Spousal Support for your Hobby?

[phreddy 4]

Hi All,Heres one for all of you with Wives & Girlfriends (we won't go down the gay route as I think men 'get it' about why we fly - and no... no pun intended :( )How many of you have good, great, poor,or are simply divorced! :( as a result of spending too much time in front of the PC 'Wasting time' stuffing about with an imaginary plane?Or where your obsession was the 'straw-that-broke-the-camels-back' of your marraige? (obviously other problems contributed but this was an 'issue').Just do the Poll below;I'm interest in the results.Cheers,David

[Chock 17,769]

She is into showing dogs, I'm into flying aeroplanes, and we both know more about each other's obsessions than we would probably like to, but we both fully support each other's interests, for example, my wife actually bought me my Saitek Rudder Pedals; on Saturday I will be helping her to bath dogs in the grooming salon she runs. Here's a funny story about how much I've affected my wife with regard to aeroplanes, which she used to have no interest in:A few years ago we were at a dog show (see?) and it was in a sports hall, but it was a warm day and the door was open. We both heard the unmistakable sound of a Merlin engine approaching, and I said: 'that sounds like a Spitfire!', my wife replied, 'no, it's a Hurricane.' We went outside and sure enough, a Battle of Britain Memorial Flight Hurricane flew overhead. How many of you can tell the sound difference between a Hurricane and a Spitfire?! It's things like that which confirm that I definitely married the right girl!Al

[spilok 1,132]

My Wife loves the fact that I have this hobby! When we travel, I can tell her in ADVANCE which way the plane is going to bank, and after 13 years of FS, I can easily point out geographical highlights along the way. I soothe her nerves when I explain that "turbulence" is just like a bump in the highway, and can easily identify with the plane we are on....be it Boeing or Airbus. It's especially helpful when we had to take props like the Caravan when we were in South Africa. I flew right seat with a pilot in Alaska on a DeHavilland Beaver (at least the Pilot let me sit there!) She may not be as interested in it (as I think), but she likes the fact that it's a wholesome hobby and I spend many hours not bugging her about things.Stan

[brucek 38]

Good thread- I'm well into (20 years) my second marriage after previously being hitched to someone that just didn't understand individual hobbies, so maybe I learnt something from the first time!When I did my private pilot license and instrument rating, my wife did the groundschool with me (at a community college in the evenings) and even the tests (at the ground-school, not the FAA tests). At the time she even knew about the theory associated with holding pattern entry, so like Al- I also think I married the right girl!She ( Sharon) has hobbies in sewing, geneology and photography. Combining the latter two, I sometimes search cemeteries with her to find old graves that other genealogists have asked her to photograph. Kind of fun to tune into the spouse's hobby, and she often takes interest in my simming.Bruce.

[Chock 17,769]

When I did my private pilot license and instrument rating, my wife did the groundschool with me (at a community college in the evenings) and even the tests (at the ground-school, not the FAA tests). At the time she even knew about the theory associated with holding pattern entry, so like Al- I also think I married the right girl!Bruce.

Never been able to persuade my wife to go up in a glider with me, but I have got her up in a biplane a couple of times. I think the lack of an engine puts her off!Al

[phreddy 4]

She is into showing dogs, I'm into flying aeroplanes, and we both know more about each other's obsessions than we would probably like to, but we both fully support each other's interests, for example, my wife actually bought me my Saitek Rudder Pedals; on Saturday I will be helping her to bath dogs in the grooming salon she runs. Here's a funny story about how much I've affected my wife with regard to aeroplanes, which she used to have no interest in:A few years ago we were at a dog show (see?) and it was in a sports hall, but it was a warm day and the door was open. We both heard the unmistakable sound of a Merlin engine approaching, and I said: 'that sounds like a Spitfire!', my wife replied, 'no, it's a Hurricane.' We went outside and sure enough, a Battle of Britain Memorial Flight Hurricane flew overhead. How many of you can tell the sound difference between a Hurricane and a Spitfire?! It's things like that which confirm that I definitely married the right girl!Al

Great story Alan,Thanks for contributing. Its comforting to know that all is not lost! There are some girls out there who love what we do!Cheers,David

[Geofa 108]

Great story Alan,Thanks for contributing. Its comforting to know that all is not lost! There are some girls out there who love what we do!Cheers,David

My wife watched me sim from 1981 till 1989 and decided then that I needed real flying lessons-something I probably would have never done on my own.22 years later I now do both...and like others have stated we respect our individual interests. She is into dogs and bridge-I do a little of that-and she enjoys flying with me when we fly nice places.Works out nicely!

