Who among us had/has a parent who flew/flies?

I share the same passion and get giddy when my children (7 and 2)
express an interest in going flying! Up until recently, we would take
family trips up to the airport and throw the kids bikes in the back of
my truck... I would wash and wax the plane and the kids would ride
their bikes around our fairly vacant airport. (Okay, so my two year
old son would sit in the airplane, pulling and pushing anything he
could get his hands on, while my seven year old daughter would ride her
bike around the airport). I would want to go up for a quick spin
around the pattern and would ask my daughter if she would want to go
for a quick ride, to which she would respond, "No thanks... I'll just
ride my bike around..." OUCH!!!

Well... about a month ago, my daughter said, "daddy, will you teach me
how to fly?" I told my wife, "gotta go!!! I'm going to give my first
"unofficial" flying lesson!!! Woo Hoo!!!". My daughter and I went up
to about 5,500 feet and I started explaining the horizon, showed her
the altimeter and what it does when you pull back on the yoke and what
it does when you push forward on the yoke... Showed her the VSI and
it's reactions, then the DG... I then had her peforming shallow turns,
while maintaining altitude. It would often require a little nudge with
my thumb to get her back down to altitude, or a tug of the finger to
get her back up to altitude, but for the most part, I would point out
the VSI and point out that it was going down and that she needed to
pull back gently and visa-versa. So, we did this for about an hour and
believe it or not, I think she got it, to some extent??? She then
asked me what every single instrument in the plane was for and
expressed a genuine interest in hearing my response!

I am soooo stoked about this, and look forward to MANY trips as she
gets older, where I can sit back and let her get us from point A to
point B, because she wants to!!!

1 year old is still young and all that seems to happen at that point is
the engine noise puts them right to sleep. I'm sure your wife will
come around in time and you can start taking the family on those trips
that will forever be engrained in their minds!

My friends think I'm a little nuts because I want to continue teaching
my seven year old to fly, so I'm glad to hear that there are others who
feel the same way!

Best of luck!
Todd

I also remember my Dad ferrying the plane to the
Tri-Cities area of Washington State and how much fun it was when I got
to take the controls for a while.

BTW - It was out of Snohomish, where my dad took me up at two weeks
old. I think I've
flown out of there a lot, but don't remember much of it... ;-)

Todd,

Thanks! I'm glad I'm not alone in this either. I did forget to mention
that my first word was "airplane" (in kid-speak, of course).

CUL!
Chris

My two year old can spot a Jet flying over at 50,000 feet! (We live
under a victor airway from SAC to RENO) He can say airplane, but for
some reason he sticks to umm-umm??? He's been saying it for over a
year.

It is so cool to see him perk up, when he hears one flying over... He
goes, "ooooohhhhhh, umm-umm!!!"

Best Regards!

I am the first in my family to get my pilots license.
I have a second cousin on my father side that has his pilots license as
well. We are the only two in an extended family of over a hundred.
Michelle

john smith wrote:

Just curious how much "trickle-down" aviation there is among us?

My father flew, that is how I got started. We never owned a plane of our
own, only rented. I got my first plane ride when I was three.
He was my first passenger upon passing my PPC checkride and J3 checkout.
I got to fly him to Oshkosh for his first trip there.

My father is a lifelong aviation nut. He went to school to be a
aeronautical engineer, but the school wasn't accredited properly. I went
through the dozens and dozens of notebooks he did, all in india ink, all
lettered, solving trig and engineering math problems. His work was neat, and
precise to the point of being artistic. He drew up plans for new designs
and built models of them. However, he was not able to get the degree he
needed, and spent the rest of his life working in other areas.

We spent summer Sundays at airports. Pilots are not an especially congenial
lot, especially when talking to casual visitors. So we stood aloof and
watched. I developed a love for the sheer mystery of it all. Sometimes,
even now I look at my wings above the clouds and cannot believe that anyone,
especially I, can do this. I take my father along whenever I can.

My mother passed away about five years ago. She left me some money, and I
used it to buy an old airplane. I believe that machine has a benevolent and
protective soul which has saved me on more than one occasion. My mother was
totally devoted to my brother and me, and nothing keeps her memory closer
than flying that airplane.

The first long trip in the airplane after I got my license was when I took
the family to Disneyworld. It was a picture-perfect trip, but destined to
be our last as a family. We divorced shortly thereafter.

On the other hand, my two boys couldn't care less about flying. I could
interest the older boy a little when I told him that chicks dig pilots, but
now that he's older he calls my bluff and says well, what happened to you?


"john smith" wrote in message
...
Just curious how much "trickle-down" aviation there is among us?

My father flew, that is how I got started. We never owned a plane of our
own, only rented. I got my first plane ride when I was three.
He was my first passenger upon passing my PPC checkride and J3 checkout.
I got to fly him to Oshkosh for his first trip there.

john smith wrote:
Just curious how much "trickle-down" aviation there is among us?

My father flew, that is how I got started. We never owned a plane of our
own, only rented. I got my first plane ride when I was three.
He was my first passenger upon passing my PPC checkride and J3 checkout.
I got to fly him to Oshkosh for his first trip there.


My dad started in Stearmans back in 1943, then went on to fly C-47s in the
Mediterean Theater in WWII. After a relatively short mustering out, he went
back in for Korea and flew C-46s. When that war ended, he was a ROTC instructor
at Brooklyn College and flew cadets around in a C-45. His next billet involved
flying C-121s, SA-16s and C-54s for Air Rescue. Our last duty station before he
retired was with the 6th Weather Wing at Andrews AFB, Camp Springs, MD when I
was in the 8th grade.

He never touched an airplane again until I handed over control of a Cherokee Six
to him on a trip down to the Bahamas. Within 5 minutes, he was holding heading
within 5 degrees and altitude within 50 feet. Not too shabby for an old fart.

I let him fly a couple of months ago with me (he's now 81) and he didn't
disgrace himself that time either.

My mother hated us flying. It was worse after I had an accident where I got
hurt pretty badly. I ended up giving it up myself when I lost my medical back
in 1990. She was delighted (although she always denied it). Anyway, since she
died last year, I got my medical back this spring and here I am... and my old
man never gave me a bit of grief about starting again. I think he's proud of
me. I know I am of him.



--
Mortimer Schnerd, RN

VE

"john smith" wrote in message
...
Just curious how much "trickle-down" aviation there is among us?

I grew up knowing that my father was a top turret gunner in the 100th Bomb
Group on a B-17 late in WWII. In the last few years I also found out that my
dad started taking flying lessons in the early 40's in a Luscombe (currently
located just south of Jay H.) but never soloed. I also had an uncle that use
to fly until he got married in the late 30's or early 40's. His wife forbade
him from flying again.

(OT) My dad and I are going to Pittsburgh next week for a 100th Bomb Group
reunion. It's great to listen to all the stories!
http://100thbg.org/index.htm

-Greg B.

I think we live under that same victor airway in Grass Valley. WHere you
at?

Jim



" (We live
under a victor airway from SAC to RENO)

Garden Valley... 036 off of SAC and 300 off of Hangtown...