Are there many diving pilots out there?

[Grajan]

My wife / dive buddy and I both fly as well as dive. She flies taildraggers and gliders, I just fly gliders.

We have found our much more structured pilot training incredibly valuable for diving in a number of areas; general safety behavior, safe and unsafe attitudes/behaviors, emergency management, to name but a few.

I was interested in how many other pilots there are 'out there' and how much crossover value they have experienced.

 

[Diesel298]

i have a friend who was certified this year.
he is also a pilot. and does extreamley well with diving. is very comfortable, SAC rate is excellent for a new diver.
he primarly flies single engines like pipers and whatnot, but has multi engine instrument ratings

 

[Bill51]

You can throw in that most pilots (especially instrument rated ones) make some of the best underwater navigators because they’ve learned to trust their gauges, understand headings, and visual their surroundings. Good pilots also tend to have better buoyancy control which I think comes from always thinking in 3 dimensions.

I wonder if adding my glider rating would help me visualize currents and upwellings.

 

[BigJetDriver]

Folks,

I have found that my professional flying has helped tremendously in the way that I go about teaching re-breather diving.

 

[scubanimal]

I have seen this correlation of pilots who dive and visa versa, I suspect it’s either the call to adventure or exploring other dimensions. Now from my psychology days I might look at some statistics and see that over 90% of pilots are type A controlling people, who also do not like heights. Since diving is a little like flying in that you’re controlling your altitude/depth and there may be a link. On the other hand both are just a lot of fun.

Plus side of diving, I don’t have to stop diving because I can’t get a medical anymore. Yeah, yeah I know, I also am not dropping a few tons fire and metal on some poor souls either J

 

[MuscleDiver]

I teach flight lessons at a university and just got my open water certification.

 

[matt_unique]

I'm a Private Pilot, I find a lot of crossover between flying and diving.

--Matt

 

[Rick Murchison]

CFI '67
Navy A7E
300 night traps...
A lot transfers to diving.
Rick

 

[BigJetDriver]

Now from my psychology days I might look at some statistics and see that over 90% of pilots are type A controlling people, who also do not like heights.

Now, as a Type B who likes to jump out of airplanes, I would argue with that remark...but it's too much trouble!

 

[zaboAA]

Commerical/Navy (F/A-18: 500 traps ;-)), reserve now Instructor T-45A. Definite crossover. Plus cheap tickets to get where you're going (read: mostly free).

CFI '67
Navy A7E
300 night traps...
A lot transfers to diving.
Rick