Airplanes

[mjarrels]

Worst flight... SeaTac to Oakland... Heavy snow and ice. MD-80 or B737... finally took off about 8 hours late... jees... cockpit door flies open and the bussers and lights go on... Dropping light a log. Finally start to gain speed and pull away... scarey

mark

 

[shvl73]

I wish I could say I flew most of my list but, only flew in them. The ultra-lights were some of the most fun. Kinda like taking a bicycle up 2000'. If the Collins Foundation comes to your area with their old bombers, worth a visit. When I was on the B-17, you could pay extra and be right seat on the ride and take the yoke and bank the the plane, very cool! The FAA doesn't allow it anymore. They've got a B-25 now that I'd like to get up in. They also have a F-4 but last I checked, huge $ for a ride. The old Biplane at Rhinebeck in NY was a real blast. We called ahead and went up for an hour, lots of fun. The Collin's have a grass strip in Stow, MA. Rob Collins took me up in the AT-6. He gave me one heck of a ride. Flying below the tree tops over a resevoir, we came around a point of land and scared the crap out of a couple guys fishing. I'll always remember it and hope to go up again someday.

 

[Bird]

[Being a private pilot makes my list a lot less exciting than you guys.

C-150 (cessna)
C-172
C-182
Beech Bonanza(V-tail)

I never even got my license. My first time in an airplane was a Cessna 172; 20 minute tourist flight over El Paso in 1958. And that Fall, during my first year in college in the Air Force ROTC, I got to fly the F-86 simulator at Perrin Air Force Base (near Sherman Texas and no longer exists).

During a short tenure as commander of the police helicopter section, I started working on getting a license, but got transferred before I completed the program. If you've ever watched M*A*S*H on TV, you know what kind of helicopters I got to fly. I did ride in a Bell Jet Ranger once, and I got to take the controls a couple of times in a 1973 Helio Courier (which would have to be my personal favorite aircraft).

Of course, on commercial flights, I've ridden in 707s, 747, and several others, including a 20-21 passenger, very noisy, uncomfortable, cigar shaped turboprop, that flew between Chicago and Flint, MI.

But the most fun I ever had in an airplane was flying with my brother in a new Cessna 152 from the factory in Wichita, KS, to Anchorage, AK, in 4 days.

 

[Dennisfly]

Ive been a pilot for 39 years, made my living at it for a large part of that time, and probably have flown more than 50 types. However, I've never worked for a scheduled air carrier.

I have to agree that the sounds and characteristics of a radial are intoxicating. The old inline engines like the Merlin that was in the P-51 also have a nice sound, especially on a low altitude high speed pass. But, if you want safe dependable power, give me a turbine every time.

The difference between an airline pilot and a jet engine? The engine stops whining at the gate!

No disrespect intended. The airline job used to be great but not anymore with bankruptcies, mergers, reorganizations. The pay has been cut in half, retirement gone or slashed drastically, no job security and standing in line to searched by the TSA at each airport.

I hate to fly as a passenger on the airlines now. It seems that they are in a race to the bottom. I'd rather be in a J3 cub at 500 feet

 

[WTA]

I served on the USS Midway and USS Lexington in the 80's. I was an engineer most of my career and for a very short time SF so I didn't fly too much. The most fun flight I ever had was launching off the Midway on an EA6B. I got word my grandfather was in the hospital and I guess a lot of people still knew him so I got the first ride off to go home for a couple weeks. He spent probably half his 30 something years on the Midway. Anyway, I took a quick training course on how to eject and all that junk and off we went. I almost lost my lunch on launch. That was not a cool thing to do for me. . Landing in Cubi for fuel and then going on to Japan with two in flight refuelings really did me in also. I got on a 747 for the trip back to Millington, my old home town, and that was a LONG trip!

After that and the return trip, I rarely ever flew again except once off the Lex on a mail plane and on a few helicopters in some training I did later. Those helicopters really did me in. If they could have left that part out of it, I'd probably still be in Iraq right now. Long story. I miss it though. I am just scared to death of flying now. Being defenseless and without a parachute is not cool!

That is thanks to 9-11. My mother was supposed to be flying that day out of Pittsburg but after the first one crashed I refused to take her to the airport and she missed her flight. She didn't believe me that it was terrorists untill the third crash which happened just 10 miles from our house.
That whole week turned into a nightmare. We got her a train ticket then the trains shut down. Then we got her a bus ticket and someone went nuts on a bus somewhere and killed the driver so they blamed that on terrorism and shut down greyhound.

NEVER again on commercial flights! Especially when they profile out handicapped white women for pat downs. Like my wife.

I am going up in a cobra gun ship or a huey maybe here in the near future with a customer of mine hopefully. He doesn't want to get it dirty I'm sure. He actually owns them. He called about doing some maintenance on the weapons and going for a ride. That will be fun!

There's no way to bale out of a cobra is there???

 

[Bird]

I, too, am one of those who enjoyed commercial flights a long time ago, but I've told everyone that it would require a really dire emergency (one so dire that I cannot imagine it ever happening) for me to fly a commercial flight again. In fact, I hate to go to the airport to pick up or drop off friends and family who fly in or out of the DFW Airport.

