “no no’s in VFR- flying”.
I agree completely. While it is interesting to learn all the stuff necessary for IFR, i would much rather read interesting VFR reports. But where are they? If we write about IFR then the technical aspects are the most interesting.
Flyer59 wrote:
But neither does that have to be an IFR flight, nor is anything about writing such a report “arrogant”
Flyer59 wrote:
A forum like this is mostly fro fanatics, for people who ARE somewhat extreme, right?
You don’t agree that the main contributors to this forum are people who are obesssed with flying? I now many who have a PPL, fly occaionally but who would never spend their free time here but rather do other (more productive?) things?
You know, it doesn’t necessarily have to be the science or art form we make it here.
Flyer59 wrote:
You don’t agree that the main contributors to this forum are people who are obesssed with flying?
Of course we all are and it’s especially unmasking those you hold high the “utility” aspect over the fun factor (not excluding myself as I always try to fly “justifiable” trips that wouldn’t work by car. But then I go there only because I can fly there. It’s not like I would have gone anyway and because I happen to fly airplanes, I choose the most useful means of transport for the day).
Just in case any of those non-posting hour-and-back VFR Europeans are reading this, I would love to see some photos of the local airports you visit, how VFR operations work, the weather issues and in particular what unusual hardware may be in the hangars… Bring on the Zlin photos and ‘secret’ Italian barns full of microlights. From my POV there is plenty of reason to post, and lots of good stuff to report.
I am at least as interested in how you fly outside the ‘system’ to have creative fun than how others fly inside the system with the ambition to achieve airliner type utility…. not withstanding the interesting reports on the places they may go.
(The separate hangar thread is great BTW)
I would love to see some photos of the local airports you visit, how VFR operations work, the weather issues and in particular what unusual hardware may be in the hangars… Bring on the Zlin photos and ‘secret’ Italian barns full of microlights.
Will do my best :-)
I started today :) Been looking at lot lately and I have also been a frequent visitor to peter´s website over the past years. I hope to join you guy´s on a fly in next year
