Why did you learn to fly?
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: UK
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Someone I know did it to get laid. Didn't work for him, although it worked for me...
Space, wanted to be an astronaut, figured most of 'em flew. Air Cadets really taught me to love flying and I was hooked. Hangar Rat for years, still am actually.
The thing that hooked me was the feel of the air through the wings to the stick to my fingertips. Oh, and aeros.
Space, wanted to be an astronaut, figured most of 'em flew. Air Cadets really taught me to love flying and I was hooked. Hangar Rat for years, still am actually.
The thing that hooked me was the feel of the air through the wings to the stick to my fingertips. Oh, and aeros.
Last edited by fwjc; 20th Jan 2012 at 22:37.
When I was a kid my Dad would occasionally take me to stand outside the fence at Stapleford and watch the planes taking off. Never occurred to him to go in, I suppose he thought it was all above him (metaphorically speaking, I mean...). We were on holiday near Yarmouth in about 1964 and he took me for a very short "trip round the bay" from the airfield there. When I started work I started flying quite a bit, commercial, and was fascinated by planes just as I always have been also by trains and even buses.
Probably nothing more would have happened if I hadn't moved to the US - occasionally I'd buy a flying magazine and look at these "two week wonder" courses in Portugal or Florida and think about it, but it never went further than that.
Then as I was moving out here we had to visit another office, a horrible drive in the morning rush. A colleague of mine said, "well, I'll just fly there". "Oh, can I come along?" "Sure".
I was hooked. He introduced me to the place where I learned to fly, and that was that.
Probably nothing more would have happened if I hadn't moved to the US - occasionally I'd buy a flying magazine and look at these "two week wonder" courses in Portugal or Florida and think about it, but it never went further than that.
Then as I was moving out here we had to visit another office, a horrible drive in the morning rush. A colleague of mine said, "well, I'll just fly there". "Oh, can I come along?" "Sure".
I was hooked. He introduced me to the place where I learned to fly, and that was that.
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Kelowna Wine Country
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A flight with my test pilot stepfather in an Auster when I was four, but the clincher was seeing him fly a Hurricane at Yeovilton Airshow, 1948 or 49. He finished his display with a low pass and a half loop into the cloud base at about a thousand feet.
RAF Benevolent Fund sent me to a school well connected to flying and the RAF. Got my license, along with seven others, in my last year at school.
Colour blind so missed out on RAF and civil aviation commercially.
Hasn't stopped my kids though.
RAF Benevolent Fund sent me to a school well connected to flying and the RAF. Got my license, along with seven others, in my last year at school.
Colour blind so missed out on RAF and civil aviation commercially.
Hasn't stopped my kids though.
Join Date: Jan 2008
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First flew with Sabena at age of 3-4 to Spain. I remember it very well, it was so special to me. I remember me saying that I saw our house from the sky, walking from one side of the plane to the other (on the left was my mom and brother/sister, right my dad and me). I ate for the first time in my life chocolate mousse, since then I like it!
7-8 years later I got a book with all kinds of airplanes in it and since then my interest in aviation grew. With internet installed at home I had the largest library at home. Joined the air cadets when I was 16 and started gliding. Since then I'm an addict and am looking to take each oppertunity to fly (though it's been a while). The Air cadets were basically the biggest contributor. Thanks to the people there I chose to do my 3-year bachelor and now a master.
I hope to find some time to start gliding again and maybe even get a PPL licence! It's not really in the family here, though a cousin of my mom is flying with Korean airlines.
7-8 years later I got a book with all kinds of airplanes in it and since then my interest in aviation grew. With internet installed at home I had the largest library at home. Joined the air cadets when I was 16 and started gliding. Since then I'm an addict and am looking to take each oppertunity to fly (though it's been a while). The Air cadets were basically the biggest contributor. Thanks to the people there I chose to do my 3-year bachelor and now a master.
I hope to find some time to start gliding again and maybe even get a PPL licence! It's not really in the family here, though a cousin of my mom is flying with Korean airlines.
Join Date: Nov 2010
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It's been in my life since I was born.
When I was a child I would cry all night and refuse to sleep, pretty much most nights I'd be screaming, and the only way my dad could stop me crying was to point out stars and he'd say they were broken down planes and then we waited for a real plane to come and tow it back to the airport.
My dad had his PPL and I would fly with him at a young age, I even remember attending the disco in the club house when I little.
