John J
Line Up and Wait
I finally got my scrap book out and found a brief set of notes that I wrote in pencile about my first hour of flight instruction. I will never forget that day. It is so sharp in mymind as I look at my log and scrap book.
My first log entry occured on April 18, 1959, just three days after I turned 15. It was a Saturday on a warm April day when I arrived at Lee Airport in Annapolis, MD. I was all excited and did not even consider eating lunch before I got to the airport. The nice laday who ran the little flight school: Mrs. P looked at me and said, " So you want to learn to fly" and I of couse said yes. She came back with; Well we will give you an introduction flight and see if you like it" I told her that I could hardly wait to get started.
She had this fellow come over and teach me all the "Nomenclature" on the airplane I was going to get a lesson in. He introduced me to a plane that was older than me a Taylor Craft with a Continental A65. We spent what seemed a long time on the studying all the parts and peices of this plane that I was to begin my flying life in. He told me I would be tested at the end. I began to sweat.
The Nomenclature Test was fun and got me to the next level which was to do the prefight with my assigned instructor. As I look at my log now I cannot read her name for she wrote in such small letters and it ran off the page. She was quite an intructor. She taught primary flight intruction to many pilots of of WWII. She never lost her touch. With very firm hand shake she said; We will see if you want to fly after we go up and begin." Wow she was all business and no nonsense.
We did the preflight and soon I was sitting in the T-Craft looking at the panel. The control wheels looked like they came off a ship for they were so big compared to the rest of the panel. My instructor had me look at the brake buttons on the floor in front of me and told me not to touch them enless she told me to. Shortly with a swing of the prop we were off boucing along the sod runway at Lee.
I was told to follow through on the controls and get the feel of the plane. The one time I was told to hold the brakes was the runup and being mechanical brakes like the old Bendix Coaster brake on bikes they did not hold for long. She had me do a 360 on the ground to check for traffic and said "Lets Go". I began to push the throttle in and she said "Watch your rudders" and soon with lots of ear pounding noise we clattered down that strip. I found the plane getting light on it's feet as the tail rose up. I looked at the airspeed and it was close to 50 when we rose into the air. The sights and sounds were amazing. The instructor with lots of shouting over the din of the engine and wind told me to climb to 1,000 feet and we will do turns etc.
The flight was just one hour. This is what she wrote in my log book that day; "Climb and Glides, Control Effect, Power Control, Straight and Level, Straight 8s and Radius 8s L & R S turns and Tracking Rectangular Patterns" All of this was done with lots of shouting over the noise and hand signals to complete the flight. The plane was cramped but I never felt it as we lurched and bumped through the sky.
It was over before I was ready I wanted to keep learning and flying. Soon we were on the ground and as we climbed out of the T-Craft she said" Do you want to do it again?" I said yes and she then said; " I did not scare you off then" I said no. Mrs P asked me how I liked it and I told her my heart is still up there doing S turns. That flight is etched in my mind forever. Soon I began my life as an airport kid to earn flying lessons. Along with the day I soloed this day I will never forget.
Thank you for reading and I know that many of you have some great stories about your first lesson.
John J
My first log entry occured on April 18, 1959, just three days after I turned 15. It was a Saturday on a warm April day when I arrived at Lee Airport in Annapolis, MD. I was all excited and did not even consider eating lunch before I got to the airport. The nice laday who ran the little flight school: Mrs. P looked at me and said, " So you want to learn to fly" and I of couse said yes. She came back with; Well we will give you an introduction flight and see if you like it" I told her that I could hardly wait to get started.
She had this fellow come over and teach me all the "Nomenclature" on the airplane I was going to get a lesson in. He introduced me to a plane that was older than me a Taylor Craft with a Continental A65. We spent what seemed a long time on the studying all the parts and peices of this plane that I was to begin my flying life in. He told me I would be tested at the end. I began to sweat.
The Nomenclature Test was fun and got me to the next level which was to do the prefight with my assigned instructor. As I look at my log now I cannot read her name for she wrote in such small letters and it ran off the page. She was quite an intructor. She taught primary flight intruction to many pilots of of WWII. She never lost her touch. With very firm hand shake she said; We will see if you want to fly after we go up and begin." Wow she was all business and no nonsense.
We did the preflight and soon I was sitting in the T-Craft looking at the panel. The control wheels looked like they came off a ship for they were so big compared to the rest of the panel. My instructor had me look at the brake buttons on the floor in front of me and told me not to touch them enless she told me to. Shortly with a swing of the prop we were off boucing along the sod runway at Lee.
I was told to follow through on the controls and get the feel of the plane. The one time I was told to hold the brakes was the runup and being mechanical brakes like the old Bendix Coaster brake on bikes they did not hold for long. She had me do a 360 on the ground to check for traffic and said "Lets Go". I began to push the throttle in and she said "Watch your rudders" and soon with lots of ear pounding noise we clattered down that strip. I found the plane getting light on it's feet as the tail rose up. I looked at the airspeed and it was close to 50 when we rose into the air. The sights and sounds were amazing. The instructor with lots of shouting over the din of the engine and wind told me to climb to 1,000 feet and we will do turns etc.
The flight was just one hour. This is what she wrote in my log book that day; "Climb and Glides, Control Effect, Power Control, Straight and Level, Straight 8s and Radius 8s L & R S turns and Tracking Rectangular Patterns" All of this was done with lots of shouting over the noise and hand signals to complete the flight. The plane was cramped but I never felt it as we lurched and bumped through the sky.
It was over before I was ready I wanted to keep learning and flying. Soon we were on the ground and as we climbed out of the T-Craft she said" Do you want to do it again?" I said yes and she then said; " I did not scare you off then" I said no. Mrs P asked me how I liked it and I told her my heart is still up there doing S turns. That flight is etched in my mind forever. Soon I began my life as an airport kid to earn flying lessons. Along with the day I soloed this day I will never forget.
Thank you for reading and I know that many of you have some great stories about your first lesson.
John J
)
Time to find that Swift...