BLOGGING IN FORMATION!
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Dear fellow #AvGeek,
All this week, I and several other aviation bloggers are writing a themed “Blogroll,” our first in a new monthly series! This month’s theme: “How I was brought to flying.”
If you haven’t already done so, I encourage you to read the first two entries, already posted!
Hotlinks to sites:
05.06.13 iFLYblog – Brent Owens (Intro Post)
05.07.13 Flight to Success – Karlene Petitt
05.08.13 Adventures of Cap’n Aux – Eric Auxier
05.09.13 House of Rapp – Ron Rapp
05.10.13 Airplanista – Dan Pimentel
05.11.13 Smart Flight Training – Andrew Hartley
05.12.13 iFLYblog – Brent Owens
And now…
“HOW I WAS BROUGHT TO FLYING”
(Note: long time readers may notice elements of this post from my Valentine’s 2012 post, “The Loon is a Harsh Mistress,” http://capnaux.com/2012/02/loon-is-harsh-mistress-pilots.html )
“More than anything else, Jonathan Livingston Seagull loved to fly.”
—Richard Bach, Jonathan Livingston Seagull
—Richard Bach, Jonathan Livingston Seagull
Ask any pilot how they started flying, and you will hear a love story.
One just like mine…
From age 5, I dreamed of flying. Scanned the skies. Built model airplanes. Along with my buddy Alan, doodled WWII dogfights during math class. Thrilled at the occasional trip to the airport, and practically peed my pants to actually fly. To this day, I remember verbatim the conversation I had—at age 8—with the Hughes Airwest pilots in the magical cockpit of their Boeing 737.
When I was 14, I announced my intention to buy a hang glider.
Dad said, “Son, if you have the money, you can buy a hang glider.” Little did he know that this flying-obsessed boy had been saving up lawn mowing allowance for the past three years!
I promptly bought a used Rogallo wing for $430. I diligently took the ground school, aced the tests, and was thoroughly prepared. Nevertheless, the flight school, perhaps wisely, made me wait another year, till I was 15, to fly.
And, God bless his soul, my father honored his words, crossed his fingers and let this fledgling chick spread his wings…
Dad said, “Son, if you have the money, you can buy a hang glider.” Little did he know that this flying-obsessed boy had been saving up lawn mowing allowance for the past three years!
I promptly bought a used Rogallo wing for $430. I diligently took the ground school, aced the tests, and was thoroughly prepared. Nevertheless, the flight school, perhaps wisely, made me wait another year, till I was 15, to fly.
And, God bless his soul, my father honored his words, crossed his fingers and let this fledgling chick spread his wings…
It changed my life. The euphoric feeling I felt at liftoff was a drug that I would pursue for the rest of my life.
Fly. Flying. To Fly.
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| Me and my First Love, at age 15 |
“My soul is in the sky.”
— William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Shortly thereafter I visited the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum, which included a viewing of the classic IMAX film, “To Fly!“*
Like few other earthbound media, it captured for me the sheer joy and grandeur and magic that is flying.
It began with these epic words:
Like few other earthbound media, it captured for me the sheer joy and grandeur and magic that is flying.
It began with these epic words:
FLY. FLYING. To Fly…
Hearing those words still give me goosebumps.
From that moment on, I was determined to fly two types of craft: a bush plane . . . and a spaceship.
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| The summer of ’87 saw my first wish fulfilled in Alaska. |
“When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the Earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return.”
—Leonardo da Vinci**
Death And Ex’s
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| A pilot retires. |
While an Ex or two may have had her suspicions of a fling with a flight attendant, the true culprit would be my long-term love affair with “Fifi,” my Airbus A320. Today, her graceful looks, sleek, sexy lines and loving, yet quirky and unforgiving personality are my obsession.***
Indeed, I believe more airline-related divorces can be traced to this plain plane obsession than sexual flings. Often, the plain plane-obsessed pilot comes home from his trip, pecks his wife on the cheek, repacks, and is off to the weekend fly-in.
Football widows got nuthin’ on airplane widows.
Football widows got nuthin’ on airplane widows.
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| Cap’n Aux and Fifi. |
Accountants, firemen, even physicians can retire and live to a ripe old age. But, despite the relatively youthful forced-retirement age of 65, the pilot-retiree often augers in within scant months or years.
I am convinced that this is because, inside, he is heartbroken. He has lost the Love of his Life; his harsh mistress of 30-some years has traded him in for a newer model. Oh, he may have dabbled with his own Cessna 182 during his brief twilight years, but it’s like trading the Supermodel for the cleaning lady.
