01 May 2007

Groundsuck remedies


As a 44 year old father of 2 teenagers and with a real job I encounter the usual amount of "groundsuck" (the term pilots use for all mundane duties and obligations that keeps one on the gound).
However, I've found a couple fo good remedies. First, I've managed to get work with a high level of flexibility. Often, but not always I can work more when the weather is bad, and quit early or for a whole day when the weather is good for flying. Second, since 4 years I've been fortunate to be able to work part-time, only 4 days a week. This gives me on average one day a week more for flying or for those other obligations. I am very grateful to my former and current employers (Nokia, Trustgenix and Hewlett-Packard) that have been so accomodating.
Finally, I've often involved our children in the flying activities. When they were smaller just coming along to one of the Finnish airfields, e.g. to Jämi, always was an adventure. With camping, campfires, etc. And at Jämi there is always something going on: parachute jumping, model planes, expiremental planes, and of course hang- and paragliders.
Now that the children are teenagers they, as well as my wife, like to come along to flygin trips abroad, such as to Southern France or Denmark. And I've learned to fly tandem paragliders and the children really love to come along for the ride! Soon they will probably learn to fly....

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