First Aviation Experiences

[Scott Rose]

I'm just curious about everyones first aviation experience.

My first experience, or at least the one that left an impression on me was on Guam in 1976 standing in the VQ-2 squadron hanger waiting for my father's EP-3 Orion to return from his deployment in Japan. We got to watch it taxy in and then my father walked across the tarmac. The 4 allisons were quite impressive for a 8 year old. Then again so was Barnie the Fruit bat which was VQ-2s mascot at the time.

[mrhenniger]

Hmmmm... Mine isn't quit so interesting. My first flight was on a DC-9 to Thunder Bay in Northern Ontario. My first real attention grabbing experience had to be my first airshow, June 1993 in London, Ontario. The first plane I got to see up close was an F-16C. Kind of appropriate as I now work for General Dynamics.

Mike

My first ride was when I was about 8 years old in a Bell 47 helicopter in Atlanta at The Southeastern Fair. First warbird ride was in a SNJ4 in Lafayette LA when I was a member of the old Cajun Wing of the CAF. Best ride was in the backseat of Buck Deer's P-51 with the late great Merle Gustfason at the controls dogfighting with Gen Reg Urshler in "Gunfighter" at Harligen TX in the early 80's.
Regards
Robbie Stuart
Atlanta GA

[C170BDan]

My first experience was a trip to Palwukee airport near Chicago to see my dad and grandfather off on a business trip in a Learjet 23 (see a picture of the event on my web site!). Kinda neat since now I work for Learjet! The family made a few trips around the country to visit aviation museums. A neighbor across the street rebuilt a Stinson 108 in the garage so that was my first little (non-airline) airplane ride From there the exposure went from visiting local airshows in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. The CAF use to have a good sized airshow up in Denton, Texas. Dad and I made those and that is where I remember being bent toward Warbirds and vintage aircraft. Then on to reading all the magazines I could get my hands on which led to traveling to the airshows highlighted in those magazines.

A friend and aviation mentor flew some of Lone Star Flight Museum's aircraft so I was able to crawl all over those. My first Warbird ride was in a T-6 in Mineral Wells, Texas, then a ride in EAA's B-17, another ride in an SNJ and most recent new type was a B-25. Hope to do a T-6 check out at somepoint. Will be flying the big stuff someday!

My web site shows my aeronautical journey in pictures.

http://www.dtlinn.com/journey.html

Fun topic Scott!

[Ollie]

First flight was the day of my baptism, I was two months old!

I've been sick about airplanes since!

[Scott Rose]

My web site shows my aeronautical journey in pictures.

http://www.dtlinn.com/journey.html

Fun topic Scott!

Very cool Dan, I wasn't expecting a pictorial of a persons aviation life. I like it.

[Gregory]

I have always credited the travels of an international family with fuelling my early interest in aviation, but I cannot put a date to my first flight - I was probably around three years old or so. The first machine I remember in the air was a glider north of Milan - probably five or so, and I saw it from the windows of our station wagon.

From then on, things become clearer. A 1971 visit to the Smithsonian, which still displayed its airplanes in the Castle (Winnie Mae and Spirit of St Louis are still vivid). A 1972 Shuttleworth (I still have a photo standing by the Spit XI) and a glider meet somewhere in the UK. The Kingfisher on the USS Massachussetts in fall River, probably in 1973. Sitting for hours in an Alitalia Caravelle cockpit on a windy evening, chatting with the crew until the flight was cancelled, about the same time. Being allowed to sit on the jump seat of a Turkish Airlines 727 landing at Rome, circa 1975. Getting a logbook from my father, in 1976. Getting my hands dirty greasing an R-3350 at the old Bradley Air Museum (now NEAM), 1980-81.

And somewhere I still have the first postcard Peter A sent me regarding the surviving Italian Spit IX, not yet identified as MK805...

All this makes me feel old. How about changing the topic to "Next aviation experience"?

Gregory

[AIRIC]

I had always been taken to airshows by my father and remember the Thunderbirds at the CNE flying Phantoms but the earliest warbird experience I can remember was peaking through an open door at the CWH and seeing THe Corsair and Firefly. This was before they became a real museum. I had made models of all the great WWII aircraft and to see a Corsair in real life was a dream come true. It was not until 1994 that I got to go for my first Harvard ride and air-to-air shoot on the set of Iron Eagle IV in Oshawa, Ontario. I did several flights that fall and have not looked back. On the first flight we flew in a 3 Vic formation and then did low and overs for the movie camera at a private strip. By the third or fourth pull-up I was about to loose my breakfast but managed to hold on.

Writing and submitting photos to magazines let me experience the world on the other side of the fence and allowed me to fly in and photograph aircraft I never dreamed of. Not much money in the business but it sure is one hell of a lot of fun.

Next experience should be in a week or so, Stinson V-77 and some Chippies.

Eric



One of the perks. Dawn patrol at Willow Run 2003. What a glorious morning.

