Favorite Aviation Reminiscense

Taking off at 4:30 am on a 4 hour flight with my teenage daughter on
our way to see her cousin's graduation ceremony. My girl had just
broken up with a boy friend and was really depressed. She begged to
go on this long trip, as she was really close to her cousin. They
didn't get to see each other very often, as they attended college far
apart. The weather was iffy. I decided to try the flight anyway as
the ceiling and visibility were great at the departure airport and for
the first 200 miles of the route. We could check the weather as we
progressed and turn back if things didn't get better. Just as we
reached cruising altitude I saw a shooting star screaming through the
crystal clear pitch black air. I asked my kid if she'd seen it...
trying to cheer her up, but she hadn't. She began looking, though.
Then there was another streak, intensely bright and colored. Then
more and more of them. A full fledged meteor shower had broken out
and we had the best seat in the house. Here we were hanging in mid
air with the most amazing performance going on around us. It was if
the almighty had magnified and colored these flying jewels every color
of the rainbow. Big ones, little ones, and some that seemed to
stretch nearly from one horizon to the other. My daughter's whole
outlook on life was changed in an instant. We watched the show in
total silence with eyes and mouths wide open. When the show was over,
she came out of her funk and later struck up a REAL conversation.
Something too rare to behold between a teenage girl and her daddy.
Her eyes sparkled like the meteors we had just observed. Although
we'd always been close, I believe a stronger bond was formed between
us because we had witnessed something so rare. An event that very,
very few if any other people had experienced in the same manner. Then
to top things off, calls to FSS had ground fog at our destination, but
as we got closer daylight arrived and the fogbank was spotted from 50
miles away. Another call to FSS and they told us weather was clearing
at nearby airports. The fog lifted and dissipated as we watched,
while still clinging to lakes and ponds. It was surreal. We landed
in CAVU conditions and made it to graduation on time. Oh yeah, on the
way home we stopped at a grass strip on the edge of a lake with a good
restaurant within walking distance. I'll never forget the trip.
Neither will she.

"EDR" wrote in message
...

1980's...
Watching the string of landing lights of arriving aircraft east of
Oshkosh stretching out over Lake Michigan.

(Amusingly, followed by watching the arrivals try to find a parking
spot in the dark with out flag-people.)

In article , EDR
wrote:


Flying from Denver to Belle Fourche (SD) to meet my future in-laws. My
fiancée couldn't make it clear to her Dad, when asking him to pick us up at
the airport, that she meant the airport in Belle, not the commercial airport
in Rapid City.

Flying past Mount Rushmore, then taxiing up with my future in-laws watching.

Wow! Thanks for sharing this...

You should sell this story to Cessna...

"JJS" jschneider@REMOVE SOCKSpldi.net wrote in message
...
Taking off at 4:30 am on a 4 hour flight with my teenage daughter on
our way to see her cousin's graduation ceremony. My girl had just
broken up with a boy friend and was really depressed. She begged to
go on this long trip, as she was really close to her cousin. They
didn't get to see each other very often, as they attended college far
apart. The weather was iffy. I decided to try the flight anyway as
the ceiling and visibility were great at the departure airport and for
the first 200 miles of the route. We could check the weather as we
progressed and turn back if things didn't get better. Just as we
reached cruising altitude I saw a shooting star screaming through the
crystal clear pitch black air. I asked my kid if she'd seen it...
trying to cheer her up, but she hadn't. She began looking, though.
Then there was another streak, intensely bright and colored. Then
more and more of them. A full fledged meteor shower had broken out
and we had the best seat in the house. Here we were hanging in mid
air with the most amazing performance going on around us. It was if
the almighty had magnified and colored these flying jewels every color
of the rainbow. Big ones, little ones, and some that seemed to
stretch nearly from one horizon to the other. My daughter's whole
outlook on life was changed in an instant. We watched the show in
total silence with eyes and mouths wide open. When the show was over,
she came out of her funk and later struck up a REAL conversation.
Something too rare to behold between a teenage girl and her daddy.
Her eyes sparkled like the meteors we had just observed. Although
we'd always been close, I believe a stronger bond was formed between
us because we had witnessed something so rare. An event that very,
very few if any other people had experienced in the same manner. Then
to top things off, calls to FSS had ground fog at our destination, but
as we got closer daylight arrived and the fogbank was spotted from 50
miles away. Another call to FSS and they told us weather was clearing
at nearby airports. The fog lifted and dissipated as we watched,
while still clinging to lakes and ponds. It was surreal. We landed
in CAVU conditions and made it to graduation on time. Oh yeah, on the
way home we stopped at a grass strip on the edge of a lake with a good
restaurant within walking distance. I'll never forget the trip.
Neither will she.

