Reason you take up flying?
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I wish I could say the same thing re the stress, I get out with a full sweat on, I just can't seem to relax at the minute, I'm quite often so pleased to be back on terra firma!
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Pace, you were kidding, right? That first flight I took at the age of 50 was in 1983, so the 3,000 hours experience took a bit longer than ten years.
I was yakking in the clubhouse a while back, and a visiting glider pilot came in and said "MARY! don't tell me they are still letting you instruct?!"
"Why not?" I answered.
"Aren't you approaching 70?" he enquired?
"Nope," I answered...."its getting further away all the time....."
I was yakking in the clubhouse a while back, and a visiting glider pilot came in and said "MARY! don't tell me they are still letting you instruct?!"
"Why not?" I answered.
"Aren't you approaching 70?" he enquired?
"Nope," I answered...."its getting further away all the time....."
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Mary yes I meant it ) you have an amazing brain and give so much of your experience to others that I cannot imagine you are a day over 60 
Pace
Pace
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It was just always going to be. I didn't have any other ambition half as strong as flying aeroplanes, but I thought it wasn't for 'ordinary' folk like me.
In my late 20s I met a few people through work who flew, and realised 'if they can do it, I should have no problem'. Started with gliding but got fed up of being launch point fodder (clocked up a lot of tractor hours and not much in the air) so went to LAC at Barton and within 7 months, in summer 1979, I had a PPL and a Chipmunk share. 32 years later I still had that share having flown many other types in between (basic Cub and a Yak 52, in which I also had a share for a few years, came close to my beloved Chippy for pure flying fun, but the Yak was too thirsty).
This is something I came across in gliding instructors. Some of them were just awful... not competent or confident and because of that they were 'little Hitlers' in the air. I haven't come across it so much in power flying, but heritage railways have more than their share of loco crew who think steam loco driving is rocket science (it's actually very simple but does require 'awareness') and try to maintain a false mystique over newcomers qualifying for the footplate.
Invariably the ones displaying that attitude never amounted to much in real life, outside the heritage railway. Those that have come to the footplate form successful outside careers rarely show such attitudes. They don't feel they have anything to prove.
In my late 20s I met a few people through work who flew, and realised 'if they can do it, I should have no problem'. Started with gliding but got fed up of being launch point fodder (clocked up a lot of tractor hours and not much in the air) so went to LAC at Barton and within 7 months, in summer 1979, I had a PPL and a Chipmunk share. 32 years later I still had that share having flown many other types in between (basic Cub and a Yak 52, in which I also had a share for a few years, came close to my beloved Chippy for pure flying fun, but the Yak was too thirsty).
On a different angle I also knew of one CFi who outside the flying club held a very mundane lowly job. Once within the club he changed wore a different hat and was suddenly someone to be respected and admired and frankly a bit of a Hitler and an Ego hence the question what motivated you into flying?
Invariably the ones displaying that attitude never amounted to much in real life, outside the heritage railway. Those that have come to the footplate form successful outside careers rarely show such attitudes. They don't feel they have anything to prove.
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It was all my father's fault ...
Took me to see Battle of Britain at the cinema when it came out. Job done.
Airfix, balsa and dope, ... but the RAF didn't want me (med).
So when I could afford it I just started the PPL. First flight my stomach was left on the ground and I was seriously uncomfortable. Then night, twin, IMC, marriage, mortgage, not doing enough flying so wife bought me a trip with Ultimate High in the Extra for my birthday. Didn't stop smiling for about 3 days and that's lead to all sorts of trouble ...
Just getting up above the cloud on a grey British day into the sunny blue skies and messing around is like an instant holiday.
Airfix, balsa and dope, ... but the RAF didn't want me (med).
So when I could afford it I just started the PPL. First flight my stomach was left on the ground and I was seriously uncomfortable. Then night, twin, IMC, marriage, mortgage, not doing enough flying so wife bought me a trip with Ultimate High in the Extra for my birthday. Didn't stop smiling for about 3 days and that's lead to all sorts of trouble ...
