Humble beginnings...

[mriya225]

Never having been bitten by the urge-to-fly bug; I'm curious about how it is that each of you decided to become pilots. There must be some interesting stories among you about your rise to the cockpit, as it were. How did flying become a part of your life that you wouldn't live without?

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Un diva très doué.

[JJflyer]

Nice Mriya.. here it is then.

Father a pilot , Mother a purser. Brother flies helicopters ( what's wrong with him :) ) and my other sister was a hostie.
I remeber seeing pitures of airplanes or being interested in those things... well as long as I can remember.
There is a picture of me about 9 months or so old reading a Flight International (Eating it is closer to reality )
Later I took every opportunity to go to the airport and watch airplanes or wash them for a ride. I was that kid that had a runny nose and red cheeks standing hours in the cold :)
Flew sims since I was 13... Nooh not the computer sims there where none at that time, but the real things . My favourite was the cute little blue airplane called Link Trainer I had sooo much fun flying that my dad teaching me.
Sweet seventeen start the PPL schooling. Won't ever forget my first solo.
Flew off and on for a couple of years. Did my compulsory military service no flying during that time. Started to fly again when I left military after 4 years. Flown professionally since early 1998.

JJ ;)



[This message has been edited by JJflyer (edited 09 November 2000).]

[mriya225]

JJ,
Talk about being "born to fly"; sounds wonderful! When you mentioned "...that kid that had a runny nose and red cheeks standing hours in the cold." I thought you may have landed here in Denver and seen me. :)
I still go out to DIA, whenever I've got something on my mind, to watch you all come and go. For as much as you love to fly, I enjoy watching you all do it! You can't imagine how many times I've gotten clarity under that sweet scream of your jets overhead.

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Un diva très doué.

[Tonkenna]

Hi there Mriya,

For me, saw a Lightning at an airshow when I was 6. Decided that I wanted to be a pilot in the RAF and ever considered anything else and joined when I left school. Been in for 13 years and found the start v hard work. Now learning to be a flying instructor and really enjoying it. Never got to be a fighter pilot, but did get 40 mins in a lightning, which was ace.

Still love the job :)

Tonks

[Georgeablelovehowindia]

For me it was my first flight, aged seven, in G-ALHI, a BOAC Canadair Argonaut. I achieved my ambition, unlike my schoolmate who was mad keen as well, but failed the medical: colourblind.
That's one amazing airfield, DIA. As a Brit., it astounds me that they just walked away from Stapleton, though. What a waste.

George Able Love How Item

[Oleo]

I have wanted to fly since I was about 8, when the plan was that I would be a hippie (this was in the early 70's!), ride a motorbike and smoke a pipe; be a pilot until I was forty, and then I would retire to the land and be self sufficient!

I remember looking at a small aeroplane in the sky when I was in the playing fields at school and thinking how cool it would be to be up there. I then found out that my grandfather had trained to be a pilot in WWI - luckily the war ended before he got to see any action. He said that he hated flying - it was cold, dirty and noisy and the instructors were very harsh.

I assumed that I would join the airforce and was gutted to find out, at age 14, that they didn't want "girlies"! It had never occurred to me. So I assumed it was an unattainable dream until after I had completed a business degree and got bored out of my tree after a year in an office job. I rang the pilot recruitment chap at our national airline and asked how I would go about being a pilot for them!! I had no idea.

I left the big city and took part time jobs to begin with and put everything I had into flying.

Things have not gone entirely to schedule but for me, the more I fly the more I want to fly, I feel it is in my blood and my calling, and when I fly I feel that all is right in my little corner of the world.

[mriya225]

Tonkenna, Georgeablelovehowindia, Oleo,

All of these terrific stories...

