Why did you start to fly?

[DarkHelmet]

I can honestly say I have always wanted to fly since I was 12!

My neighbour had a C182 and his family was bored with flying, he took me up every now and then.

My biggest constraint was budget, I was under the impression you had to fork out the entire sum for training upfront and it was always my drawback.

One day my current neighbour said that he is training to fly a microlight - he arranged an intro flight for me with Alan Pilz and since then I have been dying to get up there to fly.

Pity work is getting the better of me lately, my passion is having to take a backseat - on the other hand - work hard now and have time and moolah for the passion later in life

I still make a point to fly once a week at LEAST - even if I am not at home I will hunt for an opportunity to go flipping with one of my many friends from this forum!

[Morph]

I had an absolute passion for planes from about the age of 8 when I started building models. By the time I got to STD 9 I applied to the airforce as my first choice for compulsory military service. I dreamed of being a fighter pilot.
At the same time, having had a very loving but materially deprived up-bringing I applied for a bursary to study further, post matric, through a corporate company. The bursary came through as did the airforce call up. I opted to study further which I am not sorry for as there was no way my parents could have afforded to send me and it put me on a much better footing for life.
I only managed to finally fly for the first time, albeit in an SAA aircraft when I was about 26. From that time on I flew a lot, commuting all over the place. It was only when I was about 38 did the possibility of actually being able to afford to fly myself became viable and in 2000 I started my MPL up in Bapsfontein.
Finally my kids are grown up and I can now say I work to support my flying. Life can only get better.

[Junkie]

I just wanted to get away from the Law - way back then it was the folks, then it was the real deal, now its the missus...

Just joking.. I used to dream (warm and dry in my wee beddie ok!) that I could fly and made regular flights over the house by simply willing myself to lift off, and 'fly' over to land gently on the other side. My first ride was in an old Biplane that landed in a field near where we lived (on a Mine in darkest africa (Witbank!)
Ever since then i knew oneday I would. It wasnt till I left school and finished service (the Airforce Nogal!) that I started - Gliding at BaraG in 1980

[loansharkblv]

Just finished scratching for some old books in the storeroom after seeing this post, my 6th birthday is when I was first introduced to Captain Biggles and co. by my folks and I think not long after that my love of aviation was born. Since then I have been hooked, I can honestly say that never once have I heard an aircraft go overhead without me stopping and taking a look.

So why do I fly? Because it is easier than golf and I guess I am secretly hoping that once again we will be called on to rid the sky of those pesky huns…..

[Cali]

I can't remember when it started for me. For as long as I can remember I wanted to be up there. The biggest difference between me and other fanatics is my lack of interest in planes. I never built a model, can't tell the difference between a cesna and a piper and don't realy give a sh1t.

Microlights scared the crap out of me. I allways had the idea that all micro's was mac cdl and quicksilvers and the likes ( sorry guys don't want to offend anyone but they looked real flimsy to me). Then one fortunate day at a show or festival or something I went for a flip in a trike. I was hooked on takeoff. THAT was what I wanted to do. Before that I have flown quite a bit in bliks and boeings. Sure that was cool but nothing comes to the wind in your face feeling a trike gives.

I can honestly say that I don't want to do my PPL. If I had to choose between never flying again or doing my PPL sure I would do it but as long as I can fly a trike I'm happy as can be.

It's kinda hard to explain to people that does not love flying. I think my wife finaly understands why I'm depressed if it's a beutifull day and I have to be somewhere else than up there.

[RV4ker (RIP)]

Have flown since birth, so more of a way of life than wanting to fly. I simply never knew life without it? Dad flew aeries when I was little and was "flieg bedonderd" and still is. If there was a fire he would first inspect it from the air (even if it was at the local dump or already well under control). I remeber taking trips to PTA with him and gently pushing nose down so I could see over dash at age 6 or 7. Eventually he just got me some more cushions as it was easier than explaining to 119.5 why we were at 65 and decending while supposed to be at 75 . I had a log book and had loggd 170ishhrs as "P2" by time I was 8. Folks got divorced and we moved to BFN then flew very little for next 15 years. The usual route, Airfix kits, then onto balsa and then radio controlled, but I was K@K RC pilot and usually ended up as scrap. Still have 1 of the wrecks (20 years down the line ) in hope of rebuilding it.

After school enrolled in airforce (was on sports pass) and all was set for TOP GUN when they changed the min service rules from 5 years to 10 years. More than a couple people said I would get bored as glorified bus driver so got bursary & went to Varsity.

While doing articles I finaly scraped some cash together for couple lessons. Went solo after couple weeks, but balance of PPL took 18 months
as I could only fly when budget allowed. Was only allowed to fly the aerie I "flew" as a lighty when i had my License for 5 years ..

When life got in the way my license lapsed but since then I have managed to combine flying and work and now I only have a car to drive to the airport....

