How did you get interested in flying?

My earliest memory, at about 3 years of age, is of my Dad piling parachutes on the back seat of a P-11 (on floats) so I could see out the windows.
Nothing else mattered after that.
 
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My Grandfather.

Mom and I lived with him for a while when I was very young. He'd come get me up in the morning to have breakfast with him. Always a cigarette and always steak and eggs. I'd sit on his lap and we'd look out the window and down the hill at his little airport north of Boise Idaho. He'd finish and I'd watch his big Cadillac as it wound down the hill and left a trail of dust down the old runway to his hanger. He'd fire up some cool old airplane or another, usually a Ford Tri-motor or a Travelaire, and away he'd go. Same routine only in reverse in the evenings. Flew with him every chance I got until he died in '72. He crashed lots of planes but died in a hospital bed of lung cancer. I miss him
 
Now do you folks think you were born with the interest or was it something that you just learned to like?


The reason why I asked that question is because I didn't have any flying influence but it was always an interest of mine for as long as I can remember, (Just like camping).
 
steingar said:
How do you NOT get interested in flying? I'd really like to know, as would my checking account.
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Many people I know think I'm crazy because I want to learn how to fly. When I told them my plans I was automatically put in the "You're crazy category". Maybe it didn't take much in the first place....:eek:
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
In my blood. Only explanation.

Always gravitated toward anything that flew.
kites, toy planes, RC planes, eating my lunch at an airport watching them land for hours as a young man.

At 37 I still have a hard time giving up the window seat to my kids but I do. Until they fall asleep.
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Bryan,

Did you know anybody who was a pilot?
 
sferguson524 said:
my grandfather (who raised me) built R/C planes, and went to airshows. There's a picture of me at about 3, at KCRQ sitting up against the wheel of a p-40. It was always our saturday thing to go to the airport and airplane watch, or out to MCAS Camp Pendleton to fly the R/C planes (he was a member of the R/C club on base). He designed a few award winners in the local model airplane club. I knew about dihedral and camber and all of that by the time i was 10. By the time i got my certificate, it was too late, he was too big, and too far gone mentally to get in the plane with me. I miss those days
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I still have my RC/planes and I fly them when I have the free time. I have two jets on a 2.4 GHZ radio. I'm a techie at heart too so I love that stuff. Been flying those things since Balsa was the norm and FM radios.
 
Girlfriends's uncle bought a plane while i was in high school and took me up. Think i noticed every plane in the sky after that.
 
For as long as I can remember, when I heard or saw a plane overhead I would watch it until it was out of sight. Fast foward to my first duty station in the USAF. My first roommate was a bike riding, strange but unique person. One Saturday morning he asked if I wanted to go with him to the local airport. That day I had my first ride on a bike and my first ride in a GA plane. It's been a hole in my bank account every since. I am not complaining by any means. An hour in the air is better than a week on the ground... I'm loving it....:yes::yes::yes:
 
My grandpa was a pilot who passed the love onto his son. My dad eventually became a CFI but gave up flying for a family. I never knew him as a pilot but we always made plastic model planes, and he took me to a Young Eagles rally, ever since then I have been hooked. Two months ago I was finally able to take him up for the first time since getting my PPL, best day of flying I have done yet.
 
Driving 8 hours to work, got me wondering how expensive a helicopter was. After research online I realized they were pretty slow (the ones I could afford anyways) and naturally my research led me to airplanes. Once I realized they didn't have to cost a million dollars I started asking questions to my former friends dad who once offered a ride in his 172.....

That was in February 2012. I started my lessons in July that year in my own plane without ever have flown once prior. All my time built has been in my Cherokee 235.
 
FloridaPilot said:
Now do you folks think you were born with the interest or was it something that you just learned to like?
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Beats me. I like action hobbies, skiing, motorcycles, flying, crewing on racing sailboats, etc., video games never did appeal to me. Nobody introduced me to these things, nobody in my family did these things. When I turned 16, I wanted a motorcycle so bad, but I had the "not under my roof" type parents.

So I went to school, landed a decent job, got my own "roof", made my own rules, and started after all these things I dreamed about as a teen. No regrets.
 
I was always a transportation junky. I had posters on my walls of aircraft, ships, trains, race cars. I used to hang out in the transportation galleries of the Smithsonian, and if anybody remembers TransPo at Dulles, I was in heaven. My father was a lawyer in the aviation industry (originally primarily doing route hearings before the CAB but also some labor work with regard to airline mergers).

