Any Aviators or Aviation Buffs Out There?

[stuhly]

Started flying in 1962 in a PA 12 Supercruiser. Have flown and owned Air Coupes, Supercubs, K7CAB, C152, C172, C182, Tomahawk, PA 32-300, Warriors, Archers, Turbo Arrow, Turbo 206, S2R Thrush, AGCat. Gave it up and just Motorhome and Motorcycle now. Old fart. Can't see, can't hear but it was fun while it lasted.

[John H...]

Quote:

Originally Posted by CorsairIIAT 777 Driver, What commands at Moffett? I was at 31 Aug 86 to Aug 87 for training then at 46 Aug 87 until Apr 93. I did 2 tours prior to them at Lemoore with A7E's and 2 tours after them F/A-18's at Lemoore.

If you meant VA-46 Clansmen, That is the squadron I was in aboard Saratoga before I got out in 1970.

[kjburns]

I've been a flying nut for most of my life. I did a little training, but never got my PPL. My wife decided that she hated flying. I've spent a lot of time with the Microsoft simulator and eventually bought a full C172 panel that connects to the sim. Everything is functional on the panel.

I used to fly an online WW2 simulator called Warbirds, and eventually started teaching people to fly it. Some of the worst fighter pilots were real life PPLs. I kept telling them not to fly like they have passengers on board Some of my 'students' were current or former fighter jet pilots. One flew Phantoms in Vietnam and another was flying the F/A-18. One of the younger trainers went on to fly for the Navy. He said he squealed like a little girl on his first cat launch

Many in Warbirds would setup squadrons, some modeled after real squadrons. I flew with the 31st FG/308th FS. The guy who started this Warbirds squadron started a web site dedicated to the real 31st FG veterans with pictures and histories of their experiences. About ten years ago, a few of us went to the real 308th FS reunion in Vancouver, WA. Unfortunately, many of them are passing on now. Robert Goebel (P-51 pilot) was one we talked to often. He died a few weeks ago.

Bob was a great story teller. One time, while escorting bombers, he heard a loud bang and looked back to see two ME-109s on his tail. He thought his plane had been hit. Bob shot down one of the 109s and got away from the other. When he got back, there were no holes in his plane. Apparently, his engine had backfired at an opportune moment that saved his bacon.

[diepenj]

Like others here, I've always been an airplane lover and even though I'm in my mid 60's, I still run out of the house when I hear a plane go over the house.

My first flight was a $5 ride at a fly-in. First time at the controls was a Tri-Champ that was owned by a farmer I worked for. The hanger was behind the barn so it was handy to go for a short flight to check out the neighborhood. That was 50 years ago but I am still have dreams of a small farm so I could have a small plane right behind the house. It won't happen but it's a fun thought.

While in college, I worked for my uncle who had a Piper PA-18 Super Cruiser and had lots of stick time from the back seat.

After college, we found ourselves several hundred miles from home. When my wife suggested flying lessons so we could get home faster, I jumped at the chance. I took my check ride January 1st 1973 and picked up an instrument ticket along the way.

Since most of my flying has been for pleasure, partnerships worked for us and gave us a chance to fly variety for equipment to fly. We had a Citabria when we lived in Ames Iowa so [one year] I gave my wife a flight with a aerobatic instructor for her birthday gift. Her smile when they returned makes me think it might have been the best gift I've ever given her.

I miss the Skylane we sold a couple years ago but life goes on with lots of fond memories.

[IMPULSE DRIVEN]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kjburns I've been a flying nut for most of my life. I did a little training, but never got my PPL. My wife decided that she hated flying. I've spent a lot of time with the Microsoft simulator and eventually bought a full C172 panel that connects to the sim. Everything is functional on the panel. I used to fly an online WW2 simulator called Warbirds, and eventually started teaching people to fly it. Some of the worst fighter pilots were real life PPLs. I kept telling them not to fly like they have passengers on board Some of my 'students' were current or former fighter jet pilots. One flew Phantoms in Vietnam and another was flying the F/A-18. One of the younger trainers went on to fly for the Navy. He said he squealed like a little girl on his first cat launch Many in Warbirds would setup squadrons, some modeled after real squadrons. I flew with the 31st FG/308th FS. The guy who started this Warbirds squadron started a web site dedicated to the real 31st FG veterans with pictures and histories of their experiences. About ten years ago, a few of us went to the real 308th FS reunion in Vancouver, WA. Unfortunately, many of them are passing on now. Robert Goebel (P-51 pilot) was one we talked to often. He died a few weeks ago. Bob was a great story teller. One time, while escorting bombers, he heard a loud bang and looked back to see two ME-109s on his tail. He thought his plane had been hit. Bob shot down one of the 109s and got away from the other. When he got back, there were no holes in his plane. Apparently, his engine had backfired at an opportune moment that saved his bacon.

I too am a hard core flight simmer and a virtual airline president.

[SteveLevin]

It's worth catching the new show "Pan Am" -- someone has had a lot of fun re-creating some of the great commercial aviation moments of the 1960s!