Always been aeroplane mad, used to get people to buy me toy planes then I'd throw them off the balcony in hope they'd fly. Much to my upset they broke.
There's no way I could pick a career other than flying.
I'm still not keen on sleeping.
When I was a child I would cry all night and refuse to sleep, pretty much most nights I'd be screaming, and the only way my dad could stop me crying was to point out stars and he'd say they were broken down planes and then we waited for a real plane to come and tow it back to the airport.
My dad had his PPL and I would fly with him at a young age, I even remember attending the disco in the club house when I little.
Always been aeroplane mad, used to get people to buy me toy planes then I'd throw them off the balcony in hope they'd fly. Much to my upset they broke.
There's no way I could pick a career other than flying.
I'm still not keen on sleeping.
I started flying because I grew up in Isleworth and Twickenham in the 50s and 60s and planes of every variety flying into Heathrow were unmissable and I wanted to be amongst them. Soon I could identify most marques of most types and filled in my Ian Allan books assidiously but also had a long list of things not to be found there.
My first ever flight was at about 8 yrs old in an Auster from Sandown during a family holiday ... probably circa 1961.
I joined the local ATC in Warrington at 16 and soloed in a Cadet Mk III at Burtonwood before I could legally drive a car. Had great fun in 1970 with 2 weeks at the Long Mynd doing bungee launches in K13s, and driving a tractor to chase the sheep off the strip.
In the 1990s I finally had a little bit of money and was determined to get my PPL before 40. My first 2 hours were at Ringway and I nearly got it at Barton but the funds ran out. Then I had a job building a new terminal at Luton from 1998 and finally got my PPL there in 2002.
Flew from Fairoaks with LTFC thereafter but have had bimbles about almost everywhere I went including Tenerife, Malta, Crete, Colorado, Florida and California (where I flew a Cirrus last year.)
Spent 2 years in Doha from 2008 to 2010 and with considerable perseverence managed to wade through their systems and occasionally fly an Archer from Doha International but being out of the UK lost me my mediacl and there was nobody to sign my 2 yearlys off.
Now back in the UK am revalidating at Redhill in 172s to renew my license but planning to get a couple of hours in whilst in Barbados next month.
Just love flying for flyings sake. I am not hour building, I just love aeroplanes and aviation and I don't tire of it after some 42 years since I first flew as P1 in a glider with a piece of string on the pitot as the turn and slip indicator.
As the tee shirt I bought from Kermit Weeks says .. "Life's much better when you fly".
My first ever flight was at about 8 yrs old in an Auster from Sandown during a family holiday ... probably circa 1961.
I joined the local ATC in Warrington at 16 and soloed in a Cadet Mk III at Burtonwood before I could legally drive a car. Had great fun in 1970 with 2 weeks at the Long Mynd doing bungee launches in K13s, and driving a tractor to chase the sheep off the strip.
In the 1990s I finally had a little bit of money and was determined to get my PPL before 40. My first 2 hours were at Ringway and I nearly got it at Barton but the funds ran out. Then I had a job building a new terminal at Luton from 1998 and finally got my PPL there in 2002.
Flew from Fairoaks with LTFC thereafter but have had bimbles about almost everywhere I went including Tenerife, Malta, Crete, Colorado, Florida and California (where I flew a Cirrus last year.)
Spent 2 years in Doha from 2008 to 2010 and with considerable perseverence managed to wade through their systems and occasionally fly an Archer from Doha International but being out of the UK lost me my mediacl and there was nobody to sign my 2 yearlys off.
Now back in the UK am revalidating at Redhill in 172s to renew my license but planning to get a couple of hours in whilst in Barbados next month.
Just love flying for flyings sake. I am not hour building, I just love aeroplanes and aviation and I don't tire of it after some 42 years since I first flew as P1 in a glider with a piece of string on the pitot as the turn and slip indicator.
As the tee shirt I bought from Kermit Weeks says .. "Life's much better when you fly".
Join Date: Sep 2006
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Just love flying for flyings sake.
Join Date: Sep 2006
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It's interesting to hear how different the reasons for flying are. Some just want to go for a bimble, some want adrenaline and aerobatics, some want vintage and open cockpits, some the newest carbon thing, some want high speed, some low, etc.
I personally stopped flying for 16 years because
a) I couldn't afford it, and b) I got bored with local flights.
