I was sucked along in the shadow of my closest friend at school who got a Flying Scholarship. We used to fly a lot together, me as passenger and sometimes as very incompetent navigator. When he joined the RN to become a Sea Vixen pilot I did not have the guts to follow that and went into a boring career in industry instead. I nearly got back on the same road as him thirty odd years later when he tried to persuade me to learn to fly a Vampire at Swansea. I wish!

I've always been an opportunist and eventually learned to glide and became an instructor and then got a PPL. Now, newly retired, I am buying a share in a group aircraft and am hoping to make up for lost time until the money or medical run out.

Having missed my chance to try for a professional or military flying career I have tried to encourage all my kids to go for it if they want it. One has taken up a flying career in the Navy.

1967 between Newcastle and Jersey, I was invited to go and see the flight deck. I was hooked although it took me another 36 years to learn to fly.

on 06 august 2005

went witha friend of my dads and i loved every minute of it and i will never give up my ambition to fly

it was a cessna 172 reg G-ECGC

A long and winding route....

I lived near Biggin Hill and as a kid used to sit on my Dad's shoulders as we walked to the airshow. My dad (now 85) was a bit of a jack-the-lad and used to build airfields in WW2 and became great friends with numerous American aircrew. He used to keep us kids amused with all of kinds of stories, usually with an aviation flavour, a bit of poaching here and there etc etc.

Anyway roll forward a number of years and I joined the ATC (97 Squadron - Mitchem barracks), did the usual gliding and Chippie flying, enjoyed a fantasic summer camp at Binbrook -1976 - watching spell bound at the Lightenings.

Somehow tho' I didn't join the RAF, or try to become a pilot of any kind - I think to be honest I was sacred that if I chased the dream it would shatter - would I be good enough.

So, another 20+ years down the line and my wife who (like HighWing) got fed up with me buying the flying mags, and said 'go for it'.

So, here I am, not quite a pilot yet, but very near to finishing my PPL.

By the way (if you've managed to read this far), my handle 'Cricket 23' was actually the call sign of my ATC Squadron commander who flew Mozzie's

Nice thread, keep 'em coming.

Boom! reviving a very old thread...!!!:D

Pleasure flight on an Islander from Barton Airshow yonks ago.

Seats cost the eld fella a fortune, but havn't looked back since !:)

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If anyone read my report yestersay about Invicta Airways my e-mail came out wrong
It is [email protected]
Thanks!
gell