When was your first flight?

[wbarnhill]

I was digging through my old pictures, and found a set of photos from August 1994. I was at 4H Aerospace Camp, and this was the first time I flew in any aircraft. I figured I'd share these photos and ask what everyones memories of their first flight were

These were all at the Santee-Cooper Regional Airport (KMNI) in August 1994 (Why did I say 2003? No clue....). One is of my counselor and a few other campers, and the other two were from my flight (which I was lucky enough to get right seat on).

 

[bbchien]

Great memories, William. Q: Now that you know better, what's wrong with the right hand picture?

We used to allow this on Young Eagles day until....

 

[JRitt]

William, do you have the reg number from that plane? I think its the one I currently own (1977 172N 318RC). I took my first flight 15 Sept 2004.

 

[SkyHog]

Ahh...memories. My first flight was on October 21st, 2003. I was living in New Hampshire at the time, but I came back to Albuquerque to play for my sister's wedding. While here, I decided to do a discovery flight at Double Eagle. I was so amped up and concerned with flying the plane, that I didn't think I had a good time.

On the way back to my house, I was really disappointed that I didn't have a better time than I did. The next day, I was hooked. Aviation was the only thing I thought about, and now, almost 3 years later, its still the only thing on my mind. Funny how that works.

 

[wbarnhill]

William, do you have the reg number from that plane? I think its the one I currently own (1977 172N 318RC). I took my first flight 15 Sept 2004.

I wish I had a picture with the reg number in the frame... would be a nice adventure to see if I could purchase it one day... unfortunately I don't

Q: Now that you know better, what's wrong with the right hand picture?

The wings are on top?

Um... the moving prop is just a camera trick... yeah... a camera trick.

 

[Lawreston]

September, 1999; demonstration flight. Twitchell's Airport,Turner, Maine. I've since bought the airplane ------- twice.

HR

 

[HPNPilot1200]

I can't remember when my first flight was..probably because I was too young to remember, but here's a picture of my preschool class and I taking a tour on the KingAir B200 my dad was flying at the time out of HPN.

My dad still tells me to this day that my preschool teacher had the most fun out of the group--she thought it was awesome!

Jason

 

[JRitt]

Here is a photo of mine. I added the wheel pants and the powerflow exhaust. I checked the photos and they are not the same plane. the II on Shywhak II on your photo is lower in the blue field than mine. I was giving some kids a ride when the photo was taken (by their dad). Their dad says they still talk about the ride and want to do it again.

 

[Tomahawk674]

October 21st, 2001. Cessna Pilot Center, introductory flight, brand new C172 millenium edition, nice paintjob.

 

[bbchien]

Um... the moving prop is just a camera trick... yeah... a camera trick.

Oh, okay....

 

[Let'sgoflying!]

If I had a picture, it would not have been pretty, I was ~12yo; all green in the face, in the backseat of a bouncing 172, in 1972 somewhere north of Toronto.

 

[Steve]

1958....backseat of a PA-12 taking off from an 80 acre pasture...

 

[flyingcheesehead]

I figured I'd share these photos and ask what everyones memories of their first flight were

First GA flight was circa 1985 (5th grade or so) with my uncle in a C152, N48836. He was still a fairly new pilot and I remember him practicing go-arounds and power-on stalls among other things. He also let me have the controls for a few seconds - Long enough to tell me to steer the plane "That way" and have me try to steer it like a car. I darn near rolled the little bird over before he took the controls back.

Next GA flight was right seat in a King Air B200, N999GA.

Discovery flight was in a Skyhawk XP, N736AR, in May of 2002. First picture is of that.

I also had the privilege of giving the fine young lady in the 2nd picture (my best friend's daughter) her first GA flight last week. I think she enjoyed it!

 

[Tom-D]

my earliest memories are, me standing in the right seat yanking and banking while my Dad had a death grip on the left yoke.of of the 1939 SR 10-J

circa 1945-6

first solo 1954, J3 out of our hay field behind the barn.

PPL 11-26-1957 recert 1992

 

[ScottM]

1976 in a 1946 Taylor Craft as part of a Civil Air Patrol orientation flight, followed a year aler by a ride in a brand new yeloow and white skyhawk. That second flight I got to log the time as the CAP pilot was also a CFI.

 

[Paul Allen]

September 11, 2002, easy to remember. One flight and I was hooked. I'm now working on my commercial. I doubt I'll ever fly for money (to old), I just want to keep getting better.

