Childhood memories

[winsor68]

I am fortunate. My Dad was nuts about flying ...and making home super 8movies.

 

This footage shows me at about 4 years old going for a fly...I always thought these Cessnas werent real planes...

 

 

 

[Head in the clouds]

Great thread idea pm. It's good to hear what events later provoked people into aviation.

 

I had little hope of avoiding flying I think, there were a lot of early influences. Until I was 5 years old we lived in a remote part of southern Africa about 100 miles from the nearest town and nearby was a quite large mission church. Its roof was painted bright silver and visible for fifty miles from the air so naturally the Air Force used it for navigation and bombing practice. They were training in Spitfires first and later Vampires. They certainly put the fear of God into all of us when we went to church on Sundays.

 

My parents were employed developing schools and clinics over there and every few years we all went to UK on a training sabbatical and holiday for six months at a time. We left on the first trip when I was just turned five and it was a most wonderful adventure. The first leg was a five hour Land Rover journey to 'the big smoke', an overnight stay with colleagues prior to the first flight next morning. Dawn saw us through informal Passport control on the dusty apron and then climbing into the 'huge' DC3 for a hot and bumpy but exhilarating low level (below 10,000ft but the ground was 5,000ft) flight south, i.e. in the wrong direction, to Johannesburg in South Africa. There we transferred to a super-modern (for Africa in those days) De Havilland Viscount with it's stunning four turboprop engines.

 

Soon we were having a delicious lunch - as far as I can remember, just a couple of sandwiches and a hungry kid I expect - and nothing could keep me away from the window and the wondrous views, an exciting landing for more pax and take-off at Lourenco Marques in Mozambique, first ever views of the ocean, high mountains and the immense Lake in Nyasaland (now Malawi), and all too soon we were descending into the evening at Dar Es Salaam in Tanzania (or Tanganyika, as it was called back then). Passenger planes didn't fly at night in Africa in those days so we were transferred to a comfortable Colonial Hotel for dinner, bed and breakfast. In the pre-dawn we were bussed to the Airport for a day of short hops up the East Coast picking and dropping passengers at Nairobi in Kenya, Kampala in Uganda, Addis Ababa in Ethiopia then across the Sudan for a second overnight stop at Khartoum on the confluence of the White and Blue Nile Rivers. I remember being dreadfully disappointed there because I loved Cartoons and thought that's what would be there! Additionally I was feeling a bit lonely and increasingly sad for my Teddy who was missing the adventure because I'd inadvertently left him on the settee at our colleagues house on the first day.

 

The next day was all North African desert and very bumpy though I couldn't for the life of me understand why so many people were complaining, refusing their food and drinks and generally being disgusting with vomiting all the time. I thought it was all great fun! The next stop was Cairo and a short break for a ground trip to the Pyramids and Sphinx which I don't remember unfortunately because I slept through it all, and then on to Tripoli in Libya and I think that was the next overnight stop. The next day saw us landing at Tunis in Tunisia, across the Mediterranean to Rome and then up the length of Italy on a long climb to clear the Alps which was a gloriously clear day so my first views of really big mountains and snow is forever etched in memory. The last overnight stop was in Zurich in Switzerland.

 

The next day was 'all green' on the final leg into Heathrow near London.

 

There was lots of aviation related 'stuff' while in UK as my uncle had been a Hurricane and Lancaster pilot in the war (sadly lost in a Lanc from 'friendly fire' during a bomb dump over the North Sea following an aborted mission), and my Grandfather had just retired as head toolmaker from De Havilland so he was able to take us on a visit through the factory, and of course we had to 'do' all the aviation museums and shows, I was a kid in heaven!

 

The return to Africa was a great disappointment though, we ended up on the first flight of the BOAC Comet service to Johannnesburg. It only had two or three refuelling stops and no overnights in 'luxury' hotels. The only highlight was the rocket assisted take-off in Nairobi because the airport is hot and high and relatively short runway. Those rocket boosters certainly provided a spirited initial climb rate.

