How did Aviation capture your heart?

TexasFlightServices

TexasFlightServices

Filing Flight Plan
Joined
Jun 4, 2014
Messages
9
Location
Houston
Display Name
Princess Pilot
Home Airfield
KDWH
I was curious about the different reasons why people enjoy flying so much? I am doing a project, and would appreciate the feedback.

I personally love to fly because I have never known a greater love. I remember when I was around 9, my uncle paid to have my cousins and I go up over the Canadian Rocky Mountains in a 172. My first reaction was being scared. Taking photos by just holding up the camera and clicking. Not even wanting to look through the view finder, just hold as still as possible. A few years later when I was 18, I responded to a craigslist ad about hiring a receptionist for weekends.
As soon as I saw the hangar and laid my eyes upon the aircraft, I was in love. I would fly hours and hours a day. I never wanted to come down. Later worked for a flight school in Seattle full time. Now I am the office manager back at my original home airport. I can't picture myself in any other line of work. Going as far as aviation wants to take me! :blowingkisses:
 
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It didn't. I did it as something to fill time, and it has pretty much run its course for me.
 
I grew up around airplanes. My Dad flew with me in the back seat in a baby seat for vacations until I was old enough to sit up front sitting on a phone book. My avatar is a pic of me when I got old enough to see out the window and do some instrument-reference flying.

Unfortunately, a few bouts of air sickness lost my interest when I got a little older, but I still loved flying and airplanes. I started getting the itch again a few years back but I didn't think I'd have the money to pursue training. Unfortunate events worked out so the silver lining was I was able to put some 'fun money' towards learning to fly. I just wrapped up my Private Pilot cert on Monday and it's been a wonderful life-affecting experience.

I don't know how often I will be able to fly, but I have my first flight with my father with me as the PIC on Friday. Adding to the joy of flying, the joy of being with loved ones and family, I hope to be doing this for a long, long time.
 
Was always fascinated by anything that flies as far back as I can remember.
Still am actually.
 
I was a typical little kid growing up - loved airplanes and trains. When having to fly to see my grandparents, I used to try to convince my parents to choose flights that had a stop or two, just to experience the additional takeoffs and landings. I just always loved it.

I think most kids grow out of it, and I simply never did. I'm now flying for the airlines, although I've never been an 'airline pilot or bust' kind of guy. I'd be happy flying just about anything, but life and changing priorities kind of steered me to the 121 world when all was said and done.

I try to stay active in GA as much as time and finances allow (I love my job, but GA is where all the fun is!), and I'm starting to put a plan together to purchase an airplane at some point. We'll see how it goes.
 
That first ride, climbing into a 172 around 6-8 yrs old and seeing all those lights and dials, then seeing that big prop spin. The feeling and sight of looking out of the window. Have had a thing for it for a long time, and it just took off after those first few airplane rides.
 
bnt83 said:
Still enjoy flying as much now missing a hand and parts of both feet, as the day I first flew.
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Very inspirational Brian!

TexasFlightServices said:
That is very awesome. You are living the dream!
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Like any job, it's not all rainbows and unicorns, and the lifestyle requires sacrifices that are unacceptable to most people. But I enjoy it, and it keeps my wife happy, as I make decent money, have a good retirement, and I'm never around. :D
 
Well I read somewhere that chicks dig pilots. Now that I found that out to be completely false, I'm looking for a new vocation.
 
"Imagine your up there, like a hawk looking down. The wind blows around you. The smell of the engine, the draft of the propeller. Up there you can let yourself fall. You can climb, turn, spin. Freedom."
Red Baron 2008 film
 
I also grew up around airplanes and was fascinated by them since I was a kid. My dad and uncle were pilots, and my brother and I became pilots. I also did skydiving off and on for 20 years.
 
For me it was an evolutionary process. I finished my training and was introduced to my partner almost immediately after. That was fun as we scoured Ohio for our 150.

I met a 152 pilot at a fly-in in Iowa who was really into flying and he and I started doing a lot more of it. He was instrument rated, smarter, and a better stick than me so I had lots to learn.

The more I flew the more I loved it. Next spring we're either circumnavigating Texas or doing the same in New England. Unless we opt for the Grand Canyon.

So for me I got lucky and found a buddy who sparked the passion for flight in me and we keep it going by finding new adventures.

I think if I hadn't met another pilot who loves to travel, the flame would have flickered out. Flying the pattern and 20 NM burger runs gets old to me. But since I've bought my own plane, I've seen more in the past decade than probably the 4 previous.
 
I got a late start, but once I did I haven't looked back. There were a couple of close calls along the way when I seriously wondered if this is the best thing for my health :lol:, and this hobby so far has cost me mega bucks, but I've stuck with it.

