What or who was your inspiration to fly?

[AdamZ]

What inspired you to learn to fly? Or who or both for that matter!

For me I have always looked up, have always been distracted when I passed an airport. This started when I was two years old. My mother used to flip through magazines with me and we would look for photos of planes and helicopters we would cut them out and past them in a book. I still have that book. My parents would take me to the observation deck at the old Philly International Airport and when my dad was stationed at Langley AFB when I was 5-6 that was like Nirvana for me.

Finally one day while driving up I95 past KPHL and looking out the sunroof and not at the road my wife said Will you just go learn to fly already so you don't kill us on the road.

I had flown in a cherokee in the 70s and a 172 in the late 80s but a buddy took me up in a rental Seminole and I went nuts. At the time my father in law was dying of Lymphoma and he had done a lot of neat stuff in his life and I said ya know what I don't want to be on my death bed and say " I WISH I HAD....." and that was the begining

 

[Tomahawk674]

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2000.

 

[SCCutler]

I always wanted to fly, subscribed to Flying Magazine when I was 8, that sort of stuff. Drew planes all the time (some, without weapons!).

But people?

1. Neighbor, 2 doors down when I was growing up, taught me to fix stuff (really) and was the first to take me up in a GA airplane (Comanche N6540P, still on the registry to a guy in Missouri, but I do not think it flies any more...). Used to take me flying from Dallas-Garland Airport (long-gone, site of a Fry's store, a Sam's Club, and sundry sh*tbox apartments) to Denton (DTO). He had aviation related businesses at both. Also owned a car and truck rental business. And a chain of washaterias. Like I said, he taught me to fix stuff.

2. Client / friend who is a pilot; when I first started representing him, he was *almost* done with the license, and I always badgered him about how he needed to "git 'er done"; when he did, he faxed over a copy of his temporary certificate, with a note saying "now it's your turn." When I did not act on it after a while, he called me up and told me I needed to call a phone number; I took it down, and asked him who it was, and he told me, "It's Monarch Air, and your first hour's paid for. Quit talking and start flying!"

3. Wife, Celia Jane (the goddess)- after first lesson, when I lamented about how much it would cost to learn to fly, she told me, "You've always wanted to do it, and you aren't getting any younger; go for it!"

Three months and one day later, I passed my checkride, and the rest (as they say) is history.

 

[Pilawt]

It was 1964. The high school library had a copy of Weekend Pilot by Frank Kingston Smith. That was it. Done deal.

 

[tlglenn]

Battlestar Galactica, 1977. I made my own cockpit with cushions and pillows, used a plastic toy basketball net as a helmet, and pretended I was a colonial viper pilot.

 

[Pi1otguy]

It started early with demos of Flight Sim 94' at the store and later on confirming it with MS Flight Sim 98. Between that I played a few other games such as F-19 Stealth Fighter, A-10 Cuba! (A-10s don't have radars and can't really shake a Mig-27 in that game), and a few others. I didn't think it was even remotely affordable to fly until about 2000 when I learned it was just at the very limits of my financial means.

I also had a book of the 1989 Osh and a book of WWII airplanes from the 3 major sides that peaked my interest.

 

[kevin47881]

I realized I had way too much money in my checking account and needed to find a way to deplete said funds.

Actually I got hooked in college as one of the guys I lived with was a pilot and use to take me flying. We still keep in touch 20 years later.

 

[KennyFlys]

Similar to Spike, I was into planes as a kid. I built models, plastic and balsa wood. The most memorable balsa wood model was a Bo. I doped it and part of a wing caught on fire when I over heated it. Oops! I was able to rebuild it from scrap and it looked great.

I had an AOPA membership for a couple years even though I didn't fly. My sophomore year I got a discovery ride then got involved with some guys from the CAP although I wasn't a member; made a few trips with them to fly-ins.

Eventually, after a year in the Navy and off to a new duty station, I began taking lessons at Navy Jax while stationed at Cecil Field.

My only regret is letting one event take it away from me for a nineteen year period. I missed a lot of potential experiences. But, now I'm back in it and love it.

 

[Steve]

My Dad. It was the one thing we shared.