I love to fly & will try most at least once (some only 1ce ), and still get air sick occationally when pax


PS
Indoctrenation of my lighties has already started. (There is hell to pay if aerie flies over house and MOM doesnot drop everthing and run outside as well)

[CLU-less]

When I was about 10yrs old an aunt of mine offered to take me for a flight in some sort of an airplane for my birthday. Sat looking out the back and that was that. Waned to fly ever since.
After reading about a group of Hang gliders in the Argus who had flown of Table Mountain I contacted Herman Pederson (The father of hang gliding in CT) and the rest is history. Flew HG's for ten years (60 hrs) until an accident and family responsability's put paid to that.
As with most of us I went the MS Flight sim route. (still enjoy it)
In June 2004 my eldest son (fly"s A340 Airbus"s for SAA) kept ragging me about being a couch pilot and that did it. I walked into the bank took a loan and started to learn to fly trikes the next weekend. :D :D :D

[The Agent]

Aviation has allways been their to bug my mind, at school drawing a/c was ahobby mainly Spitties and the other interest was ofcourse motor sport, did plenty of bikes.
After school the Question was how was I going to be able to fly and the cheapest way was to start skydiving but the old man would not sign. He told me to go for flying lessons and he would pay, what a bargain, I was then an apprentace (motor mack)
So well no fine did not believe in myself with the brain power but eventually went solo on 15 hrs and the old man stopped paying. (sh!t)
That was the 3rd May 1975. Money was a problem so I sold the car my dad gave me and flew out all the money and I use ti hike to work from Krugersdorp to Roodepoort.
On the 19.07.75 I earned my PPL and 2 days later I was in the army.
Now that was K@K comeon I was a blerry pilot what was I doing running around the bushes wifff a gun in hand. I was suppose to protect the country from the top, oh no they had other ideas, eventually made it through to pilot selection, Do you remember those days where you were told that maths an science was important and you knew better, weel just areminder YOU were wrong and your hostle master was right. Sh!t so all they were prepared for me to do was an ATC. OK it was better that running in the bushes, once Qualified I did a border stint for 18 months and then Dunnottar where I got married and started a family, now thats where the stuff hit the fan, no money for flying and more family arrived, no not my mother in law, kids brother and are they expensive, top cut a long story very short now both of them are now through varsity and self supportive but still I cannot be nasty to them as they will choose the old age home I have to go to one day.
Now as some of you know I have bought myself a Bantam bakkie and aBantam ultralight or as Glen calls it a "lap en pale" Iwill still get him back for that as this is my pride and joy. Still in the learning curve but winning slowly, thanks to my patient distructor.
Oh yes why do I fly, because I like it I think I got this thread by the butt.

[Wart]

Took up skydiving in 1986 and completed 106 jumps until a skydiving incident involving a skydiving buddy made me stop and think. Canned the skydiving in favour of a safer life!

Did a lot of international business travelling and have always embrassed the odd bit of turbulance. I have had 2 scary ( ) experiences in all my years of flying as an international pax, but that is for another day?

In 1998 went for a couple of social flips in an Aquilla up at Cato through a mutual friend and decided that this was the sport for me. Problem was the distance te travel to get lessons (would have been approximately 100km one way!).

January 2005 I started working in Pmb and travelling to work (I now live in Hillcrest) I used to pass Cato Ridge every morning. One morning I saw a couple of trikes in the air and realised that this was now possible. Did some enquiries and came across Cato Flying School; I was sold immediately when I realised that the instructor was Wayne Bond (he was at school with my sister, I was at school with his brother and we lived about 150 m from each other whilst growing up!).

Started my lessons on 21 May 2005, went solo on the 18 January 2006 and the licence is nearly there.

I also don't know the difference between a 747 and a 172, but I guess my "passion" is different from the majority. I hated MS FlightSim as I could never land the damn thing and although I built a couple of Airfix it was a pain to paint them. I flew a PT19 Flight Trainer for a while, but going around in circles got a bit boring. Tried RC but the cost of repairs put paid to that. Had an opportunity to join SAAF in 1984 but I hadn't actually decided what I wanted to do with my life at that stage and the balance of my 2 years "diens" seemed like a better option. I had a huge respect the the Alo pilots with 20mm's, and the Casavac guys "up north". Witnessed the odd sortie of fighters but always ended up being stuck on the ground

And now I am at the airfield every morning and if the wx is good, I fly. It puts me in such a good mood for the day and my staff now know that if I seem a bit grumpy it is because I haven't been flying that morning. If I have a smile on my dial then they always ask "So how was the flying this morning?".

I fly because it makes me happy!

[Smiley]

I wanted to fly since I was very young!!

Our house was exactly in line with the aeries final approach at the airfield. When I heard an aerie approach on finals I always ran out to see what type of aerie it is. I knew them all, and their call signs!!

Every single air show I could go to, I did. I was probably the first public there, and the last to leave.

At age 13 my budget finally allowed me to buy my first radio control aeroplane, a Gentle Lady sailplane. I wanted to do my CPL after school but “mommy” said first get a “proper" qualification behind your name that you can fall back on, if something goes wrong with your health, and I never got to do my CPL.

Luckily for me, at age 25, I finally had the budget to do my MPL and buy my first trike and haven’t looked back since!

