Fear of death or injury

[flynrider]

This thread just gets better!

I love the parallel betwixt bikes and flying. I have the same trepidation stepping on board a plane (I don't fly them) as I do jumping on my bike. More so on the plane as although it's statistically safer, I'm NOT IN CONTROL!! Very worrying for me..

I've ridden bikes (well one) at 174mph.

I've nearly killed myself numerous times by 'pushing the envelope' or whatever that expression is, yet I've survived.

I think, just maybe, the risk makes it fun, albeit retrospectively.

How many times (for the non pilots and mere riders amongst us) have you saddled up with a weird feeling of terror or dread about you, expecting this to be your last two wheeled foray, only to come home hours laters totally fine?

And then you wallow in the almost post-coital numbness of survival. Sitting with cold knees and a cold beer, feeling like you cheated death once again, whilst recalling all the highlights of the ride...

In the realm of risk, they can be quite similar. Many years ago on an aviation forum, some of the more statistically inclined members ran years of statistical data and concluded that flying (non-commercially) carried a similar risk per mile as riding a motorcycle. Cages and commercial flying were a lot less risky, but where's the fun in that?

This thread just gets better!

I love the parallel betwixt bikes and flying. I have the same trepidation stepping on board a plane (I don't fly them) as I do jumping on my bike. More so on the plane as although it's statistically safer, I'm NOT IN CONTROL!! Very worrying for me..

I've ridden bikes (well one) at 174mph.

I've nearly killed myself numerous times by 'pushing the envelope' or whatever that expression is, yet I've survived.

I think, just maybe, the risk makes it fun, albeit retrospectively.

How many times (for the non pilots and mere riders amongst us) have you saddled up with a weird feeling of terror or dread about you, expecting this to be your last two wheeled foray, only to come home hours laters totally fine?

And then you wallow in the almost post-coital numbness of survival. Sitting with cold knees and a cold beer, feeling like you cheated death once again, whilst recalling all the highlights of the ride...

If you play your cards right, you can be in control every time you board a plane. All it takes is time and money.

Since you mention it, as a pilot, I do not care for flying commercially. I too prefer to be in control of my fate (not to mention my shoes). I've only flown on a commercial flight once in the past 15 yrs.

This thread just gets better!

I love the parallel betwixt bikes and flying. I have the same trepidation stepping on board a plane (I don't fly them) as I do jumping on my bike. More so on the plane as although it's statistically safer, I'm NOT IN CONTROL!! Very worrying for me..

I've ridden bikes (well one) at 174mph.

I've nearly killed myself numerous times by 'pushing the envelope' or whatever that expression is, yet I've survived.

I think, just maybe, the risk makes it fun, albeit retrospectively.

How many times (for the non pilots and mere riders amongst us) have you saddled up with a weird feeling of terror or dread about you, expecting this to be your last two wheeled foray, only to come home hours laters totally fine?

And then you wallow in the almost post-coital numbness of survival. Sitting with cold knees and a cold beer, feeling like you cheated death once again, whilst recalling all the highlights of the ride...

I have my limits. Last month I started to ride to the airport to do a bit of plane maintenance. In the first 3 miles of the 23 mile ride a distracted cager forced me out of my lane and into the bicycle lane. Another distracted driver came screeching to a stop at a traffic light, right onto the spot where I had been before I escaped into the space between the two cars ahead. The topper was a dove that commited suicide by flying into my faceshield at 45 mph. While I'm not a superstitious person by nature, I was genuinely concerned at what the remaining 20 miles would bring. I turned the bike around and rode home.