"EDR" wrote in message
...

1980's...
Watching the string of landing lights of arriving aircraft east of
Oshkosh stretching out over Lake Michigan.

(Amusingly, followed by watching the arrivals try to find a parking
spot in the dark with out flag-people.)

"JJS" jschneider@REMOVE SOCKSpldi.net wrote in message
I'll never forget the trip.
Neither will she.

I'll bet. Excellent read.

--
Jim Fisher

Well... I would, but Cessna wouldn't be happy about it 'cause we were
in our "manly" Piper Cherokee :) See, that's another reason to own a
low wing airplane. Better view of the heavens! (He exits ducking and
running)!

8437R

"carlos" wrote in message
...
Wow! Thanks for sharing this...

You should sell this story to Cessna...

"JJS" jschneider@REMOVE SOCKSpldi.net wrote in message
...
Taking off at 4:30 am on a 4 hour flight with my teenage daughter
on
our way to see her cousin's graduation ceremony. My girl had just
broken up with a boy friend and was really depressed. She begged
to
go on this long trip, as she was really close to her cousin. They
didn't get to see each other very often, as they attended college
far
apart. The weather was iffy. I decided to try the flight anyway
as
the ceiling and visibility were great at the departure airport and
for
the first 200 miles of the route. We could check the weather as
we
progressed and turn back if things didn't get better. Just as we
reached cruising altitude I saw a shooting star screaming through
the
crystal clear pitch black air. I asked my kid if she'd seen it...
trying to cheer her up, but she hadn't. She began looking,
though.
Then there was another streak, intensely bright and colored. Then
more and more of them. A full fledged meteor shower had broken
out
and we had the best seat in the house. Here we were hanging in
mid
air with the most amazing performance going on around us. It was
if
the almighty had magnified and colored these flying jewels every
color
of the rainbow. Big ones, little ones, and some that seemed to
stretch nearly from one horizon to the other. My daughter's whole
outlook on life was changed in an instant. We watched the show in
total silence with eyes and mouths wide open. When the show was
over,
she came out of her funk and later struck up a REAL conversation.
Something too rare to behold between a teenage girl and her daddy.
Her eyes sparkled like the meteors we had just observed. Although
we'd always been close, I believe a stronger bond was formed
between
us because we had witnessed something so rare. An event that
very,
very few if any other people had experienced in the same manner.
Then
to top things off, calls to FSS had ground fog at our destination,
but
as we got closer daylight arrived and the fogbank was spotted from
50
miles away. Another call to FSS and they told us weather was
clearing
at nearby airports. The fog lifted and dissipated as we watched,
while still clinging to lakes and ponds. It was surreal. We
landed
in CAVU conditions and made it to graduation on time. Oh yeah, on
the
way home we stopped at a grass strip on the edge of a lake with a
good
restaurant within walking distance. I'll never forget the trip.
Neither will she.

"EDR" wrote in message
...

1980's...
Watching the string of landing lights of arriving aircraft east
of
Oshkosh stretching out over Lake Michigan.

(Amusingly, followed by watching the arrivals try to find a
parking
spot in the dark with out flag-people.)

ROFL...

Oops... We Cessna pilots believe everyone else like to look at the ground!

BTW, your post got me thinking about the one quality of low-wingers I hadn't
thought-off... unrestricted view of the heavens, clouds, etc...

Now if I could just get the sunroof on my 206 STC'd...! LOL



"JJS" jschneider@REMOVE SOCKSpldi.net wrote in message
...
Well... I would, but Cessna wouldn't be happy about it 'cause we were
in our "manly" Piper Cherokee :) See, that's another reason to own a
low wing airplane. Better view of the heavens! (He exits ducking and
running)!

8437R

"carlos" wrote in message
...
Wow! Thanks for sharing this...

You should sell this story to Cessna...

carlos wrote:
Oops... We Cessna pilots believe everyone else like to look at the ground!
BTW, your post got me thinking about the one quality of low-wingers I hadn't
thought-off... unrestricted view of the heavens, clouds, etc...

Only if they are Grumman's, Ercoupe's or similar canopy style aircraft.

Gosh, where to start, where to end?