It's amazing how much the love of flying began so young for all of you, so far; that's quite a while to carry a dream. I applaud each of you for pursuing it to fruition!
I have the coolest image in my minds eye of each of you in the cockpit as children, filled with giddy pleasure and awe while you fly! :)

*I hate to tell you what's being done with Stapleton; from the geniuses themselves: "...planned to become a diverse urban tapestry of homes, shops, offices and parks."* Don't ask. http://www.pprune.org/ubb/NonCGI/frown.gif

Please keep the stories coming--reading them is such great fun!

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Un diva très doué.

[pigboat]

I was four when I had my first airplane ride, fifty years ago. It was a Norseman V on straight skis, maroon and cream, registration CF-BSF. The interior was that boiler plate green they all came with. The pilot's name was Herbert White, and believe it or not, I can still smell the burnt oil and gas. (Musta been impressed)
Out in the boonies where I came from, the only way around in the winter back then was by bush plane and/or dog team, I kid you not. In the summer we had airplanes and boats. I had to leave to attend junior high school and I stayed with a relative who worked for the local airline, so I started pumping floats and shining windshields on the weekends. Never did get paid for it, but conversely I never paid to ride their airplanes either. Went to work for them when I got my license in 1966. Back then, we had a 185, three Beavers, two Otters, two Lockheed 10's, two DC-3's and two PBY's. I'm proud to say I've frozen my butt in every one of them.

[ehwatezedoing]

Here mine mriya225

Another one strike by aviation really young, even if I'm the only pilot of the family.
All this probably started when my father was working as a "ground ops" manager for "UTA" in Africa (Chad). How many time he brought me in the airport on the other side of the fence, I don't know.
DC-3/4/6/8 & Skyraiders, etc...were usual aircrafts to visit at this place in early 70's.

One of those multiple funny aviation related things who hit me as a young boy, was a phone ring. Followed fairly quickly by a big yell from my mother:
-"Go outside and try to look up at a smoktrail!!!!!"
-"Huh!?, what!!!?" http://www.pprune.org/ubb/NonCGI/confused.gif
-"Go, Go, Go.....it's your dad!!!!!"

Comming out from Djedda, heading to abidjan he was ridding the jumpseat. The crew (when passing right overhead at FL 300 or so), manage to contact the local tower who gave us a phone call.......at home! :)

Now, I'm not really flying at 30 000' (just following tracks at 300' for aerial geodesic survey ) but i'm working on it. :)

[mriya225]

I'm having a blast living vicariously through these stories - they're all fabulous!

pigboat
http://www.pprune.org/ubb/NonCGI/eek.gif You have the most amazing memory!! Sounds like you had a pretty interesting childhood as well!

ehwatezedoing,
I love your nickname ;)
Maybe you could create a flying dynasty like JJ Flyer's family!

:) Hmmm... I wonder how many times we'd have to say please before he'd post his infant aviator picture for us??

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Un diva très doué.

[redsnail]

When I was nearly 4 years old I saw Neil Armstrong walk on the Moon. So for quite a while I wanted to be an astronaut. Well, when I was a smidge older I found out that they didn't take females and Australia didn't really have an astronaut programme. Bummer! My grandfather worked for Qantas as an engineer of sorts and he took me through their hangers when 707 and 727's (TAA) ruled. When I was a young teenager I saw a Qantas 747 do a very low pass at an Airshow at Schofield's aerodrome, Sydney ( airfield not there any more). I wanted to do that, that looked excellent. I believe the captain got busted but, hey, I bet a lot of people wanted to fly after that!
Any way, drifted off the dream for a while. Went to tech and did biology for a while. A uni lecturer took me flying in his Cherokee and I was hooked. Started to learn to fly in my early 20's. Did it all part time and then in my late 20's left every thing in Sydney and set off to the NW of Australia to look for fulltime work.
Flying fulltime has taken me all over the top end of Oz flying aircraft from C206's to Bandits and Twotters. After 6 years I am now back in Sydney flying Dash 8's. The Dash has a white rat on it's tail, much like the 747 I saw all those many years ago.....
I wouldn't trade those experiences for any thing. :)
Cheers
Oh, I also aquired a Ducati as well in my travels. Got to be happy about that! :)

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reddo...feral animal!

