First Plane Rides

[Harold Holiman]

Like Kyle, my first flight was also in a Sea Bee when I was either five or six years old, either in 1946 or 1947. A local pilot would give Sea Bee rides on Lake Ferguson every Sunday afternoon and my Daddy took me. I still remember the pilot pumping down the landing gear to taxi up on the ramp to discharge and load his passengers. My first airline ride was a little later, the summer of 1947, when I was six. My Grandmother took me on a trip to New Orleans for my first overnight Pullman train ride down and my first airline ride back. I remember I was disappointed because our train had a steam engine rather than one of those new diesels. As you all know, I still like trains and just retired from the railroad at the end of 2006. The trip home from New Orleans was on a Chicago and Southern Airline DC-3. My Grandmother said while in New Orleans, whatever kind of restaurant we went to, I only wanted to eat hamburgers. I also still like hamburgers and DC-3's.

Harold

[Joe Moilanen]

My first was in a Taylorcraft on floats in Bemidgi (sp?), MN. when I was 2 yrs. old.

Joe

[jrenwick]

Bemidgi (sp?), MN

Close! Bemidji

http://www.google.com/maps?q=Bemidji,+M ... p&ct=title

John

[170C]

I am almost ashamed to admit that I was in college when I got my first plane ride. Having been interested in airplanes for as long as I can remember, I don't know why I didn't get one earlier. I remember an aunt wanting me to go home with her for a week and I could fly back home (150 miles) on what would probably been a Convair 240 or DC-3, but my Mom said NO! Dad didn't get involved in the discussion. My mother lived 75+ years and never did ride in an airplane. Even after I became a pilot and owned a C-182. Maybe she was smarter than I thought As far as I can recall, my first plane ride was in a fairly new Cherokee 140 at night with an instructor at the airport where I was a lineman while in college & he wanted someone to keep him company while he checked out the plane after a 100 hr inspection. Couldn't see much except city lights and a few lights out on farms where my folks lived.

Harold, now you would be disappointed (I sure would) if the train didn't have a steam engine pulling it. I also remember my first train ride when in the 2nd or 3rd grade. About a 15 mile trip on a passenger train pulled by one of those new fangled Diesel-electrics on the Texas & Pacific RR. It was a elementary school trip. Hey, we got to go through a bakery and a candy factory that day too. Big deal for a little ole country boy!

Bruce, I guess what you are saying about altitude is like a friend of mine who was a plane captain in Lockheed P-2's and P=3's. He said every time he got over a few hundred feet off the surface he got nosebleed since they spent so much time patrolling at 400 feet or less..Also shutting down 2 of the 4 engines on the P-3's to extend patrol time.

[voorheesh]

First time in an airplane. Pan American Airways DC-6B Clipper across Atlantic Ocean to Shannon and London. I was 11 and it sparked a fascination that remains to this day.

[Romeo Tango]

My first flight was before I could recall it. My family was stationed in Germany (where I was born) and we flew back when I was 9 months old. I suspect it was in a B707, but it might have been a DC-8.

The first one I remember is a Braniff B727 flight out of El Paso, Texas. Loud and colorful!

First small airplane was with my Dad as pilot in a Cessna-172 in San Antonio. I carry his logbook with me on all of my checkrides in honor of that introductino to GA.

[Harold Holiman]

Frank,

Tennessee Valley Railroad actually does run their steam powered excursions on our railroad so I still get to ride steam fairly regularly. I actually probably took my first train ride when I was much younger than six, but the New Orleans trip was my first overnight train ride. Also, in our school, all first graders took a train ride to Leland, about 10 miles to introduce them to train rides. This continued at my old elementary school in Greenville until passenger service ended in 1964 or 65. As to family plane rides, both my Grandmother and my Daddy flew with me well into their 80's (my Grandmother lived to 92 years old and my Daddy lived to 89 years old) but my Mother would never fly with me, didn't like me having a plane, and just didn't like "little planes" at all. She lived to 92 years old.