 

[ScottM]

My dad and his stories of learning how to fly during WW2. He had been in the armored divisions coming up from Africa into Europe. His child hood friend talked him into signing up to be a pilot. Seeing as going to flight training in Texas was better than being shot at dad applied for and was accepted. He left combat just before the battle of bulge and went to flight school in Amarillo Texas. Once there he proceeded to do what most 25 year olds would once they left the horrors of war and got home, he drank hisself silly. A few weeks later he was done with flight school or I should say flight school was done with him. He was then shipped out to an infantry division in the Pacific. Where he was on the invasion force the took back Corregidor in the Philippines. He always regretted not flying.

his childhood friend did continue and he got through flight school and flew transports in the war. He manged to stay a pilot after the war and flew for North Central airlines. He would die in an air crash in the 1970's. He was involved in a mid air in his Convair with another plane over Lake Winnebago near Appleton, WI.

 

[Ghery]

I built more model airplanes than I could count when I was a kid. You couldn't see the ceiling of the basement of our house for all the planes that were hanging there. Sad thing was, I had all the performance information contained in the instruction sheets memorized. Wanted to fly since I was very young. When I was 47 my wife found out that we could easily fly across the state in 2 hours in a C-172. It's a 5 1/2 hour drive. She said it was time for me to live out my dream and learn to fly. 2 days after my 49th birthday I had my PP cert. Now she says we've missed one too many flights across the state due to a simple low overcast at OLM, so got get your IR. Who am I to argue? Should finish it next summer at age 56.

 

[JasonCT]

Would have to say my father - though he is not a pilot I can remember him taking me to the local airport (KIJD) and watch the planes come and go. He also made it a point to take me to the airport's open house for the rides.

Then there are the special few on this board that have been really supportive and giving of their time about their professional expieriances and what not. That means just as much to me now as the memories of the time spent with my dad.

 

[fgcason]

I grew up in a flying family. Everyone learns how to fly. That's just the way it is. I mean how could you not???

 

[drafttek]

I've always been fascinated by airplanes for as long as I can remember. I grew up making models. My bedroom ceiling was covered with them. As I got better at building them the older ones were hung from trees and shot down by my BB gun.
I never knew anyone who was a pilot. I still don't know anyone who is a pilot, outside of the folks I've met as a result of becoming a pilot. Most people I know thought I was nuts. I did it anyway. Twenty years behind schedule.
As far as an inspiration, it's nobody I've known. It's movies. It's books. It's wanting to be able to say "Yeah, I'm a pilot."

 

[Ghery]

As far as an inspiration, it's nobody I've known. It's movies. It's books. It's wanting to be able to say "Yeah, I'm a pilot."

It's many years of seeing AOPA stickers in the back windows of cars and being jealous. Now I have one, too.

 

[Teller1900]

I grew up in Wichita, KS, the Air Capitol of the World and home to many of the greatest aircraft in the history of aviation. We lived two blocks from Jabara Muni (GA only), about seven blocks from the Beechcraft Factory/airport (KBEC...visible from my middle/high school), and directly under the final approach corridor for McConnell AFB (co-located with the Boeing factory). Add to that the fact that we were just over an hour from the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center (if you've never been there, GO...NOW!) and my dad was/is friends with the now-former curator, so I spent a lot of time there. PLUS, my dad is a broadcast meteorologist. He spent his entire childhood looking up at the clouds. In Wichita, when I look up at clouds, I see KC-135s, F16s, B-1Bs, VC-25s, AWACS, B-2s, and all manner of other aircraft. It was like I was being beaten about the head with airplanes.

The only family member I have that's a pilot is my uncle (mom's brother-in-law). He routinely built then sold his own aircraft. One of my earliest memories (probably because there's a picture of it) was from a visit we made to him at his hanger in Mississippi. He was in between projects, so he had a Skyhawk at the time. In the picture, I'm sitting in the left seat (wearing pajamas covered in airplanes) with a huge smile on my face. I'm pretty sure that sealed the deal. If that didn't do it, then the fact that 2-3 times per year we'd fly from Wichita to New Orleans to visit my grandparents (this was obviously back in the day when airline pilots were happy with their jobs and cockpit doors could be opened in flight); on EVERY flight I'd go sit up in the cockpit for as long as I could (and of course, get my plastic wings). It was really just a matter of time until I walked into the FBO one day and said "I want to take flying lessons."

"Ok," they replied, "We have an instructor free for a Discovery Flight, if you'd like to go in about and hour?"

"No, that's ok," I said with certainty, "I'll just do my first lesson today, if at all possible."

That was just over five years and many many many many thousands of dollars ago.

 

[wbarnhill]

Wrote this back in 2004 before I got started with my first lesson.

I remember living out in the middle of nowhere in South Carolina and would see planes fly far overhead. I also used to build lego airports and
in retrospect, the scale was WAY off. I've been in love with flying since birth (okay, an exaggeration, but you get the idea).