Steve

[edandvickie]

glad to find this site, I like most here are old geezers. started bootlegging time in Sterman PT-19's dusting crops in CA. (Lemore area) went on to presue employment in other fields. always hung out at airports catching rides when I could. at 28 finally went to Ft Rucker Al to flight school. graduated in 1976. found as others flying was a good way to starve to death doing something I love. flew commercial fixed/rotary about 10 years to prove it. Helicopters off shore for PHI about a year then landed the perfect job fixed/rotary for a regional trama center in southern MI for @ 5 years.(low pay and hospital politics forced me to find a real job) joined EEA and participated in building two small sucessful a/c. currently own a small farm in TN and the first big project was to clear 1000 ft to continue my first love, (never have used it). I will monitor this site and look forward to doing some Hanger Flying at a later date. Scouts Out

[Just Because]

I got suckered in for the $5.00 introductory ride. That was back in 1960. Two years later I soloed in a 1946 Piper J 3. The bug had already infested in my blood stream.

I went to Burnside Ott aviation center in Opka Locka Fl and obtained my Commercial, Instrument, CFI and CFII. Living in Miami I was beating on every door trying to get hired. This was now 1967 and there were Military Pilots coming back from Nam and they got first preference as I now had 500 hours and they had 2000. After several years and a family I gave up on my dream.

But the bug never left my blood stream. Fast forward to 1999 and I had a chance to buy a Cherokee Six.



Fast forward again to 2009 and Cancer struck, It was Melanoma and in the bottom of my right foot. Surgery removed the cancer and all was well TILL.. Our wonderful FAA medical team decided that since I had a MRI two years prior, that it was BRAIN CANCER. Pulled my medical and there I am with an airplane and no way to fly it. Sold it last month, finally.

And I guess it's a good thing as the Melanoma has showed up again in my lymph nodes. Surgery is scheduled for Dec 6th.

After recovery, , it's more left seat time in the MH.

[ahicks]

I went from Cox Thimble Drome power in the late 50's, to K&B .35's in the late 60's, to .40 powered 4 channel RC in the late 70's. The RC .40's kept getting bigger along with the number of RC channels until we were getting pretty fancy going through the 80's. Late 80's had me learning how to fly (repair!) the new fangled RC helicopters as well as the planes. In 90, a friend convinced me to learn to fly full scale.

As a corporate pilot that had been flying since he was old enough to have his own ticket, he could guide me, but could not risk his livelihood teaching me himself. His thoughts of getting my private ticket involved a philosophy that had me flying several times a week (at least 3, many weeks 4 and 5). The thought being that if I flew often enough I would learn MUCH more quickly as there would be no re-learning what I had forgotten since the last lesson a part of the new one. The learning curve was nearly straight up. It worked. I soloed at about 50 hours (5 months into it), and earned my private soon after at about 70 hours. All done in club owned 172's.

Then he convinced me that with all this time I spent building radio controlled planes, I could be doing something similar in full scale. Not long after that I found myself looking at Piper Tri Pacer, serial# 180. There were only a couple any older that were still flyable. It was sitting in a tool shed on a farm that had been built around and shrunk to the point it was no longer able to fly out of it. It had not been flown in 15 years (and it looked it) but it was basically sound and very complete. The farmer was glad to let a rookie pilot willing to do the rebuild have it and let me have it pretty reasonably. The next 3 years were spent doing a ground up restoration.

I had been going to Oshkosh regularly since learning to fly (full scale), so it was only natural that the Tri Pacer was flown in the following season. I was met on the ground within minutes of arrival (I was still tying it down!) by Bud Davisson the well known aviation writer. A big Buick pulled up in front of the plane and out he stepped! Floored, I thought I had done something wrong through the somewhat "dicey" flying required to get into Oshkosh during the show. As it turned out the plane had somehow been selected as a photo subject for the EAA magazine. I was, and still am, deeply honored by that selection. The plane appeared with an article written by Bud a few months later in the Feb 2000 issue of Sport Aviation. The interview was also televised on ESPN. The EAA also saw to it I received a tape of that interview, as well as a really nice leather bound folder with the photos that were used in the magazine, as well as some others that were taken that same day - in the air and on the ground.

I flew the daylights out of that plane, to the point I was not afraid to try anything with it as long as conditions remained VFR. Turned out that was a good thing.

The following year we were headed back to Oshkosh. Big headwinds, the little guy was only making about 80 mph ground speed. We were headed over Lake Michigan so were up over 10,000ft. 12 miles out, the engine swallowed a valve. Yup, oil on the windshield, dash jumping up and down several inches due to the engine's imbalance. We shut the engine down and called Muskegon tower. Used to the paranoia of pilots being out over the lake, we had to convince them the plane had turned into a glider and that we had made the 180 degree turn back towards shore. We were asked to change frequencies and a now somewhat more subdued controller asked us what our intentions were! All I remember thinking at the time was "holy cow!, does it really take much imagination to figure that out?". The "how many souls on board" question will sober anyone up though.

This is getting long, so to shorten this up, those headwinds turned into tailwinds, and the plane that has a reputation for gliding like "a hand full of keys on a key ring" did make it back over land to make a somewhat less than gracefull landing (due to 30mph direct cross wind) that destroyed the plane, but left me without a scratch.

I went on to Oshkosh (yes, flying over the lake) with some friends later that same day. Not long afterward I ended up with a '58 182 (straight tale) that I came to love even more than the Tri Pacer. I kept that for 10 years or so, then became too busy at work to pay much attention to it. It got to the point I figured it was somebody else's turn to take care of it and sold it. I continue to be very active in radio control.