 

On future UK trips we decided the mailships would be a more entertaining means of travel than the new jets so we took the two day Pullman carriage rail trip down to Cape Town to meet the Union Castle Liners for the 14 day cruise to Portsmouth. Hence I became a lover of rail and ocean travel also. The long rail journey through the savannah, deserts and Drakensberg mountains has scenery 'to die for' and it's hard to beat a fortnight cruise ... but that meant I was in my mid teens before I got to fly again. That happened when I met an Airforce instructor who owned a Chipmunk and loved aerobatics so I did a lot of polishing aluminium in return for rides.

 

I've always felt incredibly privileged to have had such a marvellous introduction to flying and with that in mind I've taken every opportunity to 'give back' by taking other youngsters flying, their excitement and wide grins are all the reward I could ever ask for. It's such a shame that fear of litigation is making this less common these days.

 

 

[metalman]

Great thread idea pm. It's good to hear what events later provoked people into aviation.I had little hope of avoiding flying I think, there were a lot of early influences. Until I was 5 years old we lived in a remote part of southern Africa about 100 miles from the nearest town and nearby was a quite large mission church. Its roof was painted bright silver and visible for fifty miles from the air so naturally the Air Force used it for navigation and bombing practice. They were training in Spitfires first and later Vampires. They certainly put the fear of God into all of us when we went to church on Sundays.

 

My parents were employed developing schools and clinics over there and every few years we all went to UK on a training sabbatical and holiday for six months at a time. We left on the first trip when I was just turned five and it was a most wonderful adventure. The first leg was a five hour Land Rover journey to 'the big smoke', an overnight stay with colleagues prior to the first flight next morning. Dawn saw us through informal Passport control on the dusty apron and then climbing into the 'huge' DC3 for a hot and bumpy but exhilarating low level (below 10,000ft but the ground was 5,000ft) flight south, i.e. in the wrong direction, to Johannesburg in South Africa. There we transferred to a super-modern (for Africa in those days) De Havilland Viscount with it's stunning four turboprop engines.

 

Soon we were having a delicious lunch - as far as I can remember, just a couple of sandwiches and a hungry kid I expect - and nothing could keep me away from the window and the wondrous views, an exciting landing for more pax and take-off at Lourenco Marques in Mozambique, first ever views of the ocean, high mountains and the immense Lake in Nyasaland (now Malawi), and all too soon we were descending into the evening at Dar Es Salaam in Tanzania (or Tanganyika, as it was called back then). Passenger planes didn't fly at night in Africa in those days so we were transferred to a comfortable Colonial Hotel for dinner, bed and breakfast. In the pre-dawn we were bussed to the Airport for a day of short hops up the East Coast picking and dropping passengers at Nairobi in Kenya, Kampala in Uganda, Addis Ababa in Ethiopia then across the Sudan for a second overnight stop at Khartoum on the confluence of the White and Blue Nile Rivers. I remember being dreadfully disappointed there because I loved Cartoons and thought that's what would be there! Additionally I was feeling a bit lonely and increasingly sad for my Teddy who was missing the adventure because I'd inadvertently left him on the settee at our colleagues house on the first day.

 

The next day was all North African desert and very bumpy though I couldn't for the life of me understand why so many people were complaining, refusing their food and drinks and generally being disgusting with vomiting all the time. I thought it was all great fun! The next stop was Cairo and a short break for a ground trip to the Pyramids and Sphinx which I don't remember unfortunately because I slept through it all, and then on to Tripoli in Libya and I think that was the next overnight stop. The next day saw us landing at Tunis in Tunisia, across the Mediterranean to Rome and then up the length of Italy on a long climb to clear the Alps which was a gloriously clear day so my first views of really big mountains and snow is forever etched in memory. The last overnight stop was in Zurich in Switzerland.

 

The next day was 'all green' on the final leg into Heathrow near London.

 

There was lots of aviation related 'stuff' while in UK as my uncle had been a Hurricane and Lancaster pilot in the war (sadly lost in a Lanc from 'friendly fire' during a bomb dump over the North Sea following an aborted mission), and my Grandfather had just retired as head toolmaker from De Havilland so he was able to take us on a visit through the factory, and of course we had to 'do' all the aviation museums and shows, I was a kid in heaven!

