Cool story from my grandpa

[LoLPilot]

My grandpa is one of the big reasons I got into aviation. When I was little he would take me to a now-defunct air college outside of St. Louis (you can figure it out) to watch airplanes taking off and landing, or the same thing at Lambert (this was pre - 9/11). He was a newly-minted Avenger tail gunner when WWII ended, and took flying lessons in a Cub after the war. So he always wanted to complete his certificate but never did. Before he could finish he got married, got a full time job, a house, then a kid and that was that. So he was an inspiration for me to do that.

Fast forward to a few years ago. He's getting long in the tooth and I was over at their house for dinner. Grandpa and I are talking afterwards and of course we are talking about airplanes. He asked, "are you gonna buy a plane now?" I told him well hopefully when I finish school and get a full time job somewhere yeah, and I told him that for ownership a Cub like he had flown is on the shortlist. And without skipping a beat he said, "No, I had an Aeronca." I said, "Grandpa you told me you flew Cubs, which is why you have a Cub model on your desk." He said yeah but I owned an Aeronca. A C3.

Cue big eyes and "What??" So apparently when he was a teenager he and one of his buddies decided that they wanted to learn to fly, so they each had after school jobs and they bought an old Aeronca C3. They talked to pilots at a local airport to learn the basics about what to do and then took turns learning to fly it. They only had the plane for a short time and when they both went into the service they sold it and then afterwards my grandpa apparently decided to try and officially get a cert but didn't have the money or time to finish when life happened. And I just looked at that old man sitting on a dining room chair staring back at me and marveling at what a bad*** that man had been in his life.

 

[AlleyCat67]

Nice. Things were loser in the old days.

My grandfather got his wings in 1916 (he was one of the first 50 naval aviators) and flew scouting planes down the coast of France during WWI.

They brought him back from retirement in WWII to command Wake Island after the front moved on. He discovered that he could get naval aviator pay if he took a plane up once a week. So he had his Piper Cub shipped from San Diego, and flew it around the island "scouting" for Japanese. He always knew how to make a buck!

 

[LoLPilot]

Nice. Things were loser in the old days.

My grandfather got his wings in 1916 (he was one of the first 50 naval aviators) and flew scouting planes down the coast of France during WWI.

They brought him back from retirement in WWII to command Wake Island after the front moved on. He discovered that he could get naval aviator pay if he took a plane up once a week. So he had his Piper Cub shipped from San Diego, and flew it around the island "scouting" for Japanese. He always knew how to make a buck!

Hahaha that's awesome! And super cool about him flying in WWI! Do you know what kind of planes he flew there?

 

[AlleyCat67]

Hahaha that's awesome! And super cool about him flying in WWI! Do you know what kind of planes he flew there?

I'm not sure what he flew in WWI. In the early '30's I think he was flying Boeing F4B's on the Lexington (an early aircraft carrier).

 

[RyanB]

That is a cool story, bro.

 

[MauleSkinner]

My grandpa is one of the big reasons I got into aviation. When I was little he would take me to a now-defunct air college outside of St. Louis (you can figure it out) to watch airplanes taking off and landing, or the same thing at Lambert (this was pre - 9/11). He was a newly-minted Avenger tail gunner when WWII ended, and took flying lessons in a Cub after the war. So he always wanted to complete his certificate but never did. Before he could finish he got married, got a full time job, a house, then a kid and that was that. So he was an inspiration for me to do that.

Fast forward to a few years ago. He's getting long in the tooth and I was over at their house for dinner. Grandpa and I are talking afterwards and of course we are talking about airplanes. He asked, "are you gonna buy a plane now?" I told him well hopefully when I finish school and get a full time job somewhere yeah, and I told him that for ownership a Cub like he had flown is on the shortlist. And without skipping a beat he said, "No, I had an Aeronca." I said, "Grandpa you told me you flew Cubs, which is why you have a Cub model on your desk." He said yeah but I owned an Aeronca. A C3.

Cue big eyes and "What??" So apparently when he was a teenager he and one of his buddies decided that they wanted to learn to fly, so they each had after school jobs and they bought an old Aeronca C3. They talked to pilots at a local airport to learn the basics about what to do and then took turns learning to fly it. They only had the plane for a short time and when they both went into the service they sold it and then afterwards my grandpa apparently decided to try and officially get a cert but didn't have the money or time to finish when life happened. And I just looked at that old man sitting on a dining room chair staring back at me and marveling at what a bad*** that man had been in his life.

Cool!

When I was a kid, my neighbor talked about the C-3 that was his first “factory” airplane. Hopped rides out of the pasture, which wasn’t long enough in any direction for takeoff. He’d get rolling down one fence line, make the turn on one wheel to the other fence line, get into ground effect, and bounce before he got to the next fence to clear it.

 

[jsstevens]

That is very cool!

My grandfather worked for Curtiss during WWI as a carpenter making tail planes for the JN-4 Jenny. He said his quota was 4 per week and he got a bonus for any beyond that. He built extra parts as he had time and one week used them to assemble 8 and got a big bonus! I wondered why they took so long until I saw a JN-4 without the canvas at the Air & Space museum. That was a lot of wood work!

My dad learned to fly in the early 50's-he was too young during WWII. He soloed in a Cub and had ambition to become a missionary pilot but ran out of money to train, got married, kids, etc. I have his logbook. Flights as short as 15 minutes are in there. He also wanted to buy an Aeronca and had a logged test flight. He never explained why he didn't buy it. I did get to take him flying a few times before he died which I am very glad about.

John

 

[Let'sgoflying!]

I like how you can see in an older man the youth that once was there, and appreciate the experiences that he must have had.
(As I get older myself, I am coming to look at the greybeards differently!)

 

[danhagan]

... They talked to pilots at a local airport to learn the basics about what to do and then took turns learning to fly it.

Mine did the same thing. Was a farmer in south Texas, bought a plane I think to aerial spray his place and his friends. Never had a license, taught himself ... heard it was a tail dragger, but not sure of type. Can you imagine learning like that?

 

[AKBill]

Good stories @LoLPilot and @AlleyCat67 .....

 

[Initial Fix]

BTW that college is alive and well. They just moved to the main campus. The flight school is still there.

 

[wheaties]

My Granda got me into this as well! Back in WWII he wanted to be a pilot. He failed his exam 2x and begged the base commander to let me go one more time. He passed and learned how to fly a B-29. The war ended but they took a plane and flew circles around the Statue of Liberty to celebrate.

We used to go to airshows all the time and every chance he got he went up for a tour in the outer banks. We visited the Write brothers memorial I don't know how many times so he could sneak off. He never flew or owned a plane himself but I guarantee that was his dream.