How old were you when you pursued the dream?

How old were you when you pursued the dream to fly?

  • 14 to 16

    Votes: 38 16.2%

  • 17-20

    Votes: 23 9.8%

  • 20-25

    Votes: 30 12.8%

  • 26-29

    Votes: 28 11.9%

  • 30-35

    Votes: 27 11.5%

  • 36-39

    Votes: 20 8.5%

  • 40-45

    Votes: 32 13.6%

  • 46-49

    Votes: 15 6.4%

  • 50+

    Votes: 22 9.4%
  • Total voters
    235
I was 40 when I started. Having sold my boat because the offshore fishing was terrible after a nasty hurricane season, I found myself bored. So I took up flying.

Now if i could only put some outriggers on that plane....
 
44 - had to wait until the kids were grown up before I could find the money.
 
22. But I started working at an airport as a kid, and begging for rides.

Still can't really find the money, but nobody ever can.
 
I'm pretty sure I have always wanted to fly. I decided to be a test pilot in second grade. Then I got glasses in fourth grade. That ruled out the test pilot thing but I figured I could still be a bush pilot. In high school I decided to be a doctor but still toyed with the idea of flying around Alaska operating on people in small towns. About that time, life got in the way of my plans and I sort of forgot about flying.
Then out of the blue(so to speak) a friend of mine started taking flying lessons. Well, that seemed kind of unfair, seeing as how I was the one that really "wanted to fly!" So I started lessons at age 41 and bought my Tripacer the day after I got my certificate. Now, I'm trying to make up for lost time.

Barb
 
Was 45 (6 yrs ago.) Always wanted to but didn't because I was afraid of heights!!! Finally broke down - did it one day and found out I lOvEd It and was perfectly comfortable in a small plane. But I still can't stand above the middle rung of a six foot ladder! :eek: :p
 
Was one of those kids with model airplanes strung up all over the bedroom. My grandparents lived pretty close to Millville NJ and have clear memories of all the P-47's lined up and the early morning roar of those big radials starting up. Dad gave me a choice, learn to play the clarinet or learn to fly! Wasn't much of a choice since I'm basically tone-deaf. Finished up when I was 17 (rentals were $17 an hour, including instructor!), flew a bit in college but wine, women and song seemed to take priority. Then came wife, kids and house, only flew sporatically. About 12 years ago the wife bought me a big block of time at Pottstown-Limerick for a birthday present and said that I needed to get current and start flying again. Haven't looked back since.

Gary
 
2256Q said:
The wife and I were out toodling around about 3 weeks ago and dropped in to your Skydive. Had to time it, since a twin Otter was taking skydivers up. Still a nice area with lots of good folks. :cheerswine:
Click to expand...

I've flown right seat for a few jump runs in that Twin Otter! :)

For me, I was interested in flying as a kid in middle or high school, but then I lost interest for my college years. Then, after college, I started playing Microsoft Flight Simulator and really wanted to try. So, I was about 23 or 24 when I took my first real flight, but I didn't have the money for lessons. So it wasn't until I was 26 that I actually got my license.
 
Gary said:
Was one of those kids with model airplanes strung up all over the bedroom.
Click to expand...

:yes:

I went to a local Community College for "Flight Technology" right out of High School.

I was too young (17) and too unprepared.

My first CFI was an absolute a$$ (as I now know), doing whatever he could to show off (hour 2 was him "demonstrating" incipient spins, wingovers, and a slips while "I hold the door open for more drag...").

Scared the snot out me.

Fast Forward 20 years -- Armor school, Scout Platoon Leader School, Pre-Ranger school, plenty of Slides for Life, obstacle courses, rappelling, etc...

"Hey -- what in the world am I afraid of?"

So at age 40 I walked into the local FBO and said, "When does Ground school start?"

3 months and 43 hours later I flew my family around Lancaster as a newly minted Private Pilot.
 
harryg said:
I'm a late starter, I guess :). I was 60 when I got my ticket. As others have indicated, I wish I had done it a long time ago.
Click to expand...

Well Harry, I got my license when I was seventeen, flew a hundred hours or so over five years, then didn't fly again for twenty-six years. Just started flying again a year and a half ago. I said to my wife one day that I wished that I had kept flying, and she said that if I had, I wouldn't be having so much fun with rediscovering it now. You are in your sixties, your doing something new and fun, and you're having a good time with it. I'd say you did it just right.
 