 

The return to Africa was a great disappointment though, we ended up on the first flight of the BOAC Comet service to Johannnesburg. It only had two or three refuelling stops and no overnights in 'luxury' hotels. The only highlight was the rocket assisted take-off in Nairobi because the airport is hot and high and relatively short runway. Those rocket boosters certainly provided a spirited initial climb rate.

 

On future UK trips we decided the mailships would be a more entertaining means of travel than the new jets so we took the two day Pullman carriage rail trip down to Cape Town to meet the Union Castle Liners for the 14 day cruise to Portsmouth. Hence I became a lover of rail and ocean travel also. The long rail journey through the savannah, deserts and Drakensberg mountains has scenery 'to die for' and it's hard to beat a fortnight cruise ... but that meant I was in my mid teens before I got to fly again. That happened when I met an Airforce instructor who owned a Chipmunk and loved aerobatics so I did a lot of polishing aluminium in return for rides.

 

I've always felt incredibly privileged to have had such a marvellous introduction to flying and with that in mind I've taken every opportunity to 'give back' by taking other youngsters flying, their excitement and wide grins are all the reward I could ever ask for. It's such a shame that fear of litigation is making this less common these days.

I've got a few mates from that part of the world, all problems aside ,they all have great stories of SA in the post war years,

Great post mate

 

Matty

 

 

[Butch]

I lived on our farm North of Puckapunyal Military Range in the early 60's and remember the flight path for Fighter Jets on bombing runs when over the top of our house.

 

They would pass over at about 100 to 150 feet just over the trees, so low we could see the 500lb bombs on the wings and the pilot in the cockpit.

 

It would scare the shi.... out of you ...... they were so fast and low you didn't here there approach, just this black shadow above followed by a tremendous roar.

 

I remember one day I was helping my Dad change plough points and I was lying on the ground under the plough when one came over low and fast.........I bolted as I thought someone had jumped on the tractor and was driving off or the tractor had blown up !

 

Those pilots must have a ton of guts ....100s of ks per hr just above the trees......I think they were F1 11s as they had the sweep back wings,

 

cheers Butch

 

 

[Guernsey]

Didn't get my first flight until my 19th birthday then another 2 years for my first landing.

Stone the crows ozzie, that was a helluva long flight.

 

 

[eightyknots]

Great thread idea pm. It's good to hear what events later provoked people into aviation.I had little hope of avoiding flying I think, there were a lot of early influences. Until I was 5 years old we lived in a remote part of southern Africa about 100 miles from the nearest town and nearby was a quite large mission church. Its roof was painted bright silver and visible for fifty miles from the air so naturally the Air Force used it for navigation and bombing practice. They were training in Spitfires first and later Vampires. They certainly put the fear of God into all of us when we went to church on Sundays.

 

My parents were employed developing schools and clinics over there and every few years we all went to UK on a training sabbatical and holiday for six months at a time. We left on the first trip when I was just turned five and it was a most wonderful adventure. The first leg was a five hour Land Rover journey to 'the big smoke', an overnight stay with colleagues prior to the first flight next morning. Dawn saw us through informal Passport control on the dusty apron and then climbing into the 'huge' DC3 for a hot and bumpy but exhilarating low level (below 10,000ft but the ground was 5,000ft) flight south, i.e. in the wrong direction, to Johannesburg in South Africa. There we transferred to a super-modern (for Africa in those days) De Havilland Viscount with it's stunning four turboprop engines.

 

Soon we were having a delicious lunch - as far as I can remember, just a couple of sandwiches and a hungry kid I expect - and nothing could keep me away from the window and the wondrous views, an exciting landing for more pax and take-off at Lourenco Marques in Mozambique, first ever views of the ocean, high mountains and the immense Lake in Nyasaland (now Malawi), and all too soon we were descending into the evening at Dar Es Salaam in Tanzania (or Tanganyika, as it was called back then). Passenger planes didn't fly at night in Africa in those days so we were transferred to a comfortable Colonial Hotel for dinner, bed and breakfast. In the pre-dawn we were bussed to the Airport for a day of short hops up the East Coast picking and dropping passengers at Nairobi in Kenya, Kampala in Uganda, Addis Ababa in Ethiopia then across the Sudan for a second overnight stop at Khartoum on the confluence of the White and Blue Nile Rivers. I remember being dreadfully disappointed there because I loved Cartoons and thought that's what would be there! Additionally I was feeling a bit lonely and increasingly sad for my Teddy who was missing the adventure because I'd inadvertently left him on the settee at our colleagues house on the first day.