When I was a kid I was absolutely nuts about trains, I knew I wanted to be a train engineer/driver. When we moved to the US, I didn't have much interest in American diesels, so my focus shifted to airplanes. The sound of a jet engine spooling up or down has been giving me goose bumps for as long as I can remember. No one in my family has anything to do with aviation, and my parents were totally indifferent to mildly discouraging about my new hobby (they worried about my safety and the money I was spending). To this day they've only flown with me once or twice. My wife is much more supportive, we fly around quite a bit (kids couldn't care less though :sad:). I was sitting on a couch one day in Aug 2000 watching Discovery Channel when a Be-A-Pilot (IIRC) commercial came on, and the next thing I did was find and call a flight school. Prior to that I had no idea light GA even existed, just never really noticed it, I thought all aviation was either airlines or the military (I tried to get into USAF after HS but my vision wasn't good enough to be a pilot). What drew me to aviation is the ability to control a flying machine, which is so cool if you think about it (my favorite phase of flight is the take-off when I'm retracting the gear), and all the switches and buttons in a/c cockpits. The more buttons/dials/switches, the higher and faster I'm going, the happier I am. My ultimate dream is to have my personal jet along the lines of a Falcon-10, I just melt when I see those things. I'd like to turn aviation into a part-time commercial pursuit, and for the time being I fly non-profit medical transport missions, and occasional recreational trips.
 
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Thousands of pounds of hollow flying metal tubes. That would interest anybody I think
 
I grew up in a war zone, near Tan Son Nhut airbase in Saigon. Spent my early childhood watching Hueys and Chinooks fly off into battle. Sometime, I would see the Chinook coming back towing Huey underneath it. I was fascinated by all the aircrafts and would always run out and watch them fly by. Well, I still do that today.
 
1) The utility of GA for travel.

2) It is one of two things I have ever found that forces you to forget everything else- your cares, stress, deadlines, etc...

After getting my license, I've found that normal GA is really rather boring and now avoid nosedraggers unless there's no other option or its purely used as a mode of transport.
 
johnrweb said:
I grew up in a war zone, near Tan Son Nhut airbase in Saigon. Spent my early childhood watching Hueys and Chinooks fly off into battle. Sometime, I would see the Chinook coming back towing Huey underneath it. I was fascinated by all the aircrafts and would always run out and watch them fly by. Well, I still do that today.
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Wow, interesting! Would love to hear more of your background.

I live right under the approach for DTW when they're landing to the southwest. Any time a jumbo comes flying over the house, I have to run out and see it for myself. :lol: It's cool that I can usually find it on FlightAware and see where it's coming from.
 
TexasFlightServices said:
I was curious about the different reasons why people enjoy flying so much? I am doing a project, and would appreciate the feedback.

I personally love to fly because I have never known a greater love. I remember when I was around 9, my uncle paid to have my cousins and I go up over the Canadian Rocky Mountains in a 172. My first reaction was being scared. Taking photos by just holding up the camera and clicking. Not even wanting to look through the view finder, just hold as still as possible. A few years later when I was 18, I responded to a craigslist ad about hiring a receptionist for weekends.
As soon as I saw the hangar and laid my eyes upon the aircraft, I was in love. I would fly hours and hours a day. I never wanted to come down. Later worked for a flight school in Seattle full time. Now I am the office manager back at my original home airport. I can't picture myself in any other line of work. Going as far as aviation wants to take me! :blowingkisses:
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Great, go get 'em tiger. So what do you fly now? Gulfstream Girl (she now calls herself Global Girl) has a sort of similar story to yours. She was a model from central Europe who was scared of flying commercially, then she discovered GA and now she's a G-something pilot out of Teterboro. She found a mentor who helped take her from 'zero to hero' in a short time (with her looks it's not hard to find one, LOL).
 
My story is not inspirational, or even a deep seeded love of aviation from an early age. Living near an airport for the past 10 years, I would often think about taking lessons, but just never did. Then my dad retired, and decided to get his PPL. Then he got his PPL and got a plane. I said damn that is cool, and if there is a plane in the family I could use, I want to be able to use it.
 
It all started for me when I was very young and went on a field trip to the Wright Patterson Air Force Base Museum and saw an A-10 up close! I was hooked from then on.. Then life went on and it seemed like I collected every die cast airplane model I could find throughout my childhood. Finished school, got married and had kids... That = NO $$$ :)

A few years ago my pilot friend re-ignited my desire to fly myself. So, after a few trips with him, I was hooked more than ever. My kids are a bit older now.. oldest one being 13 and my wife and I are doing fairly well.. So last August I started taking lessons at a local airport and am loving it! My first solo was 5-17 and just finished up a cross country last week! I am well on my way to my goal of obtaining my PPL by end of summer!
 
I grew up on the flight line.. I had stick time in a DC3 and Beech 18 before I was even tall enough to reach the rudder pedals.
 
My story is bit odd. I started by skydiving, I did love the peace of being under canopy. I discovered That ride was just way to short. Only way I could stay Up longer was to learn to fly. So here I am, about to take a check ride and still jumping,
 
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