Ok, How did you get the flying bug??

[Tomo]

Let's start a thread on, How did you get into flying.....

 

Ok, me first....

 

I got the flying bug when I was about 12yrs old, going for a joy flight in a friends C182, and the bit that got me was the view...just awesome...and you feel so free and able to go anywhere....

 

Also how did you come across the Forum??

 

I saw it advertised in the RAA magazine and thought I'd come and check it out...and it was Love at first sight....

 

 

[Guest ozzie]

probably watching to many episodes of "Sky King" "Jet Jackson" and "Ripcord" when i was a kid.

 

Ozzie

 

 

[pudestcon]

When I was about 10 watching a flock of crows thermalling and I thought "Wow! I want to do that". Funny thing is I've never taken to gliders; I prefer the open cockpit 'rag n tube' Drifters and Thrusters although I'm flying out of Narrogin at the moment in the Gazelle.

 

I have'nt seen crows doing that for a long time now; I s'pose they still thermal.

 

Pud

 

 

[Guest Cralis]

Listening to my grand fathers (American) stories of joining the Canadian airforce to join the war... flying Spitfires, getting shot down... doing some POW time... escaping, training young pilots on the Lanchaster.. but his main story was his passion for flying. Then getting flown about when I was 7 in multiple small fixed wings and helicopters. When I grow up - I wanna do this! (SO I became a software developer. :( )

 

 

[icebob]

No jobs in Northern Tasmania so I joined the Navy and I wanted to do aircraft engineering/pilot and things developed from there in the Fleet Air Arm.

 

Bob.

 

 

[shags_j]

Went on a joy flight in a c182 in scouts. Loved it but really caught the bug when I next flew in Air Cadets. My very first night we went for a fly in a Caribou. I was sold!!!

 

 

[Guest weekendwarrior]

My dad was in the French Air Force (doing ATC) so I grew up not far from an airbase, spending a fair bit of time looking up in the air for the Mirage flying by on a daily basis. Now there are noise restrictions I guess, but back then they would break the sound barrier every so often, I can still remember the boom...

 

 

[Deskpilot]

I joked with my father about joining the RAF. He couldn't get me to the recruiting office quick enough. Damm good move, not that I was aircrew but did get my first flight ever, in a Blackburn Beverley (Look it up)

 

Found this site by accident whilst looking for RAAus.

 

 

[Tomo]

my first flight ever, in a Blackburn Beverley (Look it up).

There a different looking aircraft aren't they....:)

 

 

[Thx1137]

I wanted to join the air force when I was a kid. Those aircraft just looked awesome. :-) I didn't think I really had it in me to be able to fly a jet so I gave up without even trying.

 

9 Months ago I was faced with a choice, find something wildly expensive to do or actually SAVE money. I am clearly allergic to saving money so decided to pursue the childhood dream of flying. I had a 4 month gap during that time because I took the family to Japan, that drained every account I had so I couldn't start again until a few weeks ago.

 

I found the forums using Google. One of the guys here had a post that match some keywords.

 

 

[Ultralights]

My love of flying began when i was 10, and spending 8 hours looking out of the window of a 747 classic on the way to Hong Kong!

 

as for this forum, well, i believe i might have been the catalyst for its existance!

 

 

[flie43]

Always wanted to fly as a kid and planned to join the RAAF after school as aircrew-they had different ideas 12 were picked out of 2000 and I wasn't one of them -Damn it.

 

Took up skydiving in the early 80's- took off fifty odd times but never landed in the plane-that was a real hoot. Then my wife gave me a gliding course for xmas- I bet she regrets that now-that was the start of the real bug- went from there to GA etc.

 

I found this site on google as well

 

Terry

 

 

[Admin]

as for this forum, well, i believe i might have been the catalyst for its existance!

You were Ultralights - for everyone, if it wasn't for Ultralights answering a question of mine many years ago in an Aussie Flight Sim forum I wouldn't have got into flying for real hence this site wouldn't have existed - at least by me anyway - so blame him

 

 

[Tomo]

Well thankyou very much all those who put it together, and keep it up to scratch...You do a fabulous job.

 

Having an Idea then making it happen, it's a big step....

 

 

[farri]

Bitten By The Bug.

 

I got the bug when I met a guy, who was the first to bring a trike and a Chinook WT2 into the Cairns, North Queensland area.

 

I helped him assemble it one day,then watched him take off and soar high into the air, magic, I thought,that was it,I had to do this.

 

I built a coppy of his Chinook, we formed the "Far North Queensland Ultralight Association" and the Ultralight movement,up here, was on it`s way.