 

The next day was all North African desert and very bumpy though I couldn't for the life of me understand why so many people were complaining, refusing their food and drinks and generally being disgusting with vomiting all the time. I thought it was all great fun! The next stop was Cairo and a short break for a ground trip to the Pyramids and Sphinx which I don't remember unfortunately because I slept through it all, and then on to Tripoli in Libya and I think that was the next overnight stop. The next day saw us landing at Tunis in Tunisia, across the Mediterranean to Rome and then up the length of Italy on a long climb to clear the Alps which was a gloriously clear day so my first views of really big mountains and snow is forever etched in memory. The last overnight stop was in Zurich in Switzerland.

 

The next day was 'all green' on the final leg into Heathrow near London.

 

There was lots of aviation related 'stuff' while in UK as my uncle had been a Hurricane and Lancaster pilot in the war (sadly lost in a Lanc from 'friendly fire' during a bomb dump over the North Sea following an aborted mission), and my Grandfather had just retired as head toolmaker from De Havilland so he was able to take us on a visit through the factory, and of course we had to 'do' all the aviation museums and shows, I was a kid in heaven!

 

The return to Africa was a great disappointment though, we ended up on the first flight of the BOAC Comet service to Johannnesburg. It only had two or three refuelling stops and no overnights in 'luxury' hotels. The only highlight was the rocket assisted take-off in Nairobi because the airport is hot and high and relatively short runway. Those rocket boosters certainly provided a spirited initial climb rate.

 

On future UK trips we decided the mailships would be a more entertaining means of travel than the new jets so we took the two day Pullman carriage rail trip down to Cape Town to meet the Union Castle Liners for the 14 day cruise to Portsmouth. Hence I became a lover of rail and ocean travel also. The long rail journey through the savannah, deserts and Drakensberg mountains has scenery 'to die for' and it's hard to beat a fortnight cruise ... but that meant I was in my mid teens before I got to fly again. That happened when I met an Airforce instructor who owned a Chipmunk and loved aerobatics so I did a lot of polishing aluminium in return for rides.

 

I've always felt incredibly privileged to have had such a marvellous introduction to flying and with that in mind I've taken every opportunity to 'give back' by taking other youngsters flying, their excitement and wide grins are all the reward I could ever ask for. It's such a shame that fear of litigation is making this less common these days.

A great story, H I T C !

 

 

[Guest ozzie]

I lived on our farm North of Puckapunyal Military Range in the early 60's and remember the flight path for Fighter Jets on bombing runs when over the top of our house.They would pass over at about 100 to 150 feet just over the trees, so low we could see the 500lb bombs on the wings and the pilot in the cockpit.

 

It would scare the shi.... out of you ...... they were so fast and low you didn't here there approach, just this black shadow above followed by a tremendous roar.

 

I remember one day I was helping my Dad change plough points and I was lying on the ground under the plough when one came over low and fast.........I bolted as I thought someone had jumped on the tractor and was driving off or the tractor had blown up !

 

Those pilots must have a ton of guts ....100s of ks per hr just above the trees......I think they were F1 11s as they had the sweep back wings,

 

cheers Butch

I don't think we got the F111 until 1973, we had Mirages from 1962 or 3. They may have been Sabres we had them from the 50's thru to the 60's.

 

My grandparents had a farm at Booral not far from Williamtown, same thing with high speed beatups during the 60's with the Mirages. Odd sonic boom meant no eggs for a while.

 

 

[Butch]

I don't think we got the F111 until 1973, we had Mirages from 1962 or 3. They may have been Sabres we had them from the 50's thru to the 60's.My grandparents had a farm at Booral not far from Williamtown, same thing with high speed beatups during the 60's with the Mirages. Odd sonic boom meant no eggs for a while.

You are probably right Ozzie!

I think they were Mirages..... it was when Nasho Service was in full swing and most of the training was at Pucka

 

 

[sfGnome]

I lived on our farm North of Puckapunyal Military Range in the early 60's and remember the flight path for Fighter Jets on bombing runs when over the top of our house.They would pass over at about 100 to 150 feet just over the trees, so low we could see the 500lb bombs on the wings and the pilot in the cockpit.

