You know, flying is an odd itch to scratch...

I almost equate it to motorcycles (my other, other love) you don't realize what a good bike you have until you sell it for something else.

I miss flying big, fast, and heavier airplanes. I still occasionally dream of that airline job that pays me twice as much as my office job, all while being off 18 days / month. I dream of free trips to Europe with the wife for a "weekend get-away". And at the same time, i'm very happy with the frequency and type of flying I'm doing right now.

One of my students recently had some financial issues and is scaling back the amount of flying she does, which is a bit of a downer. Same time, i'm not having a "how do i pay the bills" moment, which keeps the stress levels low.

Still haven't rented the plane with the family, but I think a $200 hamburger run is in the future.

My biggest worry was really feeling "comfortable" with the plane again, getting back to a previously attained level of proficiency, but after finally flying the plane in some rather gusty conditions over the last few flights the natural stick and rudder skills that were somehow hidden under a yaw-dampner for years have come back and the comfort level has increased 10 fold.