Remember my first trial flight ('cos I did 2!!) like it was yesterday...
...was 15 at the time and a friend of mine came back from school holidays saying that he was learning to fly...didn't realise that you could start that young so straight away rocked up to a flying school at the local aerodrome...
...D strapped me into a 152 Aerobat and talked me thru starting and taxiing out to the RWY. He also talked me through the takeoff (mind fully blown by this stage 'cos I thought I was doing it all!)...we flew out over the city then descended into (what I found out later was the low flying area) and followed the river at what felt like 20-30 feet...great fun...D then gave me controls and said "have a go...just follow the river"...I remember passing UNDERNEATH a set of high tension lines...a few minutes later we rounded a corner to be confronted with a road bridge at the end of a straight bit of river...as we got closer D took the controls and asked "which span do you want to go UNDER"...can't remember my reply but he pulled up just before the bridge...and I distinctly remember looking in the window of a Newman's bus...reckon I could tell the colour of the driver's eyes!! After that there was no doubt that I would learn to fly!!
Remember my 1st solo too...over 25 years ago now...