 

It would scare the shi.... out of you ...... they were so fast and low you didn't here there approach, just this black shadow above followed by a tremendous roar.

 

I remember one day I was helping my Dad change plough points and I was lying on the ground under the plough when one came over low and fast.........I bolted as I thought someone had jumped on the tractor and was driving off or the tractor had blown up !

 

Those pilots must have a ton of guts ....100s of ks per hr just above the trees......I think they were F1 11s as they had the sweep back wings,

 

cheers Butch

My brother used to have a farm at Crookwell. He was mustering sheep one day when an F111 came over the ridge, very low and very fast. He said that he didn't hear it until it was passed, and then he had to go and regather the flock from the four corners of the paddock...

 

 

[sfGnome]

You're right, Gnome! I saw them on the Moody Blues album cover "To our children's children's children".

O.K., that's brilliant. I'd like to pretend that was what I meant all along, but that would involve bending the truth well past the elastic limit!

 

 

[storchy neil]

my first sight of real big aircraft was at the age of 6 years old as my father was driving passed the longest strip in the southern hemi in 1951 were was I neil

 

 

[Old Koreelah]

...but that would involve bending the truth well past the elastic limit!

...never let the facts get in the way of a good story!

 

 

[geoffreywh]

Ahhh Childhood memories. That's all I've got these days!

 

 

[facthunter]

Do infants have as much fun in infancy as adults do in adultery?

 

 

[pmccarthy]

My dad made me a wooden Tiger Moth when I was five. Plywood wings and a coat of Silverfrost. It was the best present I can remember. Anyone remember reading Simon Black? He had rotor blades in his wings.

 

 

[eightyknots]

my first sight of real big aircraft was at the age of 6 years old as my father was driving passed the longest strip in the southern hemi in 1951 were was I neil

Neil, where is that located?

 

 

[Head in the clouds]

Neil, where is that located?

So much depends on who you ask, 80 ...

 

If you ask an Aussie it will be somewhere in Australia for sure. Longest strip in 1951? If it was in Australia it might have been Mangalore, at just over 2000m. But - Nairobi and Johannesburg are both above 5000ft elevation and used by military, so are relatively long, and La Paz has always had a very long strip since Bolivia's Military Aviation School was established there as early as 1916 and at an elevation above 13,000ft!

 

This Aussie thing of "the longest/biggest/widest/heaviest whatever in the southern hemisphere" has always intrigued me. It's pretty convenient limiting it to the southern hemisphere since, relatively speaking, there isn't much development south of the equator.

 

The prize goes to the tourism operators in the Kimberley. When I first went up there they were all telling the tourists that Lake Argyle was the largest man made lake in the southern hemisphere, and it held 42 times as much water as Sydney harbour. The truth though, is that Lake Argyle is a mere puddle compared to the largest (by volume) in the southern hemisphere - which is also the largest in the world - Lake Kariba, and Lake Cahora Bassa just downstream on the the Zambesi, isn't far behind. Kariba holds around 180 cubic kilometers of water (or gigalitres), Argyle, although a magnificent and very scenic lake, holds less than 10 ... which is about 9 times the volume of Sydney harbour.

 

 

[eightyknots]

So much depends on who you ask, 80 ...If you ask an Aussie it will be somewhere in Australia for sure. Longest strip in 1951? If it was in Australia it might have been Mangalore, at just over 2000m. But - Nairobi and Johannesburg are both above 5000ft elevation and used by military, so are relatively long, and La Paz has always had a very long strip since Bolivia's Military Aviation School was established there as early as 1916 and at an elevation above 13,000ft!

 

This Aussie thing of "the longest/biggest/widest/heaviest whatever in the southern hemisphere" has always intrigued me. It's pretty convenient limiting it to the southern hemisphere since, relatively speaking, there isn't much development south of the equator.

