What Got You Started In Aviation?

[RLCarter]

When you grow up less than a mile from this, its kinda hard not to like airplanes. I could see FIFI's vert. stab. from my bedroom window and the CAF was always flying something. I was 22 when this film was made and had been watching the Air Shows every year for as far back as I can remember.....sad they are no longer held at KHRL

 

[peevee]

my own stupidity I guess.

[N201MKTurbo]

I had just graduated from high school and was going to Junior College. I didn't know what I was going to do so I looked at the college catalog and the first thing on the first page was aeronautical ground school. It sounded interesting so I signed up. 

The rest is history. I had my private before the semester was over. 

[gsxrpilot]

My first airplane ride was at 6 weeks old in my Uncle's C152. I was on my mother's lap although I don't remember much about the flight. I do however, remember riding in my Grandfather's Comanche 250 when I was about 6 years old. I only rode in it 4 or 5 times, but never forgot it and wanted to fly ever since. Growing up in a relatively poor family with very practical parents, my poor eyesight disqualified me from professional pilot work and therefore it was dismissed as a rich person's hobby. My younger brother with perfect eyesight learned to fly at 16 and is a Southwest Captain today. At age 40 and finding myself single again, my brother pointed out that since I was the only name on the checking account again, I should learn to fly. I still wish I'd started sooner. 

[RLCarter]

Just now, N201MKTurbo said:

I had just graduated from high school and was going to Junior College. I didn't know what I was going to do so I looked at the college catalog and the first thing on the first page was aeronautical ground school. It sounded interesting so I signed up. 

The rest is history. I had my private before the semester was over. 

I looked at going to Spartan in Oklahoma...was hard to justify becoming an A&P to make less money than I did as a motorcycle mechanic part time while in HS. Took flying lesson at the field in the video, worked part time at night for the Cessna Dealer and would take that pay check and give it to the Piper Dealer on the other end of the field, $24.00(wet) for a PA-38-112 Tomahawk and $8.00 for the instructor

[201er]

I was born this way 

[RLCarter]

7 minutes ago, gsxrpilot said:

My first airplane ride was at 6 weeks old in my Uncle's C152. I was on my mother's lap although I don't remember much about the flight. I do however, remember riding in my Grandfather's Comanche 250 when I was about 6 years old. I only rode in it 4 or 5 times, but never forgot it and wanted to fly ever since. Growing up in a relatively poor family with very practical parents, my poor eyesight disqualified me from professional pilot work and therefore it was dismissed as a rich person's hobby. My younger brother with perfect eyesight learned to fly at 16 and is a Southwest Captain today. At age 40 and finding myself single again, my brother pointed out that since I was the only name on the checking account again, I should learn to fly. I still wish I'd started sooner. 

My dad and his brother both trained in the army during WWII, the war ended before the either saw any action, my uncle continued flying after the war. he would fly his Mooney from Florida to S. Texas to visit and I would fly with him to San Antonio with him to pick up my sister (14yrs older than me) as an 8 or so year old kid I knew I wanted a Mooney...lol

Edited May 13, 2017 by RLCarter

[N201MKTurbo]

4 minutes ago, RLCarter said:

I looked at going to Spartan in Oklahoma...was hard to justify becoming an A&P to make less money than I did as a motorcycle mechanic part time while in HS. Took flying lesson at the field in the video, worked part time at night for the Cessna Dealer and would take that pay check and give it to the Piper Dealer on the other end of the field, $24.00(wet) for a PA-38-112 Tomahawk and $8.00 for the instructor

I paid $24 for the Tomahawk and $12 for had instructor in 79.

[Rmag]

My Dad learned to fly at 15.  His driver's license meant he could drive to the airport.  I grew up with flying as a normal part of life, but it was always something "Dad did."

My younger brother got his license in college.  When he came back, I went flying with him in a Cessna 152.  This was the first time I realized that it wasn't just something Dad did, but I could be a pilot too.  

[RLCarter]

Just now, N201MKTurbo said:

I paid $24 for the Tomahawk and $12 for had instructor in 79.

this was in 78~79 as well, plane had 25 or so hours total time the 1st time I got in it.....still remember slow flight in it and watching the T-Tail twist and hearing the "Oil Canning"

 

[Skates97]

Grew up on Air Force Bases, my dad flew, T-37's,then instructed in T-38's and later flew C-130's. As long as I can remember I've wanted to fly, maybe it was in my blood.

