Air minded

When did people become "air minded", and why?

For me, it was in 1950, when I was about 4, when Dad took me to an RAF
"At Home", at Castle Bromwich Aerodrome and the sight of those beautiful
aircraft soaring and wheeling, high in the sky, and the sound of their
engines as the flew low and fast down the centreline of the runway. I
knew that day that I had to fly.

I never flew, even commercially, until my late 40s. Then I was lucky
enough to be able to afford to have lessons, and soloed a Puchacz shortly
after my 52nd birthday.

--
Alex

On Nov 29, 7:25*pm, Alex Potter wrote:
When did people become "air minded", and why?

I don't remember if it started with reading Biggles (really!) or when,
as a teenager, I would cycle out to RAF Locking and watch the air
cadets flying winch launches and the Auster giving rides over my home
town. I remember being fascinated that I could hear the glider
instructor talking to the student as they flew final over the airport
fence. First time in the air was in a helicopter to the Channel
Islands but all I remember of that was it was noisy. As a student at
Bangor I joined a small group for a trip to the Mynd hoping to get a
flight. No one checked the weather though and the field was closed
with snow. Then an intro ride in a Super Falke at Lasham followed by
several years not doing anything about flying except thinking I
couldn't afford it. Then I was given an intro ride in an L13 at
Thruxton by a friend of my future ex. That gave me the bug and I went
on a holiday course at Challock. I still didn't understand the sport
though as I insisted that I wasn't interested when one of the other
holiday students told me they found a thermal on their flight. All I
wanted to do was learn to land solo. A day or so later I was able to
climb Kermit in a thermal and finally understood where the magic was
to be found. A few months later I ran off to US where I have been
flying for most of the last 30 years. Tempus fugit.

Andy

I started building models when I was 9 and wanted to fly for as long
as I can remember. My father got a license in 1968 when I was 16 and
I got some lessons then. I crewed for him through the end of high
school. I actually got my own student license in 1985, private power
plane in 1987 and glider after I became an instructor in 1993. CFI-G
in 1996. A full-blown case of air-mind.

On Mon, 29 Nov 2010 20:21:51 -0800, SoaringXCellence wrote:

I started building models when I was 9 and wanted to fly for as long as
I can remember.

I have a more of less parallel experience: I also started to build models
at the same age as you, eventually working up through C/L and sport FF to
single channel RC models. When I went to university I joined a proper
model club, discovered competitive Free Flight and never looked back.
I've flown mostly 1/2A power and F1A gliders since then.

Meanwhile, I'd had my first flights in the DC-3s and Fokker Friendships
used by NZ's internal airline while travelling to and from boarding
school. Along the way I had a flight in a Ka-4 and a couple of impromptu
flying lessons in a friend's Mooney.

I flew FF for the next 35 years, which took me all over Europe and to the
USA. Then I met an ASK-21 at Front Royal, VA in 1999. That set the hook
and I took up gliding in 2000, soloing later that year. I never seriously
considered learning to fly before that flight in 1999, being fully
occupied with the competition FF scene in the UK and Europe.


--
martin@ | Martin Gregorie
gregorie. | Essex, UK
org |

On Nov 29, 6:25*pm, Alex Potter wrote:
When did people become "air minded", and why?

For me, it was in 1950, when I was about 4, when Dad took me to an RAF
"At Home", at Castle Bromwich Aerodrome and the sight of those beautiful
aircraft soaring and wheeling, high in the sky, and the sound of their
engines as the flew low and fast down the centreline of the runway. I
knew that day that I had to fly.

I never flew, even commercially, until my late 40s. Then I was lucky
enough to be able to afford to have lessons, and soloed a Puchacz shortly
after my 52nd birthday.