[Rallye Driver]

My father and brother were both in the RAF as ground crew, and my uncle built Spitfires at Supermarine (he started in the early 1930s on Avro 504s at Woodley and when he retired from Hawker Siddeley he was building Harriers), so from a very early age I can remember being taken to airshows around the south of England.

I was in the Cadet Force at school and learned to glide one Easter at RAF Halton, doing the requisite three solos to gain my 'wings'.

Then a very big gap, as lack of money kept me firmly on the ground until a couple of years ago, when I decided that I could now afford to get my PPL. After a year as a makey-learn pilot, I got my magic piece of paper last August.

One thing I had wanted to do was to take my uncle flying. I got my wish last autumn when I gave him a flight for his 89th birthday – from Goodwood over his house and along the South Coast and back – brilliant! I'm too old to start a new career as a pro pilot, but my next endeavour is to learn aerobatics, which I have just started to do in a Yak 52. I might not be at FL350, but I'm still having a hell of a lot of fun and hopefully I will get my uncle in the air again before he is permanently at Angels 15!

[criticalmass]

Mriya225:-

Father was navigator in RAF during WW2, Wellingtons in Western Desert, later Liberators flying from occupied Italy. After WW2 he flew for Air Ceylon and a few other companies, then joined the Royal Australian Navy and established the flight navigation training school at HMAS Albatross, the RAN fleet air arm air station near Nowra, NSW south coast. Aviation (and seafaring) seem to run in the family.

I started flying on gliders at the Nowra air station in about 1964 but we were moved about a fair bit (typical service family) and flying had to take a back seat until education (well, formal schooling anyway) was completed. Went back to sailplanes in late 60s, then became involved in skydiving 1971-76 and 1987-1998. Finally took up powered flying in 1999 and became an aircraft owner in late 2000 ("If it flies, f***ks or floats, it's cheaper to hire it!"). In (unofficial) family tradition, I was a seafarer (Radio Officer) from 1982 to 1992.

Why do I fly? Most human beings live lives in two dimensions on the surface of the planet. Those who aviate are permitted the extra dimension of altitude and the unique perspectives which this bestows. Sights of enormous, yet often ephemeral, beauty await those who fly. For me, those sights remain one of the most powerful attractions. I also enjoy using the technology which enables us to fly, in whatever form we undertake it.

I fly for recreation and well realise that for those who do it for their living, there are times when it is a great chore, as well as times when they too are struck by the majesty of the planet and its ever-changing atmosphere.

[F/O Junior]

Hi Mirya.

According my parents, it started really early. They are absolute positive that my first drawings showed aircraft. Well, I guess my early artwork could have been anything if you ask me, from an universal equation to a copy of Mona Lisa.
We often visited airports and I seemed to love everything that turns in some way. Aircraft were just perfect, often more than only 4 wheels and more over those noisy turning things mounted to a shiny silver bar on each side of this long tube.
Back in the 80's our national carrier still had the money to do PR Show, visiting all mayor towns. THAT was impressive. Real pilots with their real hats and all this uniform stuff. What do they do ? Dunno, but they looked cool. And besides, there were even aircraft involved. What can you ask more for ? Later I learned that there are even women involved in this job. Perfect!
I flew all sim on my PC that I could get a hand on and after finishing school, I applied for place in our major's school. I was lucky.
5 years after starting training, I'm F/O on the A320 and A330 with some 2500 hrs and I still love it!

[mriya225]

Thank you to all of you!

What a wonderful collection of memroies and accomplishments--you're all aces in my book! :)

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Un diva très doué.

[Speechless Two]

Father flew Hudsons and Liberators during WW2. In 1955 when I was ten he paid for a 15 minute joyride in an Auster out of Christchurch (UK) for my brother and me and I was hooked. Joined the Air Training Corps at 13 and with them went solo at 16 in a T31 Cadet glider, also at Christchurch. At 15 took the pre-assessment RAF aircrew interviews at RAF Hornchurch and passed everything except the medical because of my eyesight. Provisionally offered Air Electronics Officer but didn’t fancy that much.

