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Profile picture for northoftheborder @northoftheborder

@azp52 That's a fair concern. 1 1/2 years after my diagnosis, as soon as I could walk again with a cane (the spinal lesion had paralyzed me), I went up in a rental 172 dual with an instructor in the right seat and flew around the patch. He said my stick-and-rudder skills were still fine. You might enjoy trying that too, just for the ego boost (if nothing else).

If it were strictly about me and not the other aircraft at/near airports, I'd be more worried about driving than flying.

In the air, there's typically no one else within 1 km of me in any direction (sometimes far more than that); driving a car on the highway, there are trucks passing within a few feet of me in the opposite direction, and our combined closing speed is over 200 km/h, so it would take only a 10° turn of the steering wheel to be dead in a couple of seconds.

Frankly, I don't know why more people aren't afraid of driving than flying.

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Replies to "@azp52 That's a fair concern. 1 1/2 years after my diagnosis, as soon as I could..."

@northoftheborder, I agree with your driving/flying comparison. The majority of my flying was XC, and I always felt safe and confident. When driving the same routes, I was more concerned about other drivers. My issue now is the pain level. The pain is so distracting that I can see myself falling behind the plane. As you know, falling behind the plane is when the holes in the Swiss cheese can begin to line up. That can lead to disaster. I find it difficult to even drive, which can be just as dangerous to me and others on the road. I have been up with a CFI, and we did basic and advanced maneuvers. Admittedly, I was distracted by intense pain in the hips where my cancer is now. If you control the pain with prescribed pain meds, that’s another level of medical disqualification. For now, my flying will be sitting in the right seat with my pilot son as the PIC. Best wishes to you!