What Do You Tell Your Friends?

[deltaA330]

When they ask you why you spend countless hours at the airport watching planes. Being a high school senior, I get tons of questions from fellow students on why I do what I do. From friends, it feels more like a friendly curiosity, but from others, it's almost like they're asking "why do you waste your time watching stupid planes? Get a life." I really don't know what to tell them. I try to explain it but they really don't understand us. What do you all tell your "non av-geek" friends? I'm interested to hear what you all have to say.

Alex

[CathayA340]

Heh. Same here. I tell my friends I go on websites like this one, and they're all like "What the heck???? Get a life..."

[gonzalu]

Here is a simple answer: I Mind MY Business.

That one USUALLY works.. .if they press on...

"I love planes"

...but I don't get it, what is it about planes? that sounds stupid...

"well, it certainly isn't as stupid as your smoking crack cocaine and beating your wife and children, but that's just my opnion"

---

By that time they are usually running in the other direction.

[moose135]

I tell people "I shoot planes with a Canon..."

[deltaA330]

Nice one Moose!!

[dekdawg21]

Best answer ever!
And it's true some people are into vintage cars and that it totally normal but when I tell people I'm into WW2 aircraft they smile and back away slowly.

[megatop412]

Wow Manny, you give crack-addicted wife beaters more time of day than I do.

No one in my high school(that I knew of) gave a crap about planes, even though they were flying a couple hundred feet over our heads. I couldn't understand it- we were directly underneath the 31R approach at Lawrence High School. Lawrence Junior High was almost right under 31L. I fought the good fight until I was a junior when I finally decided to pick up a guitar. Funny how many friends I suddenly made. I shouldn't have cared either way, but peer pressure is a crazy thing when you're a kid. I'm sure I wasn't the only one on this board who was called names for liking planes instead of whatever was 'cool'. I tried getting into sports but it just couldn't hold my attention at all. I could give a rat's ass about sports, it's like watching a bunch of children that don't want to let go of the playtime of childhood. But as they say, to each his own.

Ironic that now, all I have to say is that I do aviation photography and all of a sudden everyone's asking me questions. Guess I had to wait till I was 40 for that lol Go figure

[jerslice]

Semi-related story that a friend told about me during a wedding speech:

"I used to make fun of him for taking the train out to Boston [I grew up in Worcester MA] to spend hours watching planes. And then I'd lord it over him every time he begged me to drive him to Worcester airport to watch a single airplane [like a P180 or biz jet] take-off. It was fun laughing at him. Now he's visited four continents last year alone, 47 states, and flies first class on a regular basis - all thanks to plane-spotting. And look who's laughing now..."

[threeholerglory]

I fly private jets, get paid to sit on the beach, play golf, and get drunk.

[Zee71]

It's not that difficult .... Being passionate about something in my view requires no explanation. If any of your friends have a hobby of some sort then they will understand.

[Delta777LR]

Ive had this same problem. I was talking about that recently. i used to be asked as of to y i talk about planes so much and y alot of times i would carry my camera around. I said simply thats wat Ive been into all my life since i was 9 years old. I say which is true too that I have a passion for classic cars and even trains. Theres nothing wrong with that at all. planes have been my primary thing all my life wat if anyone likes it or not. One point about 6 years ago, an old friend of mine said that i was a terriost because i like planes. Thats what many non aviation geeks dont understand. I used to say this along time ago. "Women dont understand our hobby" lol. oh well.

[megatop412]

I fly private jets, get paid to sit on the beach, play golf, and get drunk.

Your life rules, sir

[Spunker]

Sure beats sitting inside playing video games all day and only talking with people on the computer

[Landing Lights]

I have always been a geek, and it is something that I am proud of. And it is more than just aviation, I was a band geek in high school, I've been a theater and lighting geek for years, and I was a train geek for several years before I moved back to suburbia. Those who know me personally understand this well. I am fortunately of the age where I don't feel that I need to impress anybody, though that has really never stopped me. I am into what I am into and I just don't care what others think about that.

I find I tend to get the most questions from those who barely know me. Most often it is a misunderstanding of what we do. I get "I can't believe they let you do that" a lot, and I simply ask them why not. I never feel the need to explain myself to anybody. Approve of it or don't, I really don't care. My true friends are the ones who can appreciate my interests enough to at least put up with my incessant ramblings. I am very fortunate to have a family and a group of close friends who appreciate my geekiness and my passions even if it is something that doesn't interest them. I do my best to reciprocate that.

[neurodave757]

I just ask the person what they are interested in, or what is a hobby of theirs. The usual answers are cars, computers, cellphones, clothing, so forth and so on. I then compare it to that, except for me it's airplanes. In most cases, it works, and the questions end there. For the less mentally apt, I just tell them it's cool because they fly, Lol.