 

[gibbons]

1963. My dad and his instructor put me in the baggage compartment of a Cessna 150 for one of dad's lessons. I stood back there and held on to the seat backs. I'm sure also I rode to the airport standing in the back of his pickup or laying in the back window of the car. Things were a bit different back in the day....

I have very few vivid memories of anything that happened before the age of 10 or so, but this is one of them. I recall that the 150 was green and the n-number ended in "G". I need to see if I can find the full n-number in one of dad's old log books.

Chip

 

[Anthony]

1968. I was nine. We were at out families house in Cape May, NJ and my uncle asked me if I wanted to "go to the store" with him. We ended up at WWD where he rented a Cherokee 140 and we took a tour of the shore by air. I was hooked after that.

 

[CJones]

First 'ride-along' flight was when my dad flew down to Alabama from Iowa a few days after getting his PPL and he took me and my cousin up for a ride in the Archer 8114F.

My first 'logged' flight was March 24, 2000 in C-172 N8615U. After flying with my dad, he said he would pay for a couple of hours of instruction if I could find somewhere to do it. I took a drive out to the local airport in Russellville, Alabama and the manager/CFI just HAPPENED to be there that day. Never really had a 'discovery' flight. The first day, we worked on S&L, turns, Descents and I think I even landed the dang thing - or at least got REAL close. One week later the CFI moved to Florida for a 'real' CFI job and I had to put the lessons off until May 15, 2000 when I moved to Iowa for myself. Did 90% of training in C-152 5303L out of Moline, Illinois. Passed PPL checkride July 20, 2000.

And the rest, as they say, is Hissssstooooorrrryyyyyyyy.....

-Chris

 

[wesleyj]

My first was June 16, 1957, I was 10 years old and had been hangining on the fence at the local airport for over a year, a fence that was about 10 blocks outside my allowed territory, Lee Roskey the owner of the local FBO and an aviation pioneer offered me a ride in a J3 for helping him wash it, it was a life defining event, almost 50 years and untold thousands of hours later I still find myself hanging around an airport looking and waiting for another adventure.

 

[MauleSkinner]

Somewhere around 1967-68...my Dad used to strap me and my older brother in the back seat of the Champ, and since we weren't tall enough to see out the windows, all we wanted to do was fly around doing loops

Oh...Mom didn't think it was nearly as good an idea as we did

Fly safe!

David

 

[fgcason]

First flight? Age zero. I was already experienced in the left and right seats by my first birthday.

I distinctly remember being held up while standing in the seat holding the yoke when I was 2 at the very most and trying to see over the really high panel in Cherokees. I figured out that it was easier to see where I was going if I leaned against the left window and looked out the front. Dad had the yoke so nothing too crazy would happen and I was trying to make the plane turn or climb or something. That wasn't the first flight by any stretch of the imagination. Somewhere in a box, my parents have a picture (anyone remember projection slides) of me flying well before that day in diapers. (classic parental blackmail picture obviously ) I had already racked up more flight time than other kids had car time at the same age.

Kindergarten was my first experience at meeting kids who haven't flown. Weirdo's.

P.S. It's really neat view while standing in the left seat sort of leaning against the window and panel looking at the ground out the side of the windscreen while in a turn.

 

[jesse]

I was fairly young.....

 

[Pilawt]

February 12, 1963. Lincoln's Birthday (for you younger folks, we used to have a holiday on Abraham Lincoln's actual birthday, regardless what day of the week it fell on!), Fullerton, California, Cessna 182E N9304X.

-- Pilawt

 

[Don Jones]

I was fairly young.....

You still are!!

First ride, 172 as a passenger, around 1980, first flight lesson 9/2000

Don

 

[Everskyward]

My first GA flight was 11/22/1976. It was also my first lesson. In hindsight it was pretty insane to jump into something like that without testing the waters first. I remember thinking, "Gee this plane is small" (it was a C-150) and, "what the heck are they saying?!" (listening to ATIS).

 

[wbarnhill]

"what the heck are they saying?!" (listening to ATIS).

"Advise controller I have echo? But I don't hear any echo...."

 

[SkyHog]

"Advise controller I have echo? But I don't hear any echo...."

Now why the hell would I have whiskey on a flight?

 

[Henning]

I was digging through my old pictures, and found a set of photos from August 1994. I was at 4H Aerospace Camp, and this was the first time I flew in any aircraft. I figured I'd share these photos and ask what everyones memories of their first flight were

About 1969, I was 4 years old and we visited my uncle Lloyd in Houma LA. He had a flying service flying 185's and 206's on floats, I had the right seat, it was cool. My uncle did some stuff and I thought 'neat' then my aunt piped in from the back seat "Quit trying to scare him", which I couldn't really figure out at the time, but with the retrospect of 36 years, I figure was probably actually said on behalf of my mother rather than I.