The rediscovery of flight for me involved the notion of travel. I think it's the idea of freedom, being able to go to far away places,or off the beaten path places, that is my main juice. And once I discovered that, I can't really get enough. I fly as much as my finances will allow and I haven't gotten bored yet.
I personally stopped flying for 16 years because
a) I couldn't afford it, and b) I got bored with local flights.
The rediscovery of flight for me involved the notion of travel. I think it's the idea of freedom, being able to go to far away places,or off the beaten path places, that is my main juice. And once I discovered that, I can't really get enough. I fly as much as my finances will allow and I haven't gotten bored yet.
As I said I just love flying for flying's sake and I do like flying adventures and something different.
I have done mountain flying in Colorado, tried a Piper Sport in Florida and an SR-22 in San Diego in the past 12 months, in the past I had to do precise RNAV to avoid the Emirs Palace in Doha (to avoid the Mirage escorts .. go straight to jail) .... but I don't tire of plotting and trying to get exact a navex from Redhill round the Gatwick zone via Sevenoaks to Brighton Marina and the Spinnaker Tower and back.
I had a 2 hours in an R-44 in Colorado, the first and second times I've ever been in a helicopter and I may take enough lessons someday to be able to hover unaided ... just for the personal acheivement.
I've just emailed Coconut Airways in Barbados to see if I can have some fun there in March and am getting excited already.
Maybe I can get Mrs D G to holiday someplace where I can try a floatplane.
Any suggestions ?
I have done mountain flying in Colorado, tried a Piper Sport in Florida and an SR-22 in San Diego in the past 12 months, in the past I had to do precise RNAV to avoid the Emirs Palace in Doha (to avoid the Mirage escorts .. go straight to jail) .... but I don't tire of plotting and trying to get exact a navex from Redhill round the Gatwick zone via Sevenoaks to Brighton Marina and the Spinnaker Tower and back.
I had a 2 hours in an R-44 in Colorado, the first and second times I've ever been in a helicopter and I may take enough lessons someday to be able to hover unaided ... just for the personal acheivement.
I've just emailed Coconut Airways in Barbados to see if I can have some fun there in March and am getting excited already.
Maybe I can get Mrs D G to holiday someplace where I can try a floatplane.
Any suggestions ?
Join Date: Dec 2011
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@Dave Gittins
Two places to consider (in the summer) are Muskoka / cottage country (Ontario) and Vancouver or Vancouver Island (British Columbia) in Canada.
The Island is probably prettier than the mainland in BC but there may well be fewer operators.
Two places to consider (in the summer) are Muskoka / cottage country (Ontario) and Vancouver or Vancouver Island (British Columbia) in Canada.
The Island is probably prettier than the mainland in BC but there may well be fewer operators.
Join Date: Feb 2009
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My father was a navigator in the airforce so I have been around planes all my life. Tried to join the airforce at 19 as aircrew but failed the eyesight.
A few years later i was a rally navigator and my driver anounced that he was giving up to go gliding. One trial flight and i was hooked. A few years later I got fed up with waiting all day for a launch so went for my ppl. I achieved this a year later but had spent all my savings, and the bank loan.
Gave up for 16 years due to job, family, kids etc. Was made redundant and my wife was fed up with me around the house all day so suggested that I visit the local gliding club. a hangar flight at the end of the day reawakened my interest, so I have been gliding again for 16 years.
I find gliding more rewarding as you are constantly working the air to stay up and go somewhere. Power flying , once I had my licence and had flown all my friends and relatives started to become boring. The £200 cup of tea syndome.
A few years later i was a rally navigator and my driver anounced that he was giving up to go gliding. One trial flight and i was hooked. A few years later I got fed up with waiting all day for a launch so went for my ppl. I achieved this a year later but had spent all my savings, and the bank loan.
Gave up for 16 years due to job, family, kids etc. Was made redundant and my wife was fed up with me around the house all day so suggested that I visit the local gliding club. a hangar flight at the end of the day reawakened my interest, so I have been gliding again for 16 years.
I find gliding more rewarding as you are constantly working the air to stay up and go somewhere. Power flying , once I had my licence and had flown all my friends and relatives started to become boring. The £200 cup of tea syndome.
.
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50% thinking if I didn't start at age 54, I never would.
50% thinking (on my x hundreth landing with Eastern Airways) "I could do better than that".
On the latter point, needless to say I haven't (yet).
50% thinking (on my x hundreth landing with Eastern Airways) "I could do better than that".
On the latter point, needless to say I haven't (yet).