I got my first flight in a small plane when one of my father's clients, a flight engineer for TransCaribbean (who were merging into American) gave us all rides one day. The first ride was primarily for my father's benefit, he was in the right seat, but I got to take my turn there as well. Begged for my parents to send me to Camp Solo (an aviation camp of the day) but no dice. I did ground school in college (we had a physics professor who was restoring an old T-craft who was a flight instructor) and as soon as I graduated I signed up for flight lessons. Got my license in 1982.

Amusingly I was talking to one of the other Navion owners and I asked him what he had done in his career. He turned out to have been an American pilot. "Always american?" I asked. "Nope, I flew for TransCaribbean originally." We knew the same people (both my ride mentor and also the head of the MEC who used to call my father so regularly that I recognized his voice when I picked up the phone...Captain Texter is on the phone for you, Dad."
 
FloridaPilot said:
I still have my RC/planes and I fly them when I have the free time. I have two jets on a 2.4 GHZ radio. I'm a techie at heart too so I love that stuff. Been flying those things since Balsa was the norm and FM radios.
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I have some of my grandpa's radios and some engines. PM me if you want them
 
<---The guy in my avatar was the beginning. That's my granddad and his brand new Eaglerock. My Dad grew up in that airplane, And as a result, I grew up in a Stinson V77. I was in about the 2nd, or 3rd grade before I realised that not everyone had an airplane, Because everyone that I knew at that time had one.
I don't know if it's genetic, or just carrying on a family tradition.
 
FloridaPilot said:
When you were a kid, who/what sparked your interest in flying?

I will start off: I didn't know any pilots growing up but I loved to explore so I associated exploring to flying. I wasn't around when P-38's roamed the sky but they use to have these foam models you can get at the store you can put them together in a few mins and throw them around and they flew. Plus there were cool pilots back in the day like, Luke Skywaker, Starbuck from Battlestar Galactica, Tom Cruise from Top gun!


I miss those days!!


What about you?
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I miss the days when NASA had spaceflight capability

anyway, my interest was solidified when a friend of my father took me flying when I was 14.

I didn't get to learn until I was 28 (usual reasons, money, school, and such)
 
jordane93 said:
:yes:. I got to see the last night launch. It was so awesome to see that rocket light up the entire sky like a daytime.
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I saw the last launch too, (2 Hours from home). I'm glad I did! That is something you can't experience on T.V.

I hear a lot of talk about the Mars project and some of the plans to get rockets there. So we will get a chance to see some launches. Not Shuttles though, unless you are Sir Richard Branson.
 
FloridaPilot said:
Now do you folks think you were born with the interest or was it something that you just learned to like?


The reason why I asked that question is because I didn't have any flying influence but it was always an interest of mine for as long as I can remember, (Just like camping).
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I don't think I was born with it, I think I developed an interest in aviation when growing up, only when I was young, I never thought about aviation as a career. After I went to ACE Camp at Daniel Webster College for a week back in the summer of 2008 during high school, that sealed the deal of me wanting to learn to fly as a hobby and have a non-flying career in aviation.

Now I just graduated from college with a Bachelors degree in Aviation Administration, I am looking for a non-flying aviation job (while planning to work a temporary summer job at an EWR air cargo facility) and hopefully trying to find time and money to get a sport or private pilot license someday.
 
FloridaPilot said:
Bryan,

Did you know anybody who was a pilot?
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My love of planes came before I knew pilots. As a kid all toys were planes.
Once a year we would take a southwest (727 back then) to new orleans to visit my grand parents. That was the highlight of my year. Especially if we were in the bulkhead row and I got to sit backwards.

When I was about 10, my dad got his PPL and once in awhile, he would take me flying. He only flew for about 4 years. There is an NTSB report floating around somewhere highlighting why my mom told him "no more flying"

Now he is current again and we fly a lot.

So definitely had flying related things in my life all my life but my love for flying machines predated any experience with actually flying.

There were years in my teens when I had so many RC planes, they couldn't park in the garage. If I had time, I would still fly those things.

I really believe it is just something innate in me. It seems like it has always been there. I love to fly and I have no real desire to go anywhere. Just want to be in the sky. or watching anything fly. As true now as it was when I was a kid.
 
FloridaPilot said:
I still have my RC/planes and I fly them when I have the free time. I have two jets on a 2.4 GHZ radio. I'm a techie at heart too so I love that stuff. Been flying those things since Balsa was the norm and FM radios.
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I still have a couple balsa / nitro planes. Need to knock the dust off em one day.