20. First summer I moved to Iowa. I had a nice paying internship and was living at home, so I needed something to blow my money on. I wasn't into booze, and I was ticked off at women for the moment, so all my cash went toward my flight training. 2 months after I moved to Iowa, I had my ticket in hand. :)
 
I was 6 yrs. old when I absolutely new I wanted to fly and new I would some day.Watched the flying box cars and others fly over our farm to Willow Run Mich(YIP)
No money as a kid
Married at 21 (still after 36 years)
Kids came( even less money now)
Business started
Business grown
Ed ( 1 of three reasons no money) becomes an instructor and teaches me to fly.
I get PP at the age of 56
50 years is a long time to wait, but worth it.
Oh ,by the way are'nt kids great!!!
Also my two favorite lines from 71.2 hrs. of training.
1. (Ed)Dad ,why are you always throttling back?, (Me) "I'm in no hurry, I've been waiting my whole life to do this and I'm enjoying every minute I can,and logging more time"
2. We're doing a cross country, right into the sun,Ed's checking out the commercials going into O'Hare to the north out the side window. I notice about a half dozen Sandhill Crane's coming right at us very,very close at the edge of the sun visor. I dive to avoid and miss them by a matter of a
few feet.( Even old guys can react quickly when we have to.)
Ed say's loudly," What the H#** are you doin!!!!"
After seeing all the beaks ,feet and wings going by at a high rate of speed,he then says more subdued " Uhhh, ohhh nice move, Dad.
( For the experts and critics, I've since been told you go up for birds as they "always" go down.)
If I would have done that we both would'nt be here today.
Anyway 57 two days ago,flyin, and having the time of my life.
"I am not a Sir, You will please refer to me as "EL CONQUISTADOR":yes:.
 
I was 6 yrs. old when I absolutely new I wanted to fly and new I would some day.Watched the flying box cars and others fly over our farm to Willow Run Mich(YIP)
No money as a kid
Married at 21 (still after 36 years)
Kids came( even less money now)
Business started
Business grown
Ed ( 1 of three reasons no money) becomes an instructor and teaches me to fly.
I get PP at the age of 56
50 years is a long time to wait, but worth it.
Oh ,by the way are'nt kids great!!!
Also my two favorite lines from 71.2 hrs. of training.
1. (Ed)Dad ,why are you always throttling back?, (Me) "I'm in no hurry, I've been waiting my whole life to do this and I'm enjoying every minute I can,and logging more time"
2. We're doing a cross country, right into the sun,Ed's checking out the commercials going into O'Hare to the north out the side window. I notice about a half dozen Sandhill Crane's coming right at us very,very close at the edge of the sun visor. I dive to avoid and miss them by a matter of a
few feet.( Even old guys can react quickly when we have to.)
Ed say's loudly," What the H#** are you doin!!!!"
After seeing all the beaks ,feet and wings going by at a high rate of speed,he then says more subdued " Uhhh, ohhh nice move, Dad.
( For the experts and critics, I've since been told you go up for birds as they "always" go down.)
If I would have done that we both would'nt be here today.
Anyway 57 two days ago,flyin, and having the time of my life.
"I am not a Sir, You will please refer to me as "EL CONQUISTADOR":yes:.
 
I was 6 yrs. old when I absolutely new I wanted to fly and new I would some day.Watched the flying box cars and others fly over our farm to Willow Run Mich(YIP)
No money as a kid
Married at 21 (still after 36 years)
Kids came( even less money now)
Business started
Business grown
Ed ( 1 of three reasons no money) becomes an instructor and teaches me to fly.
I get PP at the age of 56
50 years is a long time to wait, but worth it.
Oh ,by the way are'nt kids great!!!
Also my two favorite lines from 71.2 hrs. of training.
1. (Ed)Dad ,why are you always throttling back?, (Me) "I'm in no hurry, I've been waiting my whole life to do this and I'm enjoying every minute I can,and logging more time"
2. We're doing a cross country, right into the sun,Ed's checking out the commercials going into O'Hare to the north out the side window. I notice about a half dozen Sandhill Crane's coming right at us very,very close at the edge of the sun visor. I dive to avoid and miss them by a matter of a
few feet.( Even old guys can react quickly when we have to.)
Ed say's loudly," What the H#** are you doin!!!!"
After seeing all the beaks ,feet and wings going by at a high rate of speed,he then says more subdued " Uhhh, ohhh nice move, Dad.
( For the experts and critics, I've since been told you go up for birds as they "always" go down.)
If I would have done that we both would'nt be here today.
Anyway 57 two days ago,flyin, and having the time of my life.
"I am not a Sir, You will please refer to me as "EL CONQUISTADOR":yes:.
 