 

Cheers,

 

Frank.

 

 

[Guest TOSGcentral]

In my case it was inevitable because I knew no better and really had no choice.

 

 

I was born on an operational bomber station where an Aussie squadron were operating Lancasters. It was a bad year and a freezing winter. Virtually the whole base was down with some horrible disease but the bastards kept flying!

 

 

My first living memory was in my mother’s arms being carted outside the married quarter to watch the Vampire take off from Cranwell’s North airfield (jets were very uncommon then) alternatively it was the Halifax which I found so much more interesting as it was bigger and made interesting noises.

 

 

I first flew when I was three, in a Proctor. That was a frustrating exercise! The huge harness overwhelmed me with its size and I was not big enough to see over the side!

 

 

I was brought up on airfields, joined the RAF myself and then went into civilian professional sports flying having learnt to fly in Germany. Things sort of rumbled on from there.

 

 

I transferred to this forum naturally after the demise of the AUF Chat forum when it was closed on orders of the Board with an assurance that it was only for a review – that never happened.

 

 

Tony

 

 

[Admin]

and Tony...you will the first person to register here at Recreational Flying those years ago - seems like just yesterday but I would hate to guess how many recreational pilots have been helped by you and everyone else here at this site

 

 

[Yenn]

I lived near Manston in England as a kid at the start of the war, can remember Lysanders, but then moved to Heston, also an airfield and the P38's used to scream overhead in the daytime. At night the German bombers came overhead, so I didn't get into flying until 1967 when working at Collinsville it seemed like a good way to get around, without having to wreck the car on bad roads. I think the real attraction was the challenge of being able to do it, and now it is the challenge of doing it safely and well.

 

 

[ZAZOO]

I grew up in a small town (Ermelo) in the high lands of South Africa. I remember the Harvard’s coming low and slow then banked right over our house and off they went again. The roar of those engines and the power they leave in a small boys mind was awesome. Many afternoons we took our bicycles and jetted to the runway out side of town.....just to go and have a look, maybe there will be somebody coming or going, you never know...

 

 

My dad (a Pharmacist) once said you must become a doctor, or something.........to be able to afford an aero plane!

 

 

So I did............. become something but never a doctor and enjoy my skills in agriculture today! I managed to acquire a micro light pilot license, and use it today to assist in managing, but also enjoy every moment of it.

 

Regards

 

ZAZOO

 

 

[Guest watto]

Watto

 

Well for me it has always been something I wanted to do but always had other priorities such as raising children, they are all off my hands now and I had been looking at various kit and factory site for some months but had not made the decision, still procrasonating! then my younger brother was found dead on the couch with the remote control in his hand at age 36 having not fulfilled the majority of his dreams or full potential!!!!!!!! so I thought it is now or never.

 

I had a chat to my mate next door and we drove to Bundy to the Jab factory and after a flight in Rodneys J430 I came home with the plan in hand and one month later I picked up my aircraft and the adventure is under way.

 

I look forward to the future.

 

Regards gentlemen

 

Watto

 

 

[IanR]

I guess my interest started when I was little living near Greenham Common airforce base where B52s were operated. Followed by a diet of reading Biggles books ! Didn't actually get round to learning to fly till I was in my late twenties though.

 

 

[Deskpilot]

Greenham Common, boy it's been a while since I heard of that place. In my time with the Beverley's at Abingdon, Oxfordshire, which was also the #1 Parachute Training School for the army, we used GC as a drop zone. I think I've mentioned it before but Bridget Bardot completed a para course for her film 'Viva Bridget'

 

 

[IanR]

I don't think Greenham Common is an airfield at all now ! It was, of course, famous for the anti-nuclear protests in the early 80s.

 

 

[planedriver]

Born near RAF Kenley where Hurricanes were based and a short bike ride to Biggin Hill soon had me hooked.

 

On a very limited budget, over time, I took a TIF with 10 out of 13 flying schools that operated from there, just to get in the air.

 

My first flight was in a Miles Gemini at Shorham which got airborne due to the curvature of the earth, followed by DH Dragon Rapide, Aircoupe, Auster Mk5 before the modern stuff like a Reims Cessna.

 

Even joined the Metroploitan Police as a Special Constable and helped out at Fetes and football matches, etc; for 6hrs a month, as a means of joining the Sports and Social Club, so I could get flying lessons for only 4 pounds 15 shillings an hour (crafty bugger).

 

Then got involved with a girl and gave it all away (just call me stupid)

 

 

[Tomo]

Let's get this thread going again.........

 

It cool seeing how you all got the bug and how you did it etc... don't you reckon...?