Somewhere there's a picture of me at about 4-5 years old with my dad's flight helmet on. I was really sick and my parents decided that maybe letting me wear his helmet would cheer me up. They were right, it put a huge smile on my face. It was almost 40 years later that I would finally get my PPL, and the smile on my face the first time I flew was just like the one 40 years earlier. 

[N252WD]

I was in HS working a summer job clearing pipe lines for ARCO pipe line and I remember see the plane fly over, thinking man that would be nice, but I come from a poor family that could never afford something like that, then I joined the Navy, about 4 years later jumping out of SH-60's, I knew that was for the bird's... Year later I got out of the Navy because they said I would never fly for them, I went and got my PPL. Been flying ever since.

[Ron McBride]

In 68 my dad got his ppl. His first plane was a C model.  In 72 I graduated high school in June, Ppl in July and turned 18 in August.

C150 was 10 per hour wet, instructor 5.   I made 1.65 at Mcdonalds.  Started and stopped at times due marriage, kids, divorce.

i always wanted my own F, finally about 10 years ago got it.

Ron

[carusoam]

First airplane ride: 3 years old.  Rotary wing around San Antonio. army kid.

First model plane experience. Dad assembled a cox line controlled .049 engined trainer. Fort Knox.

First remote controlled airplane. Dad helped me build it.  High school. I know now... Dad had no aerodynamic knowledge.

Television influence: watching Apollo rocket launches on a B&W TV. Black sheep squadron in endless re-runs.

First flying book: Anyone Can Fly - Jules Bergman.  https://www.amazon.com/Anyone-Can-Fly-Jules-Bergman/dp/038502830X dad bought two books. One about sailing and one about flying.  The flying one went on my shelf for a couple of decades before being read...

First steps toward manned flight. Selected a school that offered AFROTC. Six months in I was wearing my first pair of corrective lenses and discussing the benefits of the missile Command. Dreams of flying delayed again.

First steps toward GA. Married/house/limited dough. Started flight lessons in a C152. 100LL was less than $2. Two years later I had a PPL.

First steps toward owning a GA Aircraft. Married/house/kids/ Living in NJ, Bought a latent M20C. Kids really got to know their grand parents. Wouldn't have happened without that ragged M20C.

Once you own your first plane, things get much easier... 

Sooner is better than later.

Nothing gets easier by waiting.

Best regards,

-a-

Edited May 13, 2017 by carusoam

[kpaul]

My father was an instructor for JAL when I was born and then transitioned to the FAA.  I was in and out of planes from the time I was an infant.  Actually planes is the general term.  I have many hours in hot air balloons, some before I was tall enough to see over the padding on the basket.  I was lucky to get to tag along in many types to include King Airs, Gliders, helos and different SE GA.

I officially started flying as a teenager and earned my PPL the month after I graduated from High School.

 

[midlifeflyer]

My wife got tired of hearing me talk about how I wanted to fly since watching Sky King as a kid. She bought me a set of three intro lessons for my birthday so I could get it out of my system.

Almost 28 years later...

[DMJones]

Both my grandfather and father were military pilots.  They were mostly done with flying by the time I was old enough to remember, but I saw them both as officers.  With my father's encouragement, I accepted an appointment to the AF Academy, thinking I'd become a physician.  Once there they quickly informed me that they weren't in the business of producing doctors.  Rather than fight the system, I figured I'd go the pilot route, and maybe become a doctor later.  It was quickly apparent that flying was easier and more fun...

My son is following a similar path and is at Ft Rucker in UH-60 school.  We bought the Mooney so that he could get fixed-wing hours.  One of the most enjoyable things in my life is flying with him.

[N201MKTurbo]

8 hours ago, RLCarter said:

this was in 78~79 as well, plane had 25 or so hours total time the 1st time I got in it.....still remember slow flight in it and watching the T-Tail twist and hearing the "Oil Canning"

 

That Tomahawk (9276T) was at the old Glendale airport which is closed. It lives at Chandler now and I flew it on the 30th anniversary of my private check ride. The tail hasn't fallen off yet!