[AWACS 12]

My wife watched me sim from 1981 till 1989 and decided then that I needed real flying lessons-something I probably would have never done on my own.22 years later I now do both...and like others have stated we respect our individual interests. She is into dogs and bridge-I do a little of that-and she enjoys flying with me when we fly nice places.Works out nicely!

My girlfriend is fine with it, because it's so closely related to my career goals.

[brucek 38]

My wife watched me sim from 1981 till 1989 and decided then that I needed real flying lessons-something I probably would have never done on my own.22 years later I now do both...and like others have stated we respect our individual interests. She is into dogs and bridge-I do a little of that-and she enjoys flying with me when we fly nice places.Works out nicely!

Good to see you back around here, Geof.Bruce.

[Geofa 108]

Good to see you back around here, Geof.Bruce.

Thanks Bruce-I had a crazy year but it is nice to be back!

[phoenixphire 50]

My wife is pretty supportive but what gets her is the amount of $$$ I have spent. I have minimized the cost of hardware by learning to build my own systems and upgrading sporadically rather than spending it all on one system. I usually try to keep it to one or two addons a month but some times the sales or releases come in bunches. Then the credit card bills come and I get the bills on the desk with circles and question marks beside the purchases. I always try to explain to her that in comparison to other hobby's it is a steal. I don't think she is convinced. I would like to get my Private Pilot license one day when the kids are older and I have reached my financial goals. Till then this is as close as I can get.

[JBZ 13]

My now Fiancé (just happened yesterday :)) supports my hobby completely. Even though I'm building m own home cockpit and need to move some things around the house, she's quite ok. As long as the bills keep getting paid and we still have a place to live and food to eat, I can do as I please.I do however fly according to her schedule (at work or sleeping). Because of my work schedule, I get limited time as it is with her, so that helps with the brownie points.She's also reduced her fears of flying because not only am I a professional in the aviation industry and can sooth her fears that way, she sees me flying on the sim and how "easy" I make it look. Great thread!

[Mir // Flightbeam 541]

yea... I really envy some of you guys. If any of you want to trade wives pm me ;)

[brucek 38]

My now Fiancé (just happened yesterday :)) supports my hobby completely. Even though I'm building m own home cockpit and need to move some things around the house, she's quite ok. As long as the bills keep getting paid and we still have a place to live and food to eat, I can do as I please.I do however fly according to her schedule (at work or sleeping). Because of my work schedule, I get limited time as it is with her, so that helps with the brownie points.She's also reduced her fears of flying because not only am I a professional in the aviation industry and can sooth her fears that way, she sees me flying on the sim and how "easy" I make it look. Great thread!

Hey Jeremy- congratulations on the engagement!!@ Mike- yes, with children at home and growing up it's often different about where and how money is spent, I can recall when my two girls (who are both married now with children of their own) were at home- FS (in any form) wasn't known then, neither were computers other than Z80 hexa-decimal PC boards- but if FSX and all this stuff had of been around I too would have had the question marks around those items on my cc statement. I did all my flight training and simming after they were grown, went to college and gone with their respective careers, so there is time after children to have fun! Good health and all other things willing, of course. My advice- looking back, those kids were children and at home for what now seems like a blink of an eye, and they were the very best days, so treasure every moment..... Bruce.

[Lifeguard911 9]

My wife has been very supportive of my FS hobby, even though she has no interest in it herself. She knows I love aviation, but can never become a real pilot due to medical reasons so she knows FS is what I do to relax and have fun after a hard day as a 911 Dispatcher.For my 50th Birthday, she surprised me with a flight a a Top Gun type school called SkyFighters in Denver where I got to fly a T-34 Mentor. My avatar picture to the left was taken during that flight.As to the expense of things like FS add-ons, I will ask her if it will fit the budget this month. Her usual reply is "Go ahead, you know you are going to buy it anyway."