He has lost his purpose, his identity, a large chunk of his core personality.
I am convinced that this is because, inside, he is heartbroken. He has lost the Love of his Life; his harsh mistress of 30-some years has traded him in for a newer model. Oh, he may have dabbled with his own Cessna 182 during his brief twilight years, but it’s like trading the Supermodel for the cleaning lady.
He has lost his purpose, his identity, a large chunk of his core personality.
“Love. You can learn all the math in the ‘verse, but you take a boat in the air you don’t love, she’ll shake you off just as sure as the turning of worlds.
“Love keeps her in the air when she oughta fall down, tells you she’s hurting ‘fore she keens.
“Makes her a home.”
— Captain Malcomb Reynolds, “Serenity”
Mal had his Serenity.
Han Solo had his Millenium Falcon.
Kirk and Picard had their Enterprise.
Adama had his Galactica…
And have my Fifi.
Han Solo had his Millenium Falcon.
Kirk and Picard had their Enterprise.
Adama had his Galactica…
And have my Fifi.
Fifi is my spaceship.
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| Photo courtesy of Ryan O’Harren at http://www.flightpics.net/ |
From her glass cockpit at FL390, on a moonless night I can gaze out the window at the lights of Planet Earth as they meld with the Milky Way, and imagine being in command of a starship cruising at Warp Speed.
I savor these fleeting years, when I and my mistress are perfectly content.
What drew me to flying?
Love.
Love.
MCCOY: Well, I doubt seriously if there’s any kind of love antidote we can give the Captain for the Enterprise.
SPOCK: In this particular instance, Doctor, I agree with you.
KIRK: Mr. Sulu, ahead warp factor two.
—Star Trek, Elaan of Troyius
SPOCK: In this particular instance, Doctor, I agree with you.
KIRK: Mr. Sulu, ahead warp factor two.
—Star Trek, Elaan of Troyius
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HOTLINKS TO PARTICIPANTS IN THIS BLOGROLL:
Eric Auxier – capnauxier@yahoo.com – http://capnaux.com/
Karlene Petitt – karlene.petitt@gmail.com – http://karlenepetitt.blogspot.com/
Ron Rapp – ron@rapp.org – http://www.rapp.org/
Dan Pimentel – editor@airplanista.com – http://www.av8rdan.com/
Andrew Hartley – acalebh@gmail.com – http://smartflighttraining.com/
Brent Owens – brent@iflyblog.com – http://iflyblog.com
——————————
*To Fly! Still shown daily at the Smithsonian Air and Space museum in Washington, DC
- Buy tickets here http://www.si.edu/Imax/Movie/1
- Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/To_Fly!
- Buy the DVD on Amazon, eBay or the like. Better yet, go see it at the Smitshonian. Best yet, go take a flying lesson!
**Attribution of quote to da Vinci is disputed.
Wiki: http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Talk:Leonardo_da_Vinci
***My all-time favorite planes: Those I’ve flown: de Havilland Beaver, Twin Otter, Grumman Mallard, Airbus A320.
Those I’ve always wanted to fly: F-15, Curtiss JN-4 “Jenny,” DC-3, Boeing 727, 747, and anything on floats.
My all-time favorite airplane: P-51D Mustang.
What’s your favorite plane, and have you been lucky enough to fly/ride in one? And, briefly, what’s your most memorable aviation experience? Please comment and let us all know!
Wiki: http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Talk:Leonardo_da_Vinci
***My all-time favorite planes: Those I’ve flown: de Havilland Beaver, Twin Otter, Grumman Mallard, Airbus A320.
Those I’ve always wanted to fly: F-15, Curtiss JN-4 “Jenny,” DC-3, Boeing 727, 747, and anything on floats.
My all-time favorite airplane: P-51D Mustang.
What’s your favorite plane, and have you been lucky enough to fly/ride in one? And, briefly, what’s your most memorable aviation experience? Please comment and let us all know!
————————————
Posting May 11 @ 8am PHX:
Posting May 11 @ 8am PHX:
A Mother’s Day Special!
————————————
Posting May 20th @ 11:00 PHX:
Cap’n Aux answers readers’ Q’s—Part IV, 2.0
YOUR Questions—the final round!
Sample Questions:
—What was the funniest thing that ever happened to you on a flight?
—When do you reference speed as a percent of Mach and when do you use knots?
—Are you familiar with the crash of Northwest Flight 255?
—Have you flown any celebrities?
—Are you familiar with the crash of Northwest Flight 255?
—Have you flown any celebrities?
———————
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