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FlyingThere is no failure except in no longer trying. There is no defeat except from within, no really insurmountable barrier save our own inherent weakness of purpose. -- Kin Hubbard |
I am attracted to flying as another adventure in my life - another skill to be learned. As a Boy Scout I toured Moffet Field and went into a WW2 bomber. I use to watch the Navy blimps fly over my house on submarine patrol. My father-in-law, Roger Wilson, was a pilot and airframe mechanic. More importantly he had flying in his blood. I first took flying lessons at Midway Field in Chicago. This was in an era after O'Hare was in operation and the airport was very quiet. Then I finished my private license at Lewis-Lockport Airport next to the Joliet Penitentiary. When I moved to Washington the company I worked for had a ski bus that left work at 3:00 on Wednesdays. You were on the slopes by 5:00 and could ski under the lights until 10:00. We were back by midnight. I was on my way to enjoying skiing (at 40). When I moved to Washington I learned to fly seaplanes on Lake Washington. I enjoyed the freedom of flying without runways and the constraints placed on conventional aircraft. Sharon gave me the opportunity to ride in a T-33 out of Tracy. This was my first (and only) exposure to aerobatics. I flew in the blue plane (with a Blue Angels paint job) pictured above. |