--
Alex

I blame my dad. (grin). Looking through the chain link fence at Van
Nuys Airport. watching planes take off and land is the very earliest
memory of any activity with my father. I was 3 or 4 years old at the
time. Later, he took me to Sepulveda basin when he went there to fly
U/C with his friends. I started flying model planes with him when I
was 7 years old. As long as I can remember, I've wanted to fly
SOMETHING. Finally, in 2001 at age 47, my wife dragged me out to Jean,
to join the local glider club. My only regret is not starting about 30
years earlier.

On Mon, 29 Nov 2010 20:33:53 -0800, Grider Pirate wrote:

My only regret is not starting about 30 years earlier.

My only regret is that the money ran out.

--
Alex

On Nov 29, 6:25*pm, Alex Potter wrote:
When did people become "air minded", and why?


Dad was an experimental test pilot in the 40s and 50s. I grew up
watching movies of him testing all kinds of exciting aircraft. I
presumed this was a typical profession for a Dad. All our family
vacations involved flying somewhere in a private plane of one kind or
another. I first learned to fly on instruments because, at age 5 or 6,
I couldn't see over the instrument panel. By my early teens I'd
accumulated something like 700 hours of right seat time. A few months
after my 14th birthday we packed off to Elmira, New York where I
soloed after 8 days and 23 flights courtesy of the Schweizer soaring
school.

On Nov 29, 9:25*pm, Alex Potter wrote:
When did people become "air minded", and why?


--
Alex

Made my first "aaplane' at 2 yrs old from 2 crossed clothespins.
"Flew" it all over the house.
Attended first soaring Nationals on Harris Hill in '54 and flew in
kids model contest. I decided on the spot
that I would be a glider pilot some day.
Built and flew models from 5 yr or so till present. Competed in
control line, free flight, and indoor with Nats trophys
in all at one time or other.
Then RC soaring.
Out of college started gliding full size with Pat and Harriet in
Florida. Had to borrow a car because I spent my
money on gliding first.
Solo and private in '73.
Comm, CFI in '74
First contest '76
First Nationals '79
Obsessed the whole time.
More stories guys!
UH

When I was about 8 years old, my older brother got me involved in C/L
flying. He had single-channel R/C models back then which planted "the
seed" for my later years. I continued building and flying C/L up until
I was in my mid-teens. At the same time, my brother was also a full
scale power pilot and took me flying on numerous occasions. I was
afforded quite a bit of "stick time" in SEL aircraft. In my early 20's
I began building and flying R/C models including sailplanes (thermal),
which has continued to this day. I currently have a basement full of
various R/C models ranging from sailplanes to ducted fan jets to giant
scale aerobatic "gassers". However, the R/C stuff has been collecting
a bit of dust since I've gotten into full scale soaring. That started
about 5 years ago. By the way, I'm 54 years old now and still loving
all of it. Although flying my LS1f is now at the top of my priority
list.

I grew up on a small farm with a small airport/grass strip about a mile away. For a kid riding a tractor with a plow or a disc, those airplanes taking off and landing not far away were fascinating. They were the typical single engine types one would find at such a field in the 50's and 60's.

I started building models and day dreaming about what it would be like to fly for real. I would walk down the side of the highway with a burlap bag picking up pop bottles which would get you 2 cents each, but I was really just interested in getting a close up view of those planes. I managed to wangle a ride in an old Piper Pacer, if my folks had found out I would have had caught hell.

I joined the Air Force after high school and managed to find myself on the Airborne Battlefield Command and Control Center during the Vietnam War. I wasn't piloting but I was a crewman and that was going to have to do for a while. I could tell you what I did but I would have to kill you afterwards.

Once I was discharged I enrolled in college but the flying bug just never went away. I found myself with a part time job at a small local airport and worked for flying lessons. In less than year I had a commercial, single engine land license.

Some 1200 hours and 38 years later I found myself at Seminole Lake Gliderport doing an add on. I obtained a Commercial Glider rating and have been flying as regularly as I can for the last year. Gliding/soaring is without a doubt the best form of flying I have ever experienced.

Air minded beats Air headed any day.

Walt