Harold

[KMac]

My first airplane ride was in a straight tail 172 when I was probably 9 or 10. The plane was owned and flown by my Dads friend. We flew from a small airport in the Sierra Navada mountains - Mariposa-Yosemite airport. We flew over Yosemite and the surrounding area. Beautiful flight. I was already hooked on airplanes from building balsa models but that airport is home to my aviation affliction. I rode my bike to the airport (about 5 miles) every chance I had, saw my first real P-51 doing some low level fly-bys, washed airplanes, fueled airplanes, and earned my private pilot cert there. My first passenger was my Dad, my second passenger was my Mom. My Mom was probably around 40 at the time and that was the first time she had ever flown in any type of airplane.

[KMac]

OOps - Sierra-Nevada

[CraigH]

Early 70's, in my grandfather's 1949 Bonanza.

[flat country pilot]

I took my first ride at about 5 years old with my grandfather in his J-3 cub. I was allowed to go with him several times after that.

The ownership of that J-3 went from my Grandfather to my Uncle who still owns it today. And yes, he lets me fly it, which I try to do a couple times a year.

Bill

[Red Squaretail]

My first plane ride was in the left seat of a B-17... on my Dad's lap. He was a squardron commander at Lockbourne AAFB. I remember the roar of the engines and the excitement... every day.

[doug8082a]

My first ride was at 9 or 10 in a Bell 47 that was hopping rides at a local train museum. First fixed wing (non-commercial) ride was my introin a 152 just before starting work on my private.

[Metal Master]

I noticed a lot of you guy’s started real young. Well this is a bit different but. Here goes.

My first Plane ride was in my dreams. I was around 5 years old and had a set of Junior Encyclopedias that had two pages graphically depicting an airplane doing a take off & landing with insets showing the positions of the controls in the cockpit and correlating pictures of the ailerons, elevator & rudder at each position in the pattern. I read that section so many times. I traced the pictures and wore out the book it became an obsession. I was certain that on no uncertain terms I could fly an airplane if just given the chance. If I could not afford to buy paper (silk span) & stick models I would build them out of tooth picks & typing paper. I rode in the back seat of my mom’s car pretending I was flying a B 25 imagining the road noise was the sound of those radials turning and the bumps on the road were flak going off around the airplane. Too many episodes of 12- O’clock High I suppose. I am probably Lucky I never discovered I could have gone to the airport. I did not get my real first airplane ride until I got on the 707 that took me to AIT & Helicopter Mechanics School in Ft Eustis Virginia Thanks to Uncle Sam. Another couple of jet rides & a C130 delivered me to Vung Tau & Vinh Long Viet –Nam where I got my fist helio ride in an open door of a Huey toting an M16. That’s when I learned a good reason for having a short hair cut. I was Medi-vaced out on a C-141. After re-enlisting I was medically discharged with Diabetes in 1975. (Figured my dream of flying was over). After flirting with hang gliders a bit in 1976. ( I really could not afford them) I found out about not needing a medical to fly gliders in1988. I have flown and owned gliders until Christmas this year. I finally sold the last one. In 1996 The FAA decided to let insulin dependant Diabetics get a 3rd class medical. That was December 23 1996. By August of the next year I had my Power certificate and had completed 10 hours in the Citabria for my tail wheel endorsement. I cried the day I soloed that 172 in 1977. I love my freedom to fly. I just got my medical renewed yesterday. Every year after 4 visits to the endroconoligist 2 visits to the eye doctor. A physical by my primary doctor and a raft of paper sent to the FAA I have gotten my medical back sometimes without it lapsing (3 out of 11 years) I had an EKG stress test every year for the first 4 or 5 years I had my medical. I finally convinced the FAA I do not have a heart problem by opting to have an unwarranted angiogram 3 years ago. That got that off my back for 5 years. Well I Like my 170A real well.

[cessna170bdriver]

Metal Master, thats the best first flight story so far!

Miles