How did you catch “The Bug”?

[BobDDuck]

Come on, i dont buy this. If you enjoy your job, then youve caught the bug (as corny as it sounds) at some point.

Hmmm. Nope. Don't think so. If I found something that was as low work load, good paying and gave me as many days off, I'd go do that. It's really just a (very good) job.

 

[ERfly]

I was 12. The family took a trip to Colorado. We flew out on American. The routing was DAB-JAX-BNA-DEN (same flight). During one of the stop-overs, I asked to go up front and see the cockpit. It was a Super 80. The Captain grabbed the throttles, pushed 'em up and made the thing talk. I decided then that this was I wanted to do for the rest of my life. The rest is history and now I'm an American pilot. Didn't bid the -80 for various reasons, but she'll always have a special place in my heart. I'll be sad to see her go when it finally happens.

 

[R2D]

All of us are here because we love aviation. This is a job that people don’t stick with if they truly don’t love it. The views out of the window, the challenges and the benefits we see at times can be trumped by the low pay, stressful commute or the debt some are staring at. During my low times or the times I would feel like this job may not be worth it. I would take a drive to NE Portland and just sit at the Approach end of 28R. When I would do that, it would bring me back to that young child staring up at the sky. My aviation geekiness would spool up and I’d head back home with a sense of motivation to get back on the horse. The reason is when I was a child, my grandparents lived just off the approach end of 29 in MSO. I would ride my bike to the fence line and watch Northwest, Delta, United and Horizon Air come in to land all day. It was like being in Disneyland for me, in fact when my parents took me to Disneyland I was more excited to fly on a plane than to go on space mountain lol.

Anyway, just thought I’d start this thread so you could share when your passion to be a pilot was sparked. Whether it was plane spotting, a family member who was a pilot, a plane ride as a child or the corny but popular movie Top Gun. Sometimes reaching back to those memories will help you get through some of the speed bumps in your climb up the career ladder and can help others as well by sharing why you love this job.

Infected from the start. I had incredible experiences visiting the ramp, terminal, and aircraft from young age due to my parents. I think I wanted to be a pilot, but 9/11 really threw me for a loop. I was young, knew NYC well, and stood atop the towers only days prior to that awful day. That threw me way off. I went to college for engineering and goofed it up. I just didn't care. I did know what I cared about...

Aviation

 

[Richman]

I caught "the bug" from bad eggs at a diner. Easy way to lose 7-8 lbs in a couple days,

 

[Autothrust Blue]

Come on, i dont buy this. If you enjoy your job, then youve caught the bug (as corny as it sounds) at some point.

Start buying.

I came for the airplanes. I stay for the paycheck.

 

[Kingairer]

Start buying.

I came for the airplanes. I stay for the paycheck.

"I came for the airplanes"... thats what the thread is about. How you started flying.