Logging a half hour flying time in France 4 years ago from a small
field near Ambert. The club members were extremely patient with my
survival French and the instructor a great gentlemen who put his
12-year-old niece in the back so I could give her a first ride.
Afterward we enjoyed apéritifs in the club's full wet bar. The
French, I concluded, know how to enjoy life.


Flying over the California coast. My Aircoupe is a marvelous
sightseeing platform, and my favorite trip is from near Sacramento to
the Delta, then along the Sacramento River to the S.F. Bay and over
the Golden Gate Bridge. Make a left turn and down the coast to Half
Moon Bay, where you can walk to town in 5 minutes, get lunch, and
return, all in a few hours. It would take a full day to do it by car
and the stress of traffic would ruin it.


Young Eagles rides, and the last batch I did in September. 9 kids in
an Aircoupe means 9 separate flights, but it was worth it to see their
excitement, smiles and joy, and the parents' appreciation.

I'll always remember the last little girl, nine or ten years old. The
first thing she asked was, "Can we go fast? I like going fast."
"Sure, we'll go fast," I answered, figuring even an Aircoupe had to be
faster than cars. As we taxied out with the canopy back, she asked if
I could leave it open during flying. "Well," I said, "how about we
close it for takeoff, then I'll open it when we get in the air?" I
didn't think she really knew how noisy and windy it would be with it
open and didn't want to deal with a frightened child on takeoff.

So off we went for our 15 minute loop out and back. She said the
normal things about how small everything looked, but kept pestering me
about opening the canopy. On the downwind she asked again and now,
feeling a little guilty and figuring we were slow enough to give her a
taste of it, I undid the latches and cracked it open a couple of
inches. I was in mid-sentance responding to a request from the tower
when she couldn't stand it anymore. "ALL THE WAY OPEN!" she wailed.
Without another word I reached up and yanked it back. A blast of air
blew my chart and papers around and the engine roar drowned out the air
noise. She was happy now--she was really flying.

I was lucky enough to have spent a couple of years flying a B-17 and
B-24 around the country giving rides. Many of those rides were to
former bomber crew from WWII.

I can't pick any one flight. But it would be one of those when a
veteran, many times with tears in his eyes, would give me a thumbs-up or
thank me for the flight. Imagine that, a guy that had flown the
airplane in combat in a war to save the world, thanking me for taking
him for a ride. I never got used to that.

--
Dale L. Falk

There is nothing - absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing
as simply messing around with airplanes.

http://home.gci.net/~sncdfalk/flying.html

Hi Group,

I don't chime in too often, but this thread compelled me to share my strongest
aviation reminiscense.


I earned my PPL late in life. As with many, marriage, family and other
responsibilities of life made flying an impossible dream. Living across the
country from my parents, I was never able to share the joy of flying with them
until last year. Two years ago, my father began battling an illness which we
knew, in our hearts, would rapidly deplete his remaining years. A month after
his diagnosis, I took the time to fly myself out for a visit. I endeavored to
spend as much time with as possible.

On my first flight out there, he seemed proud that his "renegade" son actually
accomplished something in life. After some discussion, I was able to coax him
into a sightseeing flight. After assisting him into the co-pilots seat of the
little Cessna, buckling him in, adjusting his headset, and giving him a short
briefing, we started the engine, taxied, and took off.

At first he was silent, and I didn't want to speak. Sometimes words need not
be spoken, but in our case, the lack of conversation was from years of a
strained father-son relationship. Then, through the intercom, my father
started talking to me. He talked to me in a way in which we had never spoken.
He told me that he had always wanted to learn to fly, but due to his
responsibilities of family and life, he could never afford the lessons. He
told me about the unspoken pride he felt when he heard that I earned my Pilot's
License. It was then I realized that his sacrifices in life, gave me the
opportunity to learn to fly. We flew for what seemed like hours, I didn't want
our flight, or our conversation to end.

For several visits, I was able to take my father for a short flight. He seemed
to be in another world when he was flying. Eventually, his feeble body began
deteriorating at a rapid pace, leaving him bedridden.

Then, late one night, came the dreaded phone call. I was able to get to his
bedside, less than an hour before my father passed.

During my father's viewing, I wore one of my few suits which had the little
gold AOPA wing on my lapel. My wife reached up to straighten my wings, which
for some odd reason, always seem to sit crooked on my lapel. At that moment, I
walked over to the casket where my father lay, and pinned my AOPA wings on his
lapel, gently kissed him on the cheek, and said, ""Dad, these wings really
belong to you. Hang onto to them for me. You can give them back when I see
you again."

Those wings sat straight on his lapel…..