The idea of leaving the ground, the soft earth that cradles us, is both scary and exhilerating. Jumping on a trampoline allows us to experience a
momentary lack of gravity, but I want more. When I was 8, I went to Aerospace camp with 4H. We built model rockets and played games, but the most
vivid memory arises from the moment I was in the Cessna 172. As we took off, I looked out the window and watched the earth fall away from the
aircraft. It was such a smooth takeoff, I could actually imagine the earth moving away from us and not vice versa. We landed at a town on the
other side of the state, and I remember wondering if we had really gone that far in that short of a time. On final, I remember trying to lean as
forward as possible to keep sight of the runway, thinking the pilot was pulling back just to spite me. I was even lucky enough to beg for a second
ride and be allowed to go, although this time I was forced to sit in the back seat (Bah, I feel sorry for anyone who has to sit back there). My
next experience with aircraft was a trip to New York with my class. Again, the short time in the air shocked me. But I was more intrigued about
the sounds of the engines and the beautiful lights on the wings (go figure, I'd be amazed by nav lights and strobes). Finally, I got a chance to
control an aircraft when I was in Civil Air Patrol. The aircraft responded beautifully to the motions of the controls. I was stunned that it was
so simple, I had always imagined the pilots would have to jerk the controls around, just as in the movies (Grrr. stupid movies.). After three intro
flights in CAP, I never got to attend another wing flying event. I did, however, get to see a friend of mine lose his breakfast (of purely gatorade).
And he ended up getting his private within the next year. I remember then saying that I would one day get it myself, and begged my parents to pay the
amount necessary for CAP to train me to solo, but they refused. Perhaps I should've used the money for my first car on it.. Hrm.

 

[wbarnhill]

It's many years of seeing AOPA stickers in the back windows of cars and being jealous. Now I have one, too.

Yeah well I also have an AOPA "I'd rather be flying" bumper sticker in addition to the regular AOPA tag, AND a "Jet Fuel Only" decal

 

[rottydaddy]

I guess it was an airshow that did it to me. Just a little one, at Mount Snow, Vt. I was on a solo bike tour thru the area around 1990 and saw a poster at the general store for an "air show", whatever that was (I had a passion for airplanes as a kid, but it had faded somewhere along the line... never visited the local field, and knew zip about GA).
Went to check it out, and something cracked inside me as I watched some great demos, including a Pitts and a BD-5 minijet, and looked at some fine GA ships up close.
When a DeHavilland Vampire did a quick flyby and I could see the pilot in there at the controls, it was almost a done deal... but when I got to ride up front in a Saratoga for a hop around the airport, as I watched the pilot do his thing, I thought "I can do this... in fact, I gotta do this!!"
Took a few years to get started, but I'm still at it.

Support your local small-town airshow!!

 

[Dean]

I dated a girl in high school who's dad had a Cherokee 6, I flew with him a time or two and was hooked from then on. I got married young (to a different girl, boy was I dumb!) and one of my groomsman was a crop duster. He got killed at 26 and my wife would not let me even look at a plane after that. Well, 19 years lated we parted ways and I remarried a girl who loves to fly. So, I started lessons and 10 1/2 months later I had my private.

The morel of this story, Its just as easy to fall in love with a girl who's dad owns an airplane as the one who's doesn't.

 

[Frank Browne]

Shortly after moving to the boonies about halfway between NAS Mainside and NAS Saufley in Pensacola, a whole squadron of T-28's flew right over our house at just above the tree tops when I was outside playing. I was about 5 years old. Been hooked ever since.

 

[Bill]

Growing up, our house was 3 1/2mi final to runway 28R at PIT. I loved looking at planes as they flew overhead, and could name all of the popular airliners by sight by age 6 or so.

Flew with a buddies brother a few times, he was a CFII, let me fly left seat. I was in my 30's, had the desire, but not the scratch to satisfy the itch. I always said "later."

About four years ago, a motorcycle buddy picked me up on a beautiful September Saturday, and we flew over the mountians looking at the Cherohala Skyway, Deals Gap, and other motorcycle roads we ride. Then, we flew down to RMG for lunch at the Propstop. I was thrilled! Now in my 40's, I figured now or never.

I got home that evening, and told Sherry I wanted to take flying lessons. She walked over to the door from the kitchen to the garage, flung it open, and with a big dramatic sweeping arm motion, announced, "It looks like you have plenty of flying lessons parked right there." I just bust out laughing, as at the time I had three motorcycles, and I got "the message."

