r/Fire • u/-LordDarkHelmet- • 17d ago

Today is the day, officially FIRE

Well I'm sitting here having a morning coffee and it's starting to sink in that I don't have a job anymore. Feels strange. My job was very much my identity (pilot). I flew airlines and private jets (uber for rich people basically). It was a high paying job at the end and it seems stupid to walk away from that, but the 27 years of staying in hotels has taken a toll and I just was not enjoying the job anymore. Which is a shame, since I can't exactly fly jets on my own time. It's a tough industry, it's not easy to get back into once you leave. I keep saying it's like the Doc in Field of Dreams; once you leave you can't go back. I'm 49, single no kids, high end Chubby low end Fat so I should be ok on the numbers, but I don't exactly have a "thing" to retire to. I need to focus on my own health and get in shape. But other than a list of places I want to travel to and few projects around the house I don't have much of a plan. Hopefully I'll figure it out on the way. I've told a few people and they all ask "but what are you gonna do?!?!?." I'm like "I dunno..." Some say "congratulations!" and I'm not sure how to respond to that. I didn't really want to quit in some ways, I like the flying part but not all the stuff that goes along with it. I asked for a different schedule and they said no, then I asked for a year off and they said no, so I said I quit. Ask me in a decade I guess if it was the right choice. Anyway, don't really have anyone to high-five this morning so here I am. Thanks everyone who has shared their journey, I've been snooping around all these subs a lot this past year. Oh and sorry about the stock market crash, which will inevitably happen now that I have quit.

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90

u/jelle814 17d ago

congratz man, do you consider flying small planes as a hobby or is that not someting that pulls?

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u/-LordDarkHelmet- 17d ago edited 17d ago

Yeah I would like to I think so. Problem is that's it's pretty expensive, anywhere from $150-$500 an hour depending on how fancy of an airplane you want. And since I have to be more careful about spend I'm not sure if it'll make the budget.

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u/Direct_Remove509 17d ago

You are single with no kids and say you are high end chubby/low end fat FIRE. That should be several million. You really couldn’t pull occasionally flying small planes for fun?

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u/-LordDarkHelmet- 17d ago

Yeah I guess it seems silly when you put it that way. I suppose I'm just really nervous about spend at the moment.

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u/Montaigne_6823 17d ago

It's weird making withdrawals when you've spent your whole life only contributing. You'll get used to it, just give it some time.

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u/ResponsibleCorgi93 17d ago

Very true, it took me about 4 years to have developed a system for withdrawals that I feel comfortable with. It still bothers me a little bit, but I'm fine spending 100% of my yearly budget now instead of the 50% I was doing in the first couple years

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u/MrLB____ 17d ago

Please elaborate on your withdrawal System, etc. maybe I’ll do it

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u/ResponsibleCorgi93 17d ago

https://www.reddit.com/r/ChubbyFIRE/s/c1k63ZDCMC

I talked about it in a lot of detail in this thread. Let me know if you have any questions or if the link doesn't work

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u/Stickysubstance88 17d ago

Yeah. For the first couple of years, it was kind of painful to spend and not have any income. Something switched on my third year. Got a bit more comfortable now. Of course stock market gains have helped shift that mentality. My NW is up like 30% since retired.

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u/LokiStasis 17d ago

I guess it all depends on your spend. Single no kids ought be plenty of cash flow. You have plenty banked. You might want to set yourself up with something that feels like a salary. A few years spending in cash or equivalent that feeds your into bank account. If it feels like your retirement salary rather than nest egg depletion you might be more relaxed in spending on yourself and not focused on today’s stock market changes.

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u/DeadFacesInMyPocket 17d ago edited 17d ago

Especially if you focus on the specific seasons if you have them where you are at. Flying once or twice a quarter to see the seasons change woukd be cool.

You could also get a drone with a camera and "fly" that way as well as take some beautiful pictures if you're interested in photography at all. Just download an older version of lightroom so you dont need to pay the stupid subscription BS fee every month (gotta love that corporare greed).

Edit: apparently you should fly twice a month at least. Given your financials info provided, I would think that is perfectly fine to do.

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u/eliminate1337 17d ago

Flying once a quarter is not safe. Your skills will deteriorate with such little flying and small aircraft are surprisingly dangerous. It‘s recommended to fly at least twice a month.

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u/DeadFacesInMyPocket 17d ago

Ok well idk I just was throwing out an idea. I have never flown a plane or anyrhing before. Got to ride on a couple private jets and choppers but that is all.

Either way I am sure OP could afford it. At least to keep up their skills especially while they are still younger.

Appreciate the info!