[Rmag]

8 hours ago, Rmag said:

My Dad learned to fly at 15.  His driver's license meant he could drive to the airport.  I grew up with flying as a normal part of life, but it was always something "Dad did."

My younger brother got his license in college.  When he came back, I went flying with him in a Cessna 152.  This was the first time I realized that it wasn't just something Dad did, but I could be a pilot too.  

An interesting thing was that after my Dad became a pilot, both of my grandparents got their licenses and they always flew together. 

[Bob - S50]

I'm lazy!

I was in college to become a civil engineer and I decided I didn't want to do that for a living.  I thought, what's an easy way to make a living?  Ah ha, become an airline pilot.  Hmmm.  I can't afford to pay to learn to fly.  Now what?  Ah ha, join the Air Force and let them teach me while I get paid!  So I did, and it was so.  The end.

[peevee]

12 minutes ago, Bob - S50 said:

I'm lazy!

I was in college to become a civil engineer and I decided I didn't want to do that for a living.  I thought, what's an easy way to make a living?  Ah ha, become an airline pilot.  Hmmm.  I can't afford to pay to learn to fly.  Now what?  Ah ha, join the Air Force and let them teach me while I get paid!  So I did, and it was so.  The end.

similar to me, except it was mechanical engineering and I had a neighbor in the dorms that had his PPL, we went flying once. When I sold my books back that spring I used the money for my first lesson and left the school to eventually attend a collegiate program. Finished right after 9/11 when you couldn't even get a CFI job and my path diverged rapidly from professional pilot.

 

first lesson was out of here:

http://www.funplacestofly.com/Airport-Info-Flying-Y-Ranch-Montana

https://www.airnav.com/airport/MT48

it's been for sale for quite some time, lots of pics here - http://www.flying-y.com/

the old guy that owned it back in the day was a retired engineer and spotter pilot in korea. The runway is an old railroad bed he threw some gravel on, back in the day it had a home made lighting system (baby food jars on top of PVC pipes)

It appears to not be very well maintained these days, it was better 20 years ago.

[bonal]

Don't know why but as a very young kid I thought nothing was cooler than airplanes. I remember like most my age building all sorts of model airplanes and I remember my first time flying my Corsair F4U on a string with a Cox 049 engine. That damn thing tried to kill me more than once. My folks best friends were flyers and I got to go for some rides in Bonanzas comanchi twin and even a Baron over the years. My friend in high school got his ppl in our senior year and we used to cut class before lunch and rent the 152 at his club at HAY fly over the school at lunchtime. Many many...many years later as I kept looking at airplanes for sale on the web my girlfriend (now wife) said you should just buy one and learn to fly. She knew how much I loved it. She is also the reason we now fly a Mooney when she said we need a faster airplane. Is it any surprise I married her. If not for her I doubt I would have ever allowed myself the realization of a life long dream.

 

[Bartman]

When I was in medical school I lived under the approach path to the local airport. I did not play golf, was not married, and wanted to travel to work as a locum physician. Getting remarried delayed the work travel so we used it for vacations and gaining experience and Instrument rating, but now that the kids are out of the house I have been using the Mooney to travel to work from April Thru November the past two years. 

I wanted us to be the people that other people talk about. 

[MooneyMitch]

20 hours ago, 201er said:

I was born this way 

Yes, I was! 

[Oscar Avalle]

My first plane ride was  in 1960 from Buenos Aires to Hamburg in a Comet IV of Aerolineas Argentinas when I was 6 month old. Since then I always loved aviation. Each time I flew commercial I tried to get into the cabin to talk to the pilots and look at the panel. I still remember flying in the Comet and then in the 707. I wanted to become a commercial pilot, but then live took me into another direction. Until in 1992 when I was living in New York and on a Sunday I had nothing to do and I drove my brand new car to New Jersey. After driving around for a while I saw a sign for the Caldwell Airport. I drove into the airport asked about flight lessons and the rest is history... 

1500 hours of flying later I still look up when I hear the noise of a engine... and I get still excited when I sit in a brand new 747-800...

It is a one way street... You take it and you never come back.

Oscar