Last edited by AIRIC on Fri May 07, 2004 6:43 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[jaybird]

I went for my 1st general aviation ride when I was 5. I went up with my dad in a C-150 and lasted 30 minutes before I fell asleep! I don't know if it was because I couldn't see over the panel, he wouldn't let me fly it, or because we were not in a Pitts doing acro! If he would have just pitched for 60kts, brought the RPM up to 2100, gave a quick pull back and stomped left rudder....she would have come around nicely and woke me up....then again, he might be smarter than me...

[Warbirdnerd]

My first wiff of Avgas was when I was about 7. My Dad I went on a cross country in a Cessna to his Mom and Dad's ranch in Nebraska. Soon afterwards he purhcased a Mooney. I remember being entralled by the pair of DC-3's that were parked just down from his hanger. (one of them is now operated by the CWH). Oshkosh became a yearly event, and the Warbird area and program were my favorite parts of the show. Ever since signing up to become a Volunteer at the now closed Planes Of Fame East, at the ripe old age of 15, I've been hooked. Witness my wife who puts up with stacks of FlyPast, WW,WI,AC and the like all over my den...

[Dan K]

Imagine growing up in a poor, non-aviation-oriented family in a rural Wisconsin town. Every August I'd watch for signs of a Mustang, Mitchell, or T-6 chugging north for OSH. I remember once jumping up from the dinner table and dashing outside (something that just wasn't done in my family without getting permission first) to gawk at a Ju-52 chugging at 400' AGL over our backyard. Fortunately my father recognized a "fever" when he saw one, scrimped together enough shekels, and treated me to a day at Oshkosh. I beelined for the warbirds...the all-orange "Tipsy Miss" P-63 was present, a stripped-out B-17, Tora Zeke... and then the XP-51 lifted off for a demo flight...

I've never been quite normal since!

[Don Martin]

My real "First" was around 1966/67 when I was in second grade. We were in the play ground outside the old one room school house(this is the Republic of Maine we are talking about), when an F-101 Voodoo(75th FIS) flew over one day at a very low altitude and wagged its wings at us. Talk about COOL. When I was about thirteen, I worked raking blue berries(another Maine thing) and I saw my first DC-3 fly over.I never forgot the sound of THOSE ROUND ENGINES! First Flight was at fifteen. Three of us pooled our money and took a flight with an instructor. 20 min each in a 172. Then I went for 4 years in aircraft maintenance with the USAF on C-5s and C-141s.
PS. Scott, the 141 in the Registry is a "B" model, when you actually have a minute to spare.

[dj51d]

The first aviation experience that sticks out in my mind is going to the CAF (then Southern)Minnesota Wing's annual show at Holman Field in downtown St. Paul when I was around 7 or 8(so 1989 or 90). I've been hooked on aviation in general, and warbirds ever since. It was also at this time that I became a Mustang fan, Ross Grady's(now Max Chapman's) Cavalier and Roger Christgau's P-51 have been my favorite Mustangs as they were the first one I ever saw.

As for flying, I've flown comercial a few times on 737, 717, 767, and DC-9. My first and only ride behind a prop plane was in October of 2001 in a friend's dad's Piper Cherokee 235. We flew in the piper for an hour or so around eastern Minnesota and western Wisconsin. The sights in Siren, WI were incredible, vast swaths of trees were down with the trunks twisted in spirals from a tornado that had passwed through 3 months previously, unfortunately I was so excited about getting my first GA ride that I forgot my camera and have no pictures of this.

[Jack Cook]

A COUPLE STAND OUT. HANGING OUT AT JACK LENHARDT'S STRIP AND WATCHING HIM RESTORE HIS FM-2 BILL COMPTON'S F6F-3 IN THE 70's.
HANGING OUT WITH MY STEP-DAD'S T-28 FLY'IN BUDDIES IN VT-2 AT WHITING FIELD. MY FIRST WARBIRD RIDE IN FRED SMITH STEARMAN AT THE AGE OF 11 .

Last edited by Jack Cook on Tue May 01, 2018 12:06 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[agent86]

One of my first warbird experiences was going to to Unlimited airraces at Mojave in 1974.I went with my best friend and his dad.We spent the nite before the races in some restaurant parking lot in their motorhome and Upon waking up I heard the unmistakable rumble of some big bore engine of some type,so I ran outside in time to see 2 P-40's coming in to land with the sun just peeking over the horizonWOW! what a rush!The other thing that comes to mind was riding my bike to the planes of fame museum when it was at the"Cars of the stars/Planes of fame"in Buena Park,Ca.They had just gone bust and for whatever reason they had approx 4 airplanes parked out in the open in the parking lot for maybe a week or two.My brother and I climbed over them and played Walter Mitty for a while.My memory isnt too clear but I believe that the ME262 and the Raiden and possibly the zero were there.Would have been around 1975 I think,its been fun ever since................Tim.............