John J
Line Up and Wait
Some more notes from my logs and scrap book
While celebrating Thanksgiving this week, I was rummaging around in my closet and found some slides that I took in October of 1962. Some of the slides were taken on a very special day when I flew my mother on her first "X-C" with me. I was a very slight 18 year old newly minted commercial pilot. It was a time that I will never forget.
Our little family had just lost one member and there were many life changes were going on at the time. I was working at the airport(GAI) and mom was working her way to become a research anthropologist. I wanted to give mom a real nice present for her birthday and also to help her have a change from work and studies.
My boss at the airport knew my mother had flown short hops with me before and he knew that she enjoyed it a lot. So he suggested one day that I should take her for a day trip to see the fall colors of the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia and Maryland. It took me about 10 seconds to say yes to the ideal and I called mom up and asked her if she would like to see Monticello by air. She thought it would be great and that began mom's first cross country in a small plane.
The day came and the weather was made for us.A huge domb of high pressure that was hang around for a few days My boss gave me a well worn 1956 Cessna 172 to use for our flight. The engine was new thank goodness It had a lot of time and it was like putting on a well worn pair of shoes. The one radio was a 1956 Lear Omingator, which was the foreruner of the NARCO omingator. It had about 10 channels with whistle stop tunning.
Mom got in and her first comment was the view out front was the best. The early 172's had great forward visability. We took off from GAI and headed to CHO. I flew dead recogning and pilotage for the VOR part of the radio decided it wanted a day off . The fight was smooth as glass and the visability was well over 40 miles. We got to CHO in good time and the FBO gave us a courtesy car; a 1954 Chrysler New Yorker. He gave us directions and maps to get to Monticello. He did mention the car might burn more gas than the 172. Mom enjoyed it a lot.
It was a great day of visiting U of VA and Monticello. Time flew by and now it was time to head home. I wanted to time our flight so that we would arrive home just as it got dark for flying near the Washington,DC area at night is so wonderful with all the momuments lit up.
We took off just as the sun was setting behind the mountains. The 172 purred like a big old friendly tom cat as we flew into the darkening clear skies. We could see for miles. I had mom checking the time between check points with my stop watch,( I still have and use the watch today) We had a nice push from behind as we flew toward home.
Soon the lights of Washington were just off the right side of the plane. We crossed over what is now Dulles. It was still being built at the time. Mom was awstruck by the beauty of night flight. I looked over at her watching all the sights. She had some tears in her eyes as we flew to GAI. I asked her if she was ok and she told me; ' I know now why you love to fly, It is a wonder to be hold, that so few get to see specially at night" She thanked me for giving her such a special day and gave me a big kiss just as I flew over the airport. I made one of my best landings that night. Thanks to mom.
Thank you for reading
John
While celebrating Thanksgiving this week, I was rummaging around in my closet and found some slides that I took in October of 1962. Some of the slides were taken on a very special day when I flew my mother on her first "X-C" with me. I was a very slight 18 year old newly minted commercial pilot. It was a time that I will never forget.
Our little family had just lost one member and there were many life changes were going on at the time. I was working at the airport(GAI) and mom was working her way to become a research anthropologist. I wanted to give mom a real nice present for her birthday and also to help her have a change from work and studies.
My boss at the airport knew my mother had flown short hops with me before and he knew that she enjoyed it a lot. So he suggested one day that I should take her for a day trip to see the fall colors of the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia and Maryland. It took me about 10 seconds to say yes to the ideal and I called mom up and asked her if she would like to see Monticello by air. She thought it would be great and that began mom's first cross country in a small plane.
The day came and the weather was made for us.A huge domb of high pressure that was hang around for a few days My boss gave me a well worn 1956 Cessna 172 to use for our flight. The engine was new thank goodness It had a lot of time and it was like putting on a well worn pair of shoes. The one radio was a 1956 Lear Omingator, which was the foreruner of the NARCO omingator. It had about 10 channels with whistle stop tunning.
Mom got in and her first comment was the view out front was the best. The early 172's had great forward visability. We took off from GAI and headed to CHO. I flew dead recogning and pilotage for the VOR part of the radio decided it wanted a day off . The fight was smooth as glass and the visability was well over 40 miles. We got to CHO in good time and the FBO gave us a courtesy car; a 1954 Chrysler New Yorker. He gave us directions and maps to get to Monticello. He did mention the car might burn more gas than the 172. Mom enjoyed it a lot.
It was a great day of visiting U of VA and Monticello. Time flew by and now it was time to head home. I wanted to time our flight so that we would arrive home just as it got dark for flying near the Washington,DC area at night is so wonderful with all the momuments lit up.
We took off just as the sun was setting behind the mountains. The 172 purred like a big old friendly tom cat as we flew into the darkening clear skies. We could see for miles. I had mom checking the time between check points with my stop watch,( I still have and use the watch today) We had a nice push from behind as we flew toward home.
Soon the lights of Washington were just off the right side of the plane. We crossed over what is now Dulles. It was still being built at the time. Mom was awstruck by the beauty of night flight. I looked over at her watching all the sights. She had some tears in her eyes as we flew to GAI. I asked her if she was ok and she told me; ' I know now why you love to fly, It is a wonder to be hold, that so few get to see specially at night" She thanked me for giving her such a special day and gave me a big kiss just as I flew over the airport. I made one of my best landings that night. Thanks to mom.
Thank you for reading
John
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