I sold one to get my private, sold the second to get my instrument. Ah, you can only ride on at a time, anyway.

 

[JohnR]

Watching WWII movies as a kid - Battle of Britain, especially. Plastic model airplanes. Getting a sore neck looking up at the sky when airplanes flew over, and longing to join them. Having checked out every airplane book in the library. Four times.

 

[SkyHog]

For me, it was Flight Sim 98. Flight sim 2002 specifically got me the gumption to actually go out and try.

That, and my zest for life.

 

[Gary]

Always loved airplanes, was one of those kids with the bedroom ceiling filled with all different models. Got a Lionel train set that had a flatbed car with a V-tail Bo, it was my favorite model, still have it safely packed away! My grandparents lived not too far from the Millville NJ airport and I have very distinct memories of waking up in the morning to hear the sound of the big radials being run up at the Airworks facility, which at that time was a major overhaul facility. Grew up not too far from Allentown PA airport and my Dad and I used to go to the observation deck to watch all the traffic. When I was maybe 10 or so, my Dad got to take a flight to Chicago, it was a real big deal, everyone was dressed up, the airport had a certain mistique to it and the aircrew looked so professional, whole experience was great!

At 15, my Dad gave me a choice, learn to play an instrument or learn to fly! Really not a decision to make on my part! Certainly shows my age, but the rental rate, including an instructor was $15/hr for a Cherokee 140!

Gary

 

[tonycondon]

my uncle has a cherokee 140 and gave me my first rides in it when i was about 6 or 7. then after 9/11/01 a couple CFI's started working for my dad delivering pizza (I should've taken this as a hint) so I got one of them to start teaching me. At the time it seemed like a cool idea to be an airline pilot. Discovered a subject that i could really get interested in and met a lot of great people (like all of you!). Now I do my uncle's flight reviews!

 

[gibbons]

It was 1964. The high school library had a copy of Weekend Pilot by Frank Kingston Smith. That was it. Done deal.

I still have that book!!

 

[Danos]

I can't remember ever wanting to do anything as mush as I wanted to fly. I think I was just born that way.

 

[Everskyward]

Would have to say my father - though he is not a pilot I can remember him taking me to the local airport (KIJD) and watch the planes come and go. He also made it a point to take me to the airport's open house for the rides.

I'm going to go with my father too, although he was not a pilot either. I can remember going to the Rhinebeck Airport airshow with him. He also bought us a helicopter ride at a county fair which I thought was great. Unfortunately he never was able to know what he started since he died when I was 16.

Even with these influences, I never considered being a pilot as kid nor was I especially interested in airplanes. I wanted to be a bird. At some point when I was a teenager someone gave me the book "Jonathan Livingston Seagull" which appealed to something in me. I started reading more flying books and decided to try taking lessons. Even though there was no aviation program where I was going to college they had a flying club for students, staff and alumni. I called them up to leave a message asking for more information and the next day an instructor called me back to schedule a lesson. I had never even been close to a small airplane before, but what the heck. Guess the rest is history. I never imagined that aviation would take over my life like it has. I was only going to do it as a hobby. Nowadays when I fly into Oakland Airport, which is the place where I learned, I get a strange sense of deja vu and I reflect on the fact that I have actually been very lucky.

And about that instructor who called me back the next day... He was a relatively young and new CFI, although I didn't see it that way at the time because I was even younger. I think he did a great job with someone who had no aviation background and was relatively young and naive. He always encouraged me to pursue flying further, and even though I pooh-poohed the idea at the time, that's what happened. We lost touch with each other after I moved away from California so he never knew that I had actually followed his advice. About 10 years ago I looked him up in the FAA database out of curiosity and sent him a letter. Amazingly he answered back and we have been in touch ever since.

 

[wsuffa]

Several things...

Spending a couple of hours on a Sunday watching from the outside observation deck (RIP) at DCA.

The excitement of riding as a passenger in DC-3/DC-6/Connies from DCA-PVD with a change of planes at Idlewild.

Watching small planes take off and land at the old Bailey's Crossroad airport (RIP).

Growing up under the DCA traffic pattern.

 

[Bob Bement]

In 1959 I was a young school teacher , coach,just out of college, married and we didn't have a pot to pee in, or a window to throw it out off. A member of the school board gave me a ride in his 1954 Piper super cub. He let me take the controls. We flew from Twin Falls Id. to Jack Pot Nv. And the rest is history.