 

[Diamondpilot]

I am a pilot also, 6,600 hours. 34 years old, been flying since 14. Have every rating up through ATP including all the instructor certificates. I am currently employed as a corporate pilot. Here are the ones that come to mind.

Beech:
23 Musketeer Sundowner
35 Bonanza
36 Bonanza
77 Skipper
95 Travel Air
200 King Air

Bellanca:
8KCAB Super Decathlon

Cessna:
150 Commuter
152
152 Aero Bat
172 Skyhawk
177 Cardinal
172RG Skyhawk RG
177RG Cardinal RG
182 Skylane
208B Grand Caravan
210 Non and Turbo Centurion
310 Non and Turbo
525 Citation Jet

Mitsubishi:
MU-2 Rice Rocket
MU-300 Diamond Jet

Mooney:
21

Pilatus:
PC12

Piper:
15 Vagabond
17 Vagabond
28 Cherokee, Dakota, Archer
28R Arrow
42 Cheyenne
44 Seminole

Sabreliner:
65

Socata:
21

 

[chh]

I used to like flying commercial flights. Not anymore, if there was anyway I could afford a 182 or and Archer I would fly us over a commercial flight anyday. I couldn't find any close enough to partner with either. I would still like to get some more time and ratings. Seriously looked at working as a cropduster, my wife is convinced I'm insane. Threatened to run off and bush fly in Alaska at one time, finally settled down to ranching and just keeping my feet on the ground except for when we have to fly commercial.

 

[Bird]

Seriously looked at working as a cropduster, my wife is convinced I'm insane. Threatened to run off and bush fly in Alaska at one time

One of the things that made flying that Cessna to Alaska so much fun was the fact that we had to stop early one day at Fort St. John, not because of weather there, but because of the weather at our next planned fuel stop. There was a young couple from Colorado just on vacation in a Cessna 152, planning to turn back at Whitehorse, a crop duster pilot by himself from Florida on his way to Fairbanks in a Cessna 182 that he hoped to sell up there for more than he could get in the lower 48, and a 747 pilot and his wife in a Beechcraft stagger wing that he'd spent 5 years restoring to like new condition.

So we all spent the night in the same hotel and visited a good part of the evening there, and then again the next night in Whitehorse.

 

[dmccarty]

The college I graduated from is build on an old WWII Army Air base. At the time much/most of the parking lots where old runways. One runway was still used for GA and was seperated from the campus by a chainlink fence. You could drive a car on the east/west runway/parking lot to the fence. Past the fence the GA runway ran on an NE/SW line. There where still buildings on campus built in WWII. Supposed to be used only for the duration but still in use 40 years later. Some of the buildings off the campus but what was on the base still where in use as well. Of in one corner of the campus was a grid of roads with very few buildings. I guess base housing and admin was over there.

One year, I think it was the Confiderate Air Force, flew in a B24 and B17. I could not get over to see the planes up close and get a tour due to classes but they mentioned when the planes would take off. I and a few others drove down to the fence to watch. The planes taxied down to our end of the runway and where 100-200 yards away. The revved the engines, eventually took off, circled the airfield and then did a real low pass.

To say it was awesome is an understatement! The sound and feel of the engines was unforgetable. To see those old planes so full of history still flying was something else. I have some photos of them somewhere.

The EAA had a B17 flying around that you could tour and get a ride on but I don't think it has been back in my area.

While you could feel the B17 and B24 engines its nothing like the B52 that flew low over our house in LA. We where south of Barksdale AFB. The B52 must have declared an emergency cause I had never seen them fly over us before and he was in a very tight turn heading back to the eastern runway. The plane seemed to have its wing vertical in the turn. I don't think he was but it sure seemed like to to a little kid. And vibration and noise was mind blowing. I was outside but I could hear the windows in the house vibrating.

I could climb the pine tree in our front yard and see planes flying at air shows at Barksdale so I knew where the eastern edge of the runway was located. Pretty sure that is where he was headed. Had a friend whose house's back yard had a fence. Cross the fence and you where on the AFB.

Flew in a Bell Ranger once from Ft. Lauderdale along the beach to Miami county to count turtles. Did not see any turtles but there was nice scenary on the beach. The pilot had flown in helicopters in Vietnam. When we got to the Port Of Miami there was a 3 masted sailing ship heading out of the cut. We did a tight circle over the ship and if it was not for that seat belt I think I would have fallen out! We head back north west to the Water Management areas aka the Everglades where we skimmed the grass. Been out there in air boats but its not quite the same skimming the grass in a helocopter vs an airboat.

Flew in a 152 once. And of course commercials. Sounds like I'm not alone in not wanting to ever fly commercial again. The last time was in the late 90s. Rode my first commercial flight at 6 or 7 all by myself and loved it. Don't want any part of it anymore.

Regarding F4Us. I used to live in Boyington Beach, FLA. I always wondered if there was a connection between the town's name and a certain F4U pilot.

Later,
Dan