-some professionals take great benefit from it. it's the fastest way to move around the US.
-look up STOL flying, that's a really fun hobby to get into, you can land anywhere in the world
-you can do a bunch of volunteer work with a license.
-I personally do it because of the challenge and I find it very fun !
That's surprising. I was under the impression that landing outside of an airfield is only permitted in a few states and parts of Canada? In Europe it's generally forbidden (with the sailplane exception of course).
Look on YouTube for folks flying something like a Kit Fox (start with Trent Palmer). You'll find some fun videos of some cool spots they land. Also, STOL drags are cool to watch.
In the US, you may generally land anywhere the landowner permits it. There’s lots of publicly owned land, and although it’s up to individual management agencies, you can generally operate a plane wherever you can operate any other motor vehicle.
Crop dusting is still a thing. I live in the middle of nowhere and there are several strips of flat grassland that are landing strips for crop dusters.
