What made you say today is the day I learn to fly?

Christmas 2011 I opened up a small present, felt like a t-shirt from the wrapping. There was a t-shirt, it encompassed a logbook and a gift certificate for an intro flight an 1st lesson. I knew right then and there I was not only going to do the intro flight, but I was going to finish the private. Who would have guessed I'd be a CFI. Haven't looked back.
 
Sky King and Songbird planted the seed. When I found out I could get a college credit for ground school I was all over it. Had my license six months after signing up. That was my junior year. Headed to law school with 300+ hours a year later!.thinking I wouldn't have time to fly for three years. Went crazy after a month of no flying so wandered out to the local airport where I was going to school to see what was available to rent. After getting a Warrior checkout instructor suggested I should get my instrument, so I said I'd come back the next day for a lesson.

Ended up getting my instrument, commercial, multi and CFI during my first year of law school. Kept me sane!
 
I had decided that wrestling was not going to work out the way I had hoped, and people around me were getting severely injured without ever even having their shot at fame...

Then I was told that without Steroids, I was never going to amount to squat. I refused and went home and thought about what was next. I had $150 in my pocket, $50 for my normal match fee, $50 for my "gigging bonus" And another $50 for a performance bonus. My forehead was sore and bandaged.

The next morning, I was driving down to North Andover to tell the booker I was done, and passed through Nashua, NH, which was the long way there...I needed to clear my head. I saw the green sign with the airplane on it and decided to check it out since I had always been curious...$99 for the plane, $30 for the CFI, and I flew an hour.

I never stepped foot in the ring again. I started a normal job shortly after and began spending almost every dollar I had out of my $11 per hour I earned on flying.
 
I was pointed in that direction by model airplanes as a kid and then as a young adult by a couple pages in the Whole Earth Catalog. Got "Stick and Rudder", mentioned there, and enjoyed it.

Then my grandfather died and left me $14,000. This was in the mid 70's and the local Cessna Pilot Center at Opa Locka airport was offering a "guaranteed" private pilot course for $995. Means and opportunity collided.

Before that, I cud not even spel pilut - suddenly i wuz one! :eek:
 
Holy necropost Batman.

But for me it was working directly across from the airport watching the planes fly up and down. Just for ****s and giggles I decided to go over there and ask a couple questions about learning to fly. Then it was like "this is the opportunity, let's just do it." After the first flight it was all about yeah, this is what I need to be doing.
 
Well, there was this 'five & dime' across the street from my grandfather's store in Dixon CA. He'd give me a nickel (probably to have some peace and quiet) and send me over. See avatar. The balsa wood gliders were 5 cents. Built free flight, line control, and plastic models with my paper route money. Bought my first 'Flying magazine; the one with a Bonanza flying across the desert on the cover...1967?. Some where in that time frame my uncle gave me a ride in his Cessna 170, Sac to Davis and let me fly it. When I was a junior in high school my dad asked me whether I wanted to go on the class trip to Europe or take flying lessons. Hmmmm, That took about a half second to decide:D California started requiring drivers ed on my 16th birthday:mad2: so had to go thru drivers ed and my mom would have to drive me out to Phoenix Field where I'd go jump in the plane and fly around solo! So I guess I decided at the five and dime, but had to wait awhile.
 
I started training when I was 16, but stopped just short of being ready to solo due to...well, being 16 and all ;). Fast foward 2 years to 18, I was taking my dog for a walk and took notice of a 172 flying overhead and decided I wanted to get back into it. 2 months later I was a private pilot and continued up to the point that flying is now my job.
 
The day I learned that setting fire to $100 dollar bills was a less efficient method making them disappear.
 
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I was given a discovery flight as a gift and a way to cope with my fear of flying. The first time I saw treetops I knew instantly that flying was pretty much going to replace all other modes of travel as my favorite view of this great country. Sunday drives, bike rides, nature hikes and boat outings all fell short after that experience. I really didn't have a choice after that discovery flight.
 
My wife has a large family that she's very close with. One side of the family lives 2 hours and 15 minutes away by car, the other side lives 7.5 hours away by car. I hate driving long distances in a car. The closest airport was 45 minutes from my house with no direct flights to her family. The closest GA airport was 4 minutes from our house. Bought a plane and lived happily ever after. The end.

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