 

[Bill]

Great memories, William. Q: Now that you know better, what's wrong with the right hand picture?

We used to allow this on Young Eagles day until....

Prop is turning. I suppose some poor little one walked into a prop...sad.

 

[Bill]

First GA flight? 1989, I was a fresh Navy Enswine right out of OCS, doing recruiting TDY in PIttsburgh between schools. Several of the recruiters were pilots, and they kept a T-34B at AGC to keep the guys current. Those guys took me out several times and tried to get me to toss lunch. No dice, but fun times. Loved flying with the canopy cracked open (gov't airconditioning).

 

[infotango]

About 1969, I was 4 years old and we visited my uncle Lloyd in Houma LA. He had a flying service flying 185's and 206's on floats, I had the right seat, it was cool. My uncle did some stuff and I thought 'neat' then my aunt piped in from the back seat "Quit trying to scare him", which I couldn't really figure out at the time, but with the retrospect of 36 years, I figure was probably actually said on behalf of my mother rather than I.

Hey Hey, Henning's back!

First GA flight was a senior in HS (1999) I was working at a small airport.

1946-Ercoupe, took off NORDO from KCGS, flew along the beltway and over the big Temple, then on around a few stadiums..... Had a nice view of the Monuments and the Capitol from right next to the Bravo airspace.

Sigh, can't do that now. I'm glad I got to do it then.

 

[Dave Krall CFII]

Asked a couple college buddies if they wanted to try something different than studying for a few hours ...ah... "YEAH!".

After telephone interrogation by the pilot/owner to ascertain we weren't anyone who cared about FARs, we drove over and paid him $5 bucks each in the early 70s for one circuit each around the local airport patch along side of the Susquehanna River in a 2 seat, bubble topped low wing that I remember being called a Zodiac but, may be errant in my memory.

It was an initial, participatory affirmation flight confirming the reasoning of my mother's life-long denial of my young brothers' and my requests of her to take us to try flying, "because it's expensive and you'll like it".

 

[Anthony]

we drove over and paid him $5 bucks each in the early 70s for one circuit each around the local airport patch along side of the Susquehanna River

Dave. Did you go to Bucknell?

 

[C-1 PILOT]

1962 Gettysburg, PA. in a Bell 47 operated by AG Rotors. I was hooked!

 

[flyersfan31]

I think around 1975-76. I was around 9-10 yrs old and my dad took me to the annual New Garden Airshow (N57). They were giving airplane rides for some princely sum, I think about $10 for 15mins, for a ride in a Cherokee. I think they still rent the same plane down there.

To this day I have no idea what went through my dad's mind to spring for a plane ride for me. $10 might as well have been $10,000,000 to my parents, more due to Scottish thrift than actual penury. I remember going to Lenape Park, a local amusement park, but turning around in the parking lot and going home because dear god they're charging $0.50 to park!!!!!!

 

[tonycondon]

Im pretty sure my first was when I was about 6 or 7. My uncle had just gotten his private in a Cherokee 140 that he bought. He took me and my sister to Sioux Falls to see our mom who was in the hospital with cancer. I got to sit up front and he let me fly. I couldnt see over the dash so he told me to keep the wings level on the attitude indicator. It turned into a fight when approach gave him a vector and i started fighting him to keep the wings level I didnt understand then, but now i get it.

My first passengers were him, my dad, and my grandma.

 

[citationxjl]

My mom took me up with my grandpa when I was 2 months old. Been hooked ever since. Dont remember the first time I took the controls, but it was sometime on the many flights I did with my grandpa. Now our company has 2 of those 207's that I flew with him.

 

[EdFred]

July 25th, 2002.
First time in a GA plane, first flight lesson. If you're gonna do something dive right in. Lesson #2 was on the 26th of July.

 

[Dave Siciliano]

Well, I certainly can't match some of the neat pics or stories here!!
I'm not sure when I first went up. My step dad had a plane that I went up in as a teen, but I believe I went up earlier.
As far as pilot stuff, before going to flight school, a pilot friend took me up in an OH-13 at beautiful Fort Beginning Georgia in 1970 and taught me the basics. Flew to some neat places and know how to hover before going to beautiful Minneral Wells, Texas in 1971 to rotary wing flight school. Pic attached of my class! Bet none of you can pick me out (still had brown hair and thought I was much taller)!

Best,

Dave