 

[RotaryWingBob]

Rides in a Supercub in Alaska prodded me into getting my PP-ASEL rating. After that, I discovered that I liked low and slow, not high and fast, so I took an intro helicopter lesson in a Schweizer on my 60th birthday. I loved every minute of it.

Just before moving to Pennsylvania, I bought into an R22 partnership. When we moved, I was 61, and started and finished my PP-RH add-on at that age. The attached picture was taken by a friend a month or so after I got my rating.

I found my niche, folks! Sold my airplane, bought into an R44, and don't want to look back!

Who knows, maybe there's a turbine R66 in our future

 

[JimNtexas]

I think I was born with the urge to fly, but I have specific memory of when my interest was really torched. When I was in the fourth or fifth grade I remember pulling a hardback Readers Digest Condensed Book out from under a couch, where it was substituting for a broken leg.

I know thanks to Wikipedia that this was Volume 55, Autumn 1963. It contained Richard Bach's Stranger to The Ground . This book really grabbed me, and lead directly to my joining AF ROTC in college in 1970.

Years latter I read something to the effect that Richard had disowned this book as being too warlike. I actually ran into Richard at Oshkosh a few years ago, and I asked him if the report was true. He said it was not true, he was still proud of his book and his Guard service. I was glad to hear that.

 

[KennyFlys]

Certainly shows my age, but the rental rate, including an instructor was $15/hr for a Cherokee 140!

We had a C-150 at Navy Jax, late 1950s or early 1960's, I'm not sure now. I recall it had manual flaps which was a great way to learn what flaps really do. It was $16/hr.

We had a 1978 C-152. It was a whopping $18/hr. When I got out and began flying out of an FBO at SUS, I was floored when I had to pay $42.

 

[EdFred]

I've always been a leader, not a follower. No one, nor anything inspired me to fly, it just more or less happened to be a challenge that was out there after being stuffed into an aerodynamics class in HS. Knew the book stuff, figured I'd see if I could do the real deal. First non-121 flight was my first lesson.

 

[Nav8tor]

For me it was when I earned the aviation merit badge in Boy Scouts. The councilor took a group of us up in his Cherokee three at a time. I remember being really disappointed that I didn’t get to try my hand at the controls but I loved the whole experience and decided then that I’d learn to fly someday.

“Someday” came about 10 years later when co-worker who had just gotten his CFI invited me to go flying with him. That ride ended up becoming my first lesson.

 

[bsdunek]

My Dad learned to fly in '46 and bought the prettiest little Taylorcraft ever. At about the same time, one of his best friends returned from Americas, GA where he had been an Army Air Corps instructor during WW II. He brought home three Stearmans which he used to build one Super Stearman. How could I not fly?

 

[Let'sgoflying!]

"Thanks, Dad!"
Blue collar worker most of his life, always dirt under his fingernails - somehow he managed to work hard enough to support not only us three kids, but saved enough for that 1966 C-172 and allowed me to use if for lessons as a 17 yo. (he didn't watch sports a lot on TV or lounge in the hammock much...usually he was working on something in the garage to earn extra money) We had a few wonderful adventures including a few trips to Osh, around the province of Ontario.
Got the chance to repay him a few times since.......but can you ever really repay them?
We had a great visit last summer; I let him fly the wooden wonder about Vancouver island (where he lives now) at 81 yrs, never know if it was our last or not.
"Thanks, Dad!"

 

[Shipoke]

Well heres my story:
Never wanted to fly,Got involved with the Spina-bifida fly-in at CXY with me Vette. everyone kept telling me i had to go for a flight. I said your not getting me into a plane.3 guys litteraly carried me out and put me on the wing of Jack's Piper Warrior, so i figured if they went through that much trouble i'd go for a ride. Jack had me flying the plane with the old story "I've got a itch and was scratching his leg. Got back on the ground and one of the guys asked how my flight was. told him what Jack did and he laughed,then he told me Jack was paralized from waste down ,couldn't feel a itch if he wanted,and had hand controls for the rudder. I said BULL.we walked around the plane and looked in and sure as Sh*t they where there.then they started harrassing me i needed to take lessons and get my ticket, one of them even offered me a partnership in his M20D Mooney. And thats how it all started for me.
Guess i can say those 3 guys and Captain Jack are the reasons.
P.S. here is a poster from The Special Needs Fly-in at CXY held ever year
Dave G

 

[Everskyward]

P.S. here is a poster from The Special Needs Fly-in at CXY held ever year

Gotta say that I think it's great that you and others are involved in these kinds of things.