Not my first flight by any means but a most memorable one was in a Tiger Moth from Duxford, on a fine Summer's day. Mrs G bought it for my 60th birthday. Once we got to safety height the pilot gave me control and apart from him doing some rolls and loops it was mine. We flew over Kings College and as I circled over the quadrangle the tourists must have thought it a fine sight. Pilot took control on finals and that was it. I would add that, during the flight, he was probably doing a bit of tweaking in the back!

Smudge:
"In that vein, I was wondering if anyone would like to share their first flight experience. For me, an amazing 30 minutes in a Chipmunk from Shawbury circa 1967. A few aero's and finally allowed a "clutch"."

...perhaps even the same pilot! - but 5 or six years later. It gave me the Bug too - but not for flying.

I never did gliders or Balloons - though I did move through a whole raft of mil & civ types and sizes, C150 & Gazelle to B757/767, and eventually back into helicopters...where I am once more.

Not a Crew Chief,

Your #77 (about Rapides) "Didn't know I'd be jumping out of one years later".

I was in the Shawbury tower one Sunday (?) afternoon in '64-'67. Rapide passing by carrying Red Devils (?) back from display loses donk. Cannot maintain height on one. Pilot invites pax to do the decent thing; all seven (?) comply. Bird now able to fly somewhere and land.

SDO Shawbury spends all evening rescuing castaways (with difficulty) from pubs all round the neighbourhood .

You weren't one, by any chance ?

Danny.

First Flight
 

My first RAF flight (April 1976) on my 'Air Experience Flight' (whilst at SwinditZ) was on the last flight on the Belfast 'Omega' (which as we all know is the last letter of the Greek Alphabet). We were carrying Post Office 'Last flight' covers. I later bought one at a car boot sale in Newquay..

First flight was in a Chipmunk of 8 AEF at Shawbury as a 14 year-old CCF cadet. Great fun but I declined the offer of aeros (which is somewhat ironic considering my service career).

First solo was in a Kirby Cadet Mk III at Tern Hill as a 15 year-old (I think) CCF cadet - bloody brilliant!

First powered solo was in a Cessna 150 at Perth, Scone on a Flying Scholarship as a just 18 year-old CCF cadet.

First jet solo (no Chipmunks for me in the service sadly :() was in a JP3 at Church Fenton when it was an RLG for Linton.

Happy days indeed and how lucky were those of us who had the good fortune to experience a time when "military jet noise was the sound of freedom" instead of being something to complain to your local MP about? :ok:

STP

First flight in a Chipmunk of 10 AEF at Woodvale in 74, first jet trip in a JP4 at Shawbury in 79, one and only Meteor trip at Brawdy in 80, first solo at Barkston H in a JP5 in 82, first single seat solo in 85 at Lossie. Great thread that has brought back some fine memories.:)

First flight in a Chipmunk in 1960 at Turnhouse as an ATC cadet. Up to then I thought that I knew what I wanted to do. After that I was sure.

YS

BEA BAC 1-11 LHR to Moscow 1968 to spend 2 years in Mogilev (now Belarus) for my dad's work. Don't remember much about the flight but the phrase "better dead than red" still resonates!
Slightly off thread but I always enjoyed letting my plank wing brethren have a clutch of the mighty Wokka. They could usually hover the thing well enough (until I took the AFCS off!) but transitioning to and from that state often proved beyond them. It was usually their first go in a helo and they never failed to walk off the cab without a huge grin on their face!

Aahhh gentlemen,

I've just read through the thread again and I reckon (as Jed Clampett might say) that there Deee Havilland Chipmunk has put a lot of people on course for a flying career. Or drawn the rest of us to engineering the beasts. Obviously many are drawn by the lure of the fast jet, I'm a committed F6 Lightning fan, but the Chippie has been the "Modus inlece" to draw us into the business of aviation. It's also interesting that many "pilots of senior age" have returned to the Chippie at the end of their careers, helping to pass whatever it is that "attracts", on to the youngsters. There's a most excellent thread on the Mil Forum that covers all you need to know about the Chipmunk.

There have been some great expressions, impressions and probably, "blimey I thought that as well" comments on this subject. It does rather say though that all of us were captured by the first flight we experienced, whatever the make or model. Thank you all for your contributions, it's very informative.

Smudge:ok:

First flight 1960 in this North-South Airlines Heron (fixed gear) from Exeter - Leeds

http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/v...r/Heronmk1.jpg


My Uncle was an RAF pilot... me in his bone dome :) also 1960

http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/v...oker/vick2.jpg

Followed by Chippie flying at Newton and Cambridge :)
1st Glider solo at 644 GS Spitalgate 1969

Danny42C
 

Still a bit too young 64-67. Had to wait till Weston on the Green '71.
Similar event though without me on board. Assisted in repairing the exhaust with 'locally sourced spares' and then flew back to Abingdon in it.

Smuj
I was on the 3 engined wonder by GW 1 but transited Akro more times than I care to remember and have just worked out it is longer ago than my 15 years as GE, and nearly as long ago as length of my whole career. Halton 219 70-72

Not A Crew Chief,

Respect on your travails on the 3 engined monster. I feel a senior moment coming on. Myself - 214 entry Halton 69-71. I remember being given a lift back from ASI to Brize, on a Tristar, after a long det with a 24 Squadron crew, werent they all ??? They ( the tristar lads) couldn't drop us off at Lyneham, and the loadie went ballistic at the thought of me setting my hammock up in the freight area, despite our crew being the only passengers on board. Even the freight looked lonely !!! A few years later, the very same loadie(now a Herk operator) asked me if I could "spell him" for a couple of hours, and lend him my hammock on the way to Banjul. Long story short, what goes round comes round I suppose. I loaned him the hammock, made the drinks for the front end for about 6 hours and put the frame to bed after landing. He never criticised my chance for some "pre activity recreational time" after that. :ok:

Smudge

PS, 219, was that an Entry or an intake ??????;)

Further to my earlier post about flying in a North - South airlines fixed gear DH Heron...here is a link to quite a nice pic showing the landing gear fairings etc...

https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rc...73275149043404

My first flight 61 years ago, in a Hunting Clan Vickers Viking from Malta to London with a refuelling stop at Nice. Over Northern France I was invited up to the cockpit & was handed over control. As an 11 year old school boy my feet wouldn't reach the rudder pedals, so we did a kind of yaw to the left then right.

First RAF flight Two years later at a CCF summer camp at RAF Gutersloh in a Percival Prentice.

First Jet flight at RAF Debden in a Meteor 11, which had just completed a Major Service - Yes, sick as a dog!! http://images.ibsrv.net/ibsrv/res/sr...y_dog_eyes.gif

Most memorable flights doing Radar flight trials at RAF Marham with 57 Sqn. in HP Victor K1 Tankers