The Things We Men Pilots Do to Impress Women

Some reminders of what not to attempt when you want to ‘go see about a girl’ in your airplane.

Monday, March 25, 2024 at 08:56 AM ET

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FLYING contributor Ben Younger says most women would not be impressed by risky pilot decision-making in the least. [Courtesy: Ben Younger]

Key Takeaways:

The article highlights how male pilots, influenced by hormones like testosterone, can make dangerous and irrational flight decisions when trying to impress or meet a woman.
The author recounts a fatal crash of another pilot, and his own past unsafe flights and a crash, all driven by a desire to avoid disappointing a woman.
He advises young pilots to prioritize safety and common sense over impulsive desires, noting that women are generally risk-averse and would prefer a safe delay to a reckless flight.

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Some years ago, I visited a friend of mine who is the manager of a private mountain airstrip. He said he had something to show me. We jumped in a side-by-side and drove up into the surrounding hills on a fire road. We then exited onto a freshly cut dirt trail that went directly up the side of a mountain.

After a few minutes of a steep, rough ride, we emerged into a clearing in the otherwise dense forest. Burn marks surrounded the mysterious, misshapen circle, and the ground was scorched black. Looking around, I could not find the culprit. It looked as if a fiery, pancake meteor had hit the earth, resulting in a non-crater.