Stayed on at the gliding school as a staff cadet, being rewarded most days with one 4 minute circuit for 12 hours work – but worth it! Helped prepare a Tiger Moth for rebuilding and spent hours polishing the propeller prior to its entry in the Kings Cup Air Race in 1962. Washed and cleaned anything in any hangar anywhere ---- the most notable at Christchurch being a Comper Swift, Miles Magister, Robinson Redwing, and an Airspeed Oxford amongst many others. Anything to be near the smell and magic of aircraft.

Found out that the Royal Navy would accept my eyesight as a helicopter pilot and at age 17 somehow convinced their Lordships at the Admiralty that they should help me achieve my ambition to be a pilot, so the day before my 18th birthday I toddled off to the Royal Naval College at Dartmouth. First powered solo on a Tiger Moth at Plymouth Roborough and joined my first aircraft carrier as a front line helo pilot in the Far East at the age of 20 in 1965. Had 35 glorious years flying helicopters, both military and civil, until forced into early retirement about a year ago. Ambitions?…….some day I will get 15 minutes in a dual seat Spitfire! Advice for wannabees?…… Never ever give up and never ever let anyone take your dream away from you.


[This message has been edited by Speechless Two (edited 12 November 2000).]

[Georgeablelovehowindia]

Funny thing, Speechless Two, I was just discussing with my wife how, by a genetic defect, colourblindness, my friend was denied his ambition. Reading your story, I wonder if he had tried another approach, he might have succeeded. The ONE big hurdle is passing the initial medical. Pass that and there is nothing to stop you becoming a pilot, if you want it badly enough.

[HF8903]

I wanted to be a pilot since I was six,believe it or not but I remember the actual moment that I wanted to be a pilot,I had just woken up from a dream where I saw a 727 landing in the sunset. The day before I had that dream I could care less about planes..after that dream,well as you can see I am crazy for it.
My favourite moment in flight was not my first flight or solo,but actually my first flight in IMC and getting above that overcast layer,jeez that was great.

[TheAngryIbis]

Great topic!

I've loved aircraft and flying as long as I can remember. I went to Air Youth (dodgy crap version of the AirTC) when I was at school. I got a job at Hungry Jacks to finance my habit, learned to fly gliders at 15 (min. age), got my student pilot licence at 16 (min. age), got my RPPL at 17 (min. age), then I joined the RAAF as a pilot straight out of school. Unfortunately I was directed towards the defence academy by recruiting, and while there I allowed my resistance to unnecessary schooling to take hold - I was lazy and uninterested, and failed first year science. They gave me the boot.

Spent the next 7 years getting married, doing computer support, management and programming (all as an uneducated git without a degree, mind you), and getting divorced.

At the ripe old age of 26 I decided to ask the RAAF nicely if they'd let me back in - thought I'd head off a surefire midlife crisis before I was too old to join - didn't want to be 40 and wonder if I should've applied again - if you don't ask, you don't get, as my mate used to tell me in nightclubs quite a bit :). Much to my surprise they let me back in, direct entry this time.

I've got my wings now, but I'm still training (on conversion at 28, the oldest on my course by a long shot). By January I should be out into The Real World and enjoying myself even more than I am at the moment.

It was the best decision I ever made, and I'm now "at peace", I guess - I was never comfortable with my life until now. It's great having the feeling you are doing something you have always dreamed about. And I get paid to do what loads of people would pay to do. Who can complain, eh? http://www.pprune.org/ubb/NonCGI/cool.gif

[Slasher]

Saw an airport

Saw a DC6

Saw a DC6 captain

Saw a DC6 hostess

Saw another DC6 hostess

Decided I gotta have me a bit of that!

[ehwatezedoing]

Slasher :)

I have the strong felling that this diesel 6 wasn't belong to ;) "Air Chad" ;)