 

The prize goes to the tourism operators in the Kimberley. When I first went up there they were all telling the tourists that Lake Argyle was the largest man made lake in the southern hemisphere, and it held 42 times as much water as Sydney harbour. The truth though, is that Lake Argyle is a mere puddle compared to the largest (by volume) in the southern hemisphere - which is also the largest in the world - Lake Kariba, and Lake Cahora Bassa just downstream on the the Zambesi, isn't far behind. Kariba holds around 180 cubic kilometers of water (or gigalitres), Argyle, although a magnificent and very scenic lake, holds less than 10 ... which is about 9 times the volume of Sydney harbour.

Some journalists and most tourism operators seem to suffer from the same disease: exaggeritis.

 

I am sure that tourism operators have adopted the unofficial journalists' motto: "Why spoil a good story with the facts?"

 

 

[Phil Perry]

Yuh, sitting on Mornington beach every weekend watching them and of course the 3DB radio station's "Flying Tadpole" shark patrol.

 

I remember standing in the tower at Moorabbin one day when the "Tadpole" had just landed, and something went horribly wrong with mainwheel brakes and the aircraft stood on it's nose ! ! ! ! ! I remember the controllers almost wee - weeing themselves. . . . .

 

 

[planedriver]

As a child born towards the end of WW2, we lived in Surrey midway between Biggin Hill with its squadrons of Spitfires, Kenley Aerodrome with the Hurricanes and Croydon Airport with mainly DC3s. So we saw plenty of aircraft activity which got me intrigued.

 

Mr Davis the bank manager who lived up the road used to fly a Tiger Moth and he took me for my first ride when I was about 8yrs old and I couldn't see over the sides properly but I loved it. He promised me that next time we would do a loop the loop, but that never happened as he died of a heart attack a few months later.

 

One thing funny that I remember when we got our first television, a black and white 12inch screen Murphy, was when the milkmans son came around to watch it. It was the first time he'd seen a television and the program had this aeroplane flying towards the camera. Well the poor little bugger nearly sh*t himself because he thought it was going to come crashing through the screen, so he dived under the dining table to get out of the way and gashed his head in the process.

 

 

[eightyknots]

As a child born towards the end of WW2, we lived in Surrey midway between Biggin Hill with its squadrons of Spitfires, Kenley Aerodrome with the Hurricanes and Croydon Airport with mainly DC3s. So we saw plenty of aircraft activity which got me intrigued.Mr Davis the bank manager who lived up the road used to fly a Tiger Moth and he took me for my first ride when I was about 8yrs old and I couldn't see over the sides properly but I loved it. He promised me that next time we would do a loop the loop, but that never happened as he died of a heart attack a few months later.

One thing funny that I remember when we got our first television, a black and white 12inch screen Murphy, was when the milkmans son came around to watch it. It was the first time he'd seen a television and the program had this aeroplane flying towards the camera. Well the poor little bugger nearly sh*t himself because he thought it was going to come crashing through the screen, so he dived under the dining table to get out of the way and gashed his head in the process.

Just as well that didn't happen mid-flight with you as the PAX!

 

 

[bexrbetter]

One thing funny that I remember when we got our first television, a black and white 12inch screen Murphy, was when the milkmans son came around to watch it.

I think it's fitting that you invited your brother around

 

 

[IanR]

Apparently when I was about 2 living in Berkshire I used to watch the bombers taking off from Greenham Common. Earliest clear memory was getting off an aircraft in Adelaide and looking up at the four engines - don't know what it was - early 60s I guess. After that a diet of Biggles books and building airfix kits probably sealed things. When I was in high school our science lab looked out over Rose Bay so more time spent looking at the Flying Boats operating that listening to the lessons !

 

 

[facthunter]

IF they were Radials , it was a DC 4 or DC6b. The DC6b was pressurised, so it's the most likely one. Nev

 

 

[M61A1]

WW2 movies as a kid, any plane with big teeth!! Honours to Corsairs with Gull wings too.

Yep, grew up watching Baa Baa Black Sheep (Black Sheep Squadron for the yanks). I have the series on my computer now, I watch it every now and then. The over acting is terrible, but they do throw in some actual gun camera footage sometimes. The first Aircraft I can remember were Army Kiowas and Porters, they used to land in a paddock down the road from us. I took a photo of a Kiowa (A17-001) at an airshow in the 70's, then I got to work on the same aircraft for a while a couple of years ago.