What were YOU doing at 14 y/o?

CJones

CJones

Final Approach
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The 14 y/o in this video flew an ultralight from SC to OSH. Pretty impressive feat.

And yes, her dad was always nearby..
And yes, the route was mostly planned for her..
And yes, it's not like she flew around the world non-stop..

But still, pretty cool that she stuck with it to get it done when a lot of 14 y/o's these days rage quit their video game when they lose three games in a row. Heck ANYBODY flying an open cockpit at those low altitude (non-stop heated hair dryer to the face, anyone?) for that long earns a Coke from me!

 
I was pollinating corn for a seed company. Flying an ultralight to OSH looks a lot more fun!

She's going to get bored getting her 40 hours to get her private.
 
This is super impressive!!

I was shooting people and blowing stuff up (Civil War Re-enactor).
 
14, I spent the summer repainting the house (didn't get paid for it either, but I did get sort of credit in kind. My mom let me stay up as late as I wanted).

I begged to be sent to "Camp Solo" but they declined.
 
At 14, I was attending my grandmother's murder trial (yes, really). It all turned out for the best: she was acquitted, in part due to numerous errors made by the forensic pathologist that performed the autopsy on the victim. It was a good verdict, and I truly believe she was innocent. BTW, I'm now a forensic pathologist.
 
At 14 I was building and flying model airplanes, R/C, U/C, FF. Was great prep for flying lessons (and engineering school!) 2 years later.
 
First year of high school in Puerto Rico. A lot of diving and sailing Hobie Cats.
 
Started first year of military boarding school.

There is nothing worse than putting a 15 year old boy in charge of a group of 14 year old boys.

Yes, we did inflect revenge....
 
ok charlie
 
Nicking mom's car at night to drive around with friends egging/TPing houses, driving on lawns, shooting mailboxes, and general hooliganry. Senior in HS and on my third round of college evening classes, no real good alternative outlets to blow off steam.

I wish I could have flown to Osh or done anything else useful/interesting.
 
...um, hunkered in my room behind dial-up waiting for that single fapworthy JPEG to last me the week, before my parents started beating down my body-barricaded door asking why they can't make a phone call? Sorry we weren't all upper middle class and flew to OSH for the summer. :rolleyes:
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The struggle was real :D
 
At 14, I was hand digging septic drain field ditches until two-a-days began.
 
At 14; I was cutting grass saving for my first used Dodge Challenger after seeing the movie vanishing point in 1974. Good thing is muscle cars were cheap then.
I did have a cox .049 PT 109? something trainer airplane on the end of a string held together with rubber bands. Flying was not even on my radar as no one in my family had anything to do with aviation
 
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At 14:
- Trying to learn "Master of Puppets" on guitar
- Seeing "Gladiator" on my first-ever date
- Celebrating that the world didn't collapse from Y2K
- & definitely not flying a part103 UL from SC to OSH :p (def would have been grounded forever for that)
 
Sacking groceries and putting them in people's cars. Gosh, minimum wage was so low back then my kids probably wouldn't even get out of bed for what I made in a day.
 
I was babysitting my younger siblings, doing household and yard chores, and daydreaming about convincing my mom to let me get a "real job" so I could have some money.

I would have loved to fly an ultralight to OSH at 14, but some of us didn't grow up in families where that was financially feasible.
 
Changing truck tires and learning every part of the mechanical side of the trucking industry, and lots of time in the gym/drills to try to take football to the next level.
 
Catching a bus after school to work pumping gas and doing brake jobs trying to save for my first car. Mixed working with playing baseball, chasing that pipe dream to play high school then college ball.

I was so tired one day I missed the bus stop and when the driver noticed me still there he stopped before getting on I-95. I had about a mile and half walk back to the station. That sucked, but only did it once.
 
Home base CB’ing in the evenings with friends and others. Working on engines. Volunteering at 2 hospitals. Music. Daydreaming about being an astronaut. Wondering if I would ever find a girlfriend. Flugtag.
 
At age 14 I was already involved in motorcycle restoration and rode all over the eastern part of the state I lived in. I detasseled corn in the summer for money to fund my adventures. I had a pretty long leash but I'm not sure I would have gotten to fly an ultralight to Oshkosh.
 
At 14, I was reverse engineering software security and hacking m...

Oh wait, I think the statute of limitations isn't over yet.
 
Was a member of civil air patrol. Taking civil defense courses.
 
Helping run a sandblasting rig, playing in a jazz band, and teaching myself BASIC, without a computer. I wrote it out on notebook paper. Yep, I was a geek.

There's a common thread in this thread. Parents who don't pay attention to child labor laws, and farmers, seem to raise people that fly.
 
Albany Tom said:
There's a common thread in this thread. Parents who don't pay attention to child labor laws, and farmers, seem to raise people that fly.
Click to expand...
I noticed that too. But flying takes motivation and self reliance, and motivated and self reliant kids do stuff. Or those who were teenage slackers are just too embarrassed to post in this thread...
 
I started flying lessons at 14. Picking tobacco in the summer for old man Forney Longenecker. Daydreaming in school about flying away to the west in an open cockpit biplane.
 
Changing sprinkler lines twice a day.
Driving Tractor in the Cherry Orchards, running the Disk, while my Dad ran the Plow,
Driving the Grain Truck during harvest
Getting off the Bus, grabbing the shotgun and shooting two pheasants for supper (that took 20 minutes max usually)
Building flying and crashing, RC Airplanes and Model Rockets
Rebuilding a Cushman Scooter
Reading lots of books, usually flying related books.
 
I spent most of my time as a 14y/o boy daydreaming about 15y/o girls who all seemed to be daydreaming about 16y/o boys who were daydreaming about cars.

To distract myself from my misery, I took advanced classes at school and spent my weekends hunting and fishing.
 
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