Disappointed in the electric / foamie stuff that has taken over these days in the RC world.
 
N918KT said:
I don't think I was born with it, I think I developed an interest in aviation when growing up, only when I was young, I never thought about aviation as a career. After I went to ACE Camp at Daniel Webster College for a week back in the summer of 2008 during high school, that sealed the deal of me wanting to learn to fly as a hobby and have a non-flying career in aviation.

Now I just graduated from college with a Bachelors degree in Aviation Administration, I am looking for a non-flying aviation job (while planning to work a temporary summer job at an EWR air cargo facility) and hopefully trying to find time and money to get a sport or private pilot license someday.
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Hey make it happen! It will take some time but you will always regret the things you didn't do rather than the things that you did....within reason :lol:
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
My love of planes came before I knew pilots. As a kid all toys were planes.
Once a year we would take a southwest (727 back then) to new orleans to visit my grand parents. That was the highlight of my year. Especially if we were in the bulkhead row and I got to sit backwards.

When I was about 10, my dad got his PPL and once in awhile, he would take me flying. He only flew for about 4 years. There is an NTSB report floating around somewhere highlighting why my mom told him "no more flying"

Now he is current again and we fly a lot.

So definitely had flying related things in my life all my life but my love for flying machines predated any experience with actually flying.

There were years in my teens when I had so many RC planes, they couldn't park in the garage. If I had time, I would still fly those things.

I really believe it is just something innate in me. It seems like it has always been there. I love to fly and I have no real desire to go anywhere. Just want to be in the sky. or watching anything fly. As true now as it was when I was a kid.
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That is like myself! I just went up and I want to go again, with the different CFI though.

How old is your Dad?
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
I still have a couple balsa / nitro planes. Need to knock the dust off em one day.

Disappointed in the electric / foamie stuff that has taken over these days in the RC world.
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Agreed! I have a Stryker 27Q that is a foamie and it takes pretty good punishment whereas my Balsa would've been in splinters by now. It's a fun plane to fly to should try one, it's fast! I use to play with Turbines too, Jetcat P90 but my wife told me to cut it out. I was spending too much money on the hobby. Low investment on the foamies a whole fuselage is 60 bucks
 
FloridaPilot said:
Agreed! I have a Stryker 27Q that is a foamie and it takes pretty good punishment whereas my Balsa would've been in splinters by now. It's a fun plane to fly to should try one, it's fast! I use to play with Turbines too, Jetcat P90 but my wife told me to cut it out. I was spending too much money on the hobby. Low investment on the foamies a whole fuselage is 60 bucks
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4 Star 40 was probably my favorite RC plane ever.
Good lookin plane, sporty but landed like a trainer.
 
evapilotaz said:
:dunno::dunno:

Electric will out perform wet airplanes in any given day.
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it is just personal preference. I like the realism of gasoline and the sound of gas powered engine. the electric fuel just doesn't have the same smell.
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
it is just personal preference. I like the realism of gasoline and the sound of gas powered engine. the electric fuel just doesn't have the same smell.
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Yea love the Smelly, Stinky gas airplanes.

Anyway back on topic.

I see several of you have started in Model aviation before flying full scale.
This is interesting.
 
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evapilotaz said:
Yea love the Smelly, Stinky gas airplanes.

Anyway back on topic.

I see several of you have started in Model aviation before flying full scale.
This is interesting.
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Actually for me, I mainly developed an interest in aviation and flying through playing on a variety of computer desktop flight simulators growing up including combat flight simulators and Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004. I did thought about aviation as a career either around late middle school or early high school, but definitely decided to make aviation my career after participating in an aviation camp at Daniel Webster College (ACE Camp) the summer before my senior year of high school.

I don't play on flight simulators anymore although I miss it a little bit.
 
3/25/78, Eastern Airlines 693, IND-ATL. Flying down as a 10-year old unaccompanied minor to PBI to see my grandparents.

N8908E, a DC9-10.

The rest is history. I've been a pax, additional crew member, or freeloading cockpit jumpseater for 2031 hours, 873 flights, since 1991. 312 of those were as a flight deck jumpseater, with 191 actually in the flight deck (others as a cabin-assigned jumpseater).

6 hours of that is general aviation.
 
I had no interest until college. Was going to school for aerospace engineering and took a flight test class. We went flying, did some stalls, stability and performance related calculations and I wanted more.
 
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