Just getting up above the cloud on a grey British day into the sunny blue skies and messing around is like an instant holiday.
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Landing back at Aberdeen trying to figure out whether my Humberside return flights had been closer to 400 than 300, we had a not greaser sort of landing and I thought " I could do better than that".
And the wee voice said " on you go then." The rest as they say is history.
And the wee voice said " on you go then." The rest as they say is history.
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Just wanted to be in the air. Always been plane mad, Airfix kits, books, films etc as a nipper; but more into the engineering side. Was an aircraft techy for many years, fixing broken jets during which time I became a glider pilot. Wanted a new flying challenge in later years so did my PPL.
As mentioned in previous posts, flying appeals to the engineer/discipline side of me. I always think of Richard Bach's short story about just sitting in the cockpit of his aircraft, being amazed at the potential of it, how with a few movements of his hands he could make magic happen. I still get a buzz out of just starting the engine, that's how anal I am about it. I love the smell of cockpits, I like the way that the instruments tell me what I need to know, I'm still amazed that I can fly down an invisible beam (Ok two invisible beams) and make a safe landing in crap weather. There's the whole other world and beauty of night flying, and tell me what is better than getting airborne on a crap day, climbing through the clag and breaking out into a sea of brilliant white. That is just magic. It's just endless. Every time I land and walk away I feel better about the world. Refreshment for the soul.
Flying is special. Someone once said that we owe it to the billions of humans before us that have looked longingly at the sky to enjoy every second that we are airborne. I do my best.
As mentioned in previous posts, flying appeals to the engineer/discipline side of me. I always think of Richard Bach's short story about just sitting in the cockpit of his aircraft, being amazed at the potential of it, how with a few movements of his hands he could make magic happen. I still get a buzz out of just starting the engine, that's how anal I am about it. I love the smell of cockpits, I like the way that the instruments tell me what I need to know, I'm still amazed that I can fly down an invisible beam (Ok two invisible beams) and make a safe landing in crap weather. There's the whole other world and beauty of night flying, and tell me what is better than getting airborne on a crap day, climbing through the clag and breaking out into a sea of brilliant white. That is just magic. It's just endless. Every time I land and walk away I feel better about the world. Refreshment for the soul.
Flying is special. Someone once said that we owe it to the billions of humans before us that have looked longingly at the sky to enjoy every second that we are airborne. I do my best.
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Can't remember a time when I didn't want to.
Very early on I loved adventure and set my heart on being an explorer-naturalist; the next Gerald Durrell. But with remarkable cynicism in one so young I convinced myself that far too much red tape existed to allow it and gave it up (a sadly mistaken belief, and one of my few real regrets; GD dealt with plenty of bureaucracy too, but never wrote about it, so I never knew.)
Meanwhile Farnborough '96 put flying LOUDLY in my mind (I bawled my eyes out through the entire Tornado display). At junior school there was an ancient computer with a ropey copy of Microsoft Flight Sim, which fascinated me. A chance shot with Combat Flight Sim in Toys 'R' Us got me hooked. Growing up I took flight sims more and more seriously until, aged 14 or 15, I remember very clearly thinking "I love this; this is fun. Why don't I do this for real...?" and firing up Google Search...
...and that, as they say, was that.
Very early on I loved adventure and set my heart on being an explorer-naturalist; the next Gerald Durrell. But with remarkable cynicism in one so young I convinced myself that far too much red tape existed to allow it and gave it up (a sadly mistaken belief, and one of my few real regrets; GD dealt with plenty of bureaucracy too, but never wrote about it, so I never knew.)
Meanwhile Farnborough '96 put flying LOUDLY in my mind (I bawled my eyes out through the entire Tornado display). At junior school there was an ancient computer with a ropey copy of Microsoft Flight Sim, which fascinated me. A chance shot with Combat Flight Sim in Toys 'R' Us got me hooked. Growing up I took flight sims more and more seriously until, aged 14 or 15, I remember very clearly thinking "I love this; this is fun. Why don't I do this for real...?" and firing up Google Search...
...and that, as they say, was that.