I was 26. All 3 of my uncles are pilots to some degree or another. One Air Force, one Navy/Coast Guard (helo), and the third civilian (I think). I always heard about aviation from them when I saw them, and I was always competent in aviation trivia. It was always in my mind that I would probably earn mine too, but it was always a "later in life" sort of thing.

During a new year's eve party, I was talking to a guy who's family ran a flight school/charter business (which i knew about since I was a teenager) and he sort of pushed me to seriously consider it. Finally, by February 2009 I took my first lesson and it was not what I expected. I was very non-committal afterward and wouldn't schedule my next flight. I was slightly nauseous, had a pretty good headache and thought it wasn't the thing for me. Something eventually made me book my next lesson which had the same effect on me, so I decided to take some bonine or something. A few more lessons and I didn't need the bonine anymore. For me, flying wasn't the epiphany of joy that many describe after their first flight, but I came to enjoy it and have stuck with it since.
 
36 for me to start, got my PP-ASEL at 38. I'm 50 now and have been flying continuously since 38. I almost think I know how to fly by now :D.
 
AdamZ said:
How old were you when you first decided to pursure your dream of flynig? I mean not just said one day I'm gonna learn to fly but took a proactive step to starting lessons.
Click to expand...

22 - as soon as I was out of school and had a job. No doubt my interest in aviation came from growing up off the end of the runway at the Akron (OH) municipal airport (also a NAS in those days). There was a squadron of Corsairs (later Bearcats) based there, and also a bunch of blimps. A free air show every day.

Dave
 
I was probably 10 when I knew I wanted to fly....only took me 25 years to finally do it...took my first lesson at 35...37 now and still working on it.
 
30. Started in May of this year. I wanted to do it for a long time but could never pull the trigger on it. Finally, this year, I just said "eff it, I'm doing it." And here I am, 20 hours in the log book and loving every second of it. :)
 
I was 25 when I took my intro ride after years and years and years of yearning to fly. It was a birthday gift from my (still current) girlfriend.

After that, the floodgates opened and I had to find a way to fly. So about four months later I started taking lessons! Going for the full monty on this one: gonna get my CFI, instruct, and see where it takes me.
 
I was all of 42 when I logged my first hour, and 92 days later (after my 43rd birthday), I passed the checkride. That means that ten years ago now, I was in the midst of learning to fly.

Such fun I have had since then, and such friends I have made, all thanks to the magic of flight. To the many of you I am privileged to know, I say, "Thank you for your fellowship!"
 
When I had hair. Ah, Sweet memories (of hair), and some good flying ones too.
 
15. Poor middle aged students, marriage sure is bad for having fun.:rofl:
 
I checked the 50+ box since I was 61 when I started my last phase of training that led to my PPL. After thinking about it, I should have checked the 40+ box since I was 41 when I started my first phase of training.
 
I started lessons when I was 46, and took the PPL checkride at 47. It was a very long time coming though, since I grew up a mile from KDET and always looked up with envy at the planes flying the pattern there. I knew about Lank Tygard's school, but always thought that I could never afford it. It was only when a friend in my income bracket took me for a ride in her Cardinal around 1999-2000 that I decided I was going to bite the bullet... er, whatever. ;)
 
28 years old for me. I said to myself I better do this now before I have a wife and kids which take my time and money.... I know I made a great choice!
 
Yeah, which time?

39 - Took discovery flight, bought log book, took an actual lesson. Looked at cost to continue and decided I should probably feed my kids rather than fly.

42 - Took another lesson. Looked at cost to continue and decided I should probably feed my kids rather than fly.

51 - Started flying "for real".
 
I do t remember when my first flight was. My first lesson was when I was 12 and finally finished up at 19.
 
I was 19 the first time and 57 the second time. Didn't answer the poll since it only allows one response :)
 
I was 16 and had been interested for several years. Finished PPL at 17 and instrument by 20. Got busy with grad school and then working and didn't fly at all for several years. Did a few hours of refresher and passed my flight review last month. Instrument refresher TBD after I get some more air time.
 
I joined CAP Cadets age 12-13 or so. Started lessons at 15 soloed at 16 Private at 17 in 1955.

Still flying :)

Paul
N1431A
N83803
2AZ1
 
Private three days after my 19th, 11months later I bought my plane.

Now 26 and no looking back
 
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