I LOVE FLYING!! Thanks Demon, a good topic that brought back wonderful memories!! I'm glad my childhood dream to be a pilot became a reality!! :D :D :D

[C205]

Unlike most participants on this forum I didn't have much to do with aeroplanes, although I was intrigued by them and always popped around to the airfield at the mine where I used to stay at the age of about 10 whenever an aircraft landed (I remember Rennies Air with its green insignia). Came to this country in a 737 but other than that my first small aircraft flip was in a Boere Boeing Cherokee Six (ZS-FYY) when I did my fist jump at the age of 19.
Marriage, kids, etc put paid to skydiving until I got rid of the GOM and started jumping again. Had a bad skydiving accident in 1990 which put a stop to my jumping and started flying gliders as it was affordable. Love gliding but got frustrated with the slow progress (also life interefered a couple of times) and switched to microlights last year when I went solo.
I must admit I was initially not attracted to microlights, heard too many scary stories but it was a cheaper alternative to PPL.
How can anyone describe the joys of flying - its pure ecstacy!!!!!!!

[kb]

Have always wanted to fly. Remember when I was a kid, and we were travelling to europe to visit grand-folks, asking my mom if we can go to the airport early so I can watch the planes. At school, Trevor Warner did PPL training with a few students, but my teachers told me I was doff and stupid cause I didn't have any clue about anything to do with maths. Wanted to fly, but was also to afriad to say anything to the parents, cause cause their attitude was "boys should play with girls, not machine's". Anyway, lil sis bought me a 1/2 hour flip in ML, (see what she started). Then have a friend from Norway who called me one day, and said he's doing his heli licennse, and can I do some homework for him as to prices here in SA> Did this, and decided to join in. Parents are now hooked on flying, and dad walks around every weekend with that "I'd rather come fly and wash your plane then be ordered to peel carrots and boil potatoes for sunday lunch" look on his face.
Unfortunately, the weather gods obviously don't want us flying all the time.

[Tailspin]

Hmmmm Well where do i start. I can honestly say since i can remember i have had a passion for Aviation and aircraft, before i went to school i would he dreaming of flying and being up there a spitfire pilot fighting the jerries, i remember building my own models (grew up very poor ) with tomato boxes and electric motors ripped outa anything with a small electric motor and ice-cream sticks twisted for props. My parents being tradional Boere said you fly you die and that sorta stuff. Was a total andrenalin junkie all my life even getting expelled outa school for blowing up the science class(yes Literally ) built as many balsa models as i could get my hands on. After Army i was taking the girlfriend home one day and this trike buzzed overhead, the girlfriend must have seen the longing in my eyes (or the other drivers eyes as we sped directly for him on the wrong side of the road ) but she said lets go see, ended up at crosswinds with Peet Pretorius, took me 3 years due to no budget but stuck in there and will not give up flying for nothing.

Finally my bigest dream is to build an 80% Scale Spitfire MK IX and fly to OSHKOSH from here. I will do it one day. Yea stand in the que if you think i am nuts, the wife gave up trying to fix that long ago

[Fairy Flycatcher]

My uncle (Abe on the forum), has a microlight on the farm where I grew up. He used to sneak off quietly during work and go fly. The airfield is about a 2km walk into the mountains from our house, and I would often try to walk to the airfield to ask him for a flight. I don't think he really wanted to take me flying, and if I did make it to the airfield before he left, he would usually tell me that my dad (his brother) must sign a letter first. When I had the letter, always another excuse, but I did eventually get my first flight from him when I was about 10, and another when I was about 12. I remember both those flights more vividly than my first solo. I remember the sensation when the aircraft left the ground, and from then on I always wanted to fly, although the fascination with model aircraft has never made any sense to me. (my dad and uncle built many of them) My dad was always too busy to see how much I wanted to fly, and my uncle seemed mildly anoyed with me more than anything else.

In maths class (Hartebeespoortdam), I used to watch the hang gliders at the southern ramp (not too many paragliders then), and almost flunked maths because of my day-dreaming. They were so incredibly gracefull and looked so free!!!

My dad finally bought a hang glider when I was in matric and said we should go do our Hang Gliding course with Mike Spike. I guess I wasn't very gifted, but loved flying. Had my first accident on my second high flight (Krugersdorp). But I loved flying so much that I spent the next year writing to every sponsor I could think to try and do hang gliding full time (like July Leden - sponsored by Citroen), but no one was interested.

...then I met my skygod under a broken-down kombi at a hang gliding competition, and the rest is history :D

[Tumbleweed]

My itch started only this time last year. The first inspiration was watching the local documentary about a bunch of guys cruising the South African borders on trikes.

The simplicity, slow speed and view intrigued me. Suddenly, every magazine I opened had a trike in it. When they showed the British guy attemping to cross the Atlantic, the views over the countryside and New York, I knew I had to satisfy this itch.

Watched someone doing circuits and landings, arranged my into flight and that was that, I was in training.

Trike flying is what I wanted, the views between your feet, and the simplicity. I have no desire to even try 3 axis, looks like a coffin draped in plastic. This Cirrus or that Cessna is as irrelevant as golf scoring.

Suddenly trivial cricket and rugby issues seldom occupy my 'free memory', but I wonder if I'll ever get over continually gazing outside, contemplating the weather.