Where/How did you get your Start in Aviation?

R

RampRat_89

New Member
I've been asking some of the freight pilots at work and I was looking to get a broader view on this topic.

Plus I know how much pilots like to gloat. :D
 
When I was 8 my dad was taking flying lessons out at KTEB. He let me sit in back once and from then on I was hooked.
 
Did my first flight lesson when I was 14. Started flying gliders when I was 16 and started flying in the Air Force when I was 17....
 
My Dad was a part owner in an old Mooney which he flew on weekends out of ROA usually with me in the right seat. My Uncle also owned a C172RG and my Grandfather was a tail gunner on a Lanchaster bomber in WWII. When he migrated to the States post war he lived in KS and owned a C170 (I believe). It's always been in my blood and I was an addict from the start.

I didn't start flying until after college but only because I was a bit intimidated to take the leap into professional aviation. When I was living and working outside of aviation in BNA my office window looked out over 2C at BNA and that pretty much ruined me. From there I started taking lessons and the rest is history.

My Mom ran into my old 1st grade teacher a few months back and she said to her "You'll never guess what Cav is doing these days." Her response, "please tell me he's an airline pilot."
 
Started flying at age 36 (in 2002). Worked full time at my former career and earned my ratings on the side. Quit my former career and instructed for a year and a half as well as flying for a small corporation (in their Piper Saratoga), a doctor (in his Skymaster) and a small Part 135 gig (Cessna 402? and King Air). Applied to American Eagle and BOOYAH....here I am...five years later and about to upgrade some time this year. Life is good. :D
 
This is just something I've always wanted to do. My dad used to take me out to the airport to watch airplanes every weekend when I was a kid (he's still big into airplanes too, but never took lessons). Good times! Pretty much had my career choice decided by the time I hit my teenage years. I took lessons in college, got my ratings, flight instructed for a while, then went to a 121 regional. Got furloughed shortly thereafter, but then went to a 135 for a couple years to do the whole SPIFR thing (absolutely recommended to everyone). From there, somehow got lucky through networking and went from that 402 to what I'm flying now.

Been a fun ride. Would play again. :)
 
My dad was a major in the USAF and always wanted to fly. He was misdiagnosed by a doctor for cancer and was removed from training at Vance. He flew on the weekends after that for a few more years before my parents split and he moved back to Germany. I flew out there a lot and was always amazed with everything. He passed away in April of 2009. My stepmom mailed me a check a few weeks after that and the rest is history. I'm only at 80+ hours now, so no professional flying, but I am working on the ramp with Frontier and I'm loving every minute of it.
 
Grandfather owned a Cessna 180 which I was a passenger in a number of times, and I had a friend in HS who was taking flying lessons. I thought it would be fun and it took hold :)
 
My Dad was a career USAF officer and pilot who flew in WWII, Korea and served in Viet Nam as a civilian. I learned to fly at 19 and served in the Navy as a Naval Aircrewman and have been in civilian aviation for almost 10 years.
 
Knew I was going to fly for as long as I can remember...parents took me on a trip to Jamaica when I was about 2-3 years old and I stay plastered to the airport windows and the airplane's windows the whole way. I can go back to my Kindergarten books and the "What do you want to be when you grow up?" question has "Be Like Doug Taylor" (not really, but it does say 'Be a Delta Air Lines pilot').

Started flying at 18 in college...started instructing at 22...went to Horizon at 25...furloughed at 27...started flying corporate there after and now at 28, going on 29...still looking for that stable flying job, if one exist anymore.

3500 hours and 26 years after I fell in love with flying, I still get excited when I go to "work"...there is nothing in this world quite like it.

For me, there is nothing better than flying in the afternoon as the sunsets on the horizon.
 
I have always been interested in anything with a motor on it. When I was 10 years old, my uncle took me for a ride in a Mooney M20C. I was infected with the Aviation disease and then started flying R/C planes. I watched a show called Jared Leto Bush Pilots and said "I'm going to be a Bush Pilot in Alaska!"

At the age of 16 I soloed... Ran out of money for a bit, moved to Alaska when I was 19 and finished my Commercial ASEL

I had the time of my life scaring myself while building time and became even more hooked on Alaska flying.

Now I am 24 and a Bush Pilot, or I guess you could say Aerial Taxi Driver or Airmail Man, and I plan to fly in Alaska in the future.
 
My dad is a private pilot and owns a Cessna 180. I grew up around it and spent countless weekends at the airport with my dad and his flying buddies (airport bums) while growing up. I dont even remember my first airplane ride because I was so young. There are pictures of me at around 2 years old asleep in the back of my dads 180. Growing up I always dreamed of being a pilot when I was a kid. In high school, I sort of lost touch with flying and didnt know what I wanted to do after graduation. When I was 18 I finally started flight training, initially with just the goal of obtaining my PPL for fun.

Thats what sparked the dream again and I continued my training and became a CFI. Now, at age 27, I have had several different jobs ranging from charter, air ambulance, and now flying 135 freight (this i by far my favorite job so far in aviation! Even if the pay and QOL isnt as nice as my old charter gigs). I still have no idea where I will ultimately end up. I have recently been thinking of trying out 121.

Its been great though and I wouldnt change anything!
 
I was a nervous passenger and scared of flying. So I took a lesson to get over it, and yadda yadda yadda here I am in a career :)
 
Top Gun. Seriously.

Intro flight at 13. Started Private training at 17, got my CFI at 21 and have been instructing for about 8 months now. Enjoying every bit of the ride!
 
I can't really point to one thing that made me want to become a pilot. The fire has been burning for as long as I can remember. I have many fond aviation related memories from my childhood that I guess kept me on the track to where I am today. The earliest memory (refreshed by embarrassing home video) of being interested in aviation is when I was 5 or 6 when my family lived in Japan. My dad would make frequent business trips and my mom would always take us kids to the airport to see him off. After seeing him off inside the terminal we would always go up to the observation deck to watch his plane leave...if we could figure out which one it was. In the home video that my parents would never hesitate to pull out if I had a friend over, I get so excited at seeing the airplanes that I would start flapping my arms non stop.

I think my fondest and most vivid memory was when our time in Japan was finished and it was time to move back to the US. We flew on United Airlines from Tokyo to Honolulu and then continued on to the mainland. We were fortunate enough to sit up in the bubble of the 747. I remember the big chair, the view out the window, the first time I ever had a really good steak, and relaxing during the flight listening to Channel 9. But the best part of the flight was when I was invited up into the cockpit. I remember all the dials and switches, the view out the windshield, and somewhere amongst all my stuff I still have the wings that they gave me from my visit. Its really a shame that the cockpit visit has come to an end. That being said, I have noticed that kids nowadays show absolutely zero interest when passing by before or after a flight.

Growing up my life was made up of two things. Airplanes and hockey. Despite being almost my only two interests, a career in either seemed lofty and out of reach. I had always just assumed that I wouldn't be able to make it and would have to settle for something else.

To this day when I hear an airplane fly overhead I can't help but look up. If my wife spots one before me, she will point out out to me because she knows that i would like to know. While not a complete obsession, my older brother also has an interest in airplanes. When we lived in Germany he and I would often take the train up to the Munich airport to watch planes and collect timetables from all the airlines that had them.

So the time came to figure out where I was going to college. I wanted to stay in Germany to continue playing junior hockey to see where that lead, but my parents once again moved to Japan, making that much harder to do. In the end I decided to study commercial aviation at the University of North Dakota. After 4 years (plus a victory lap) I moved on and found an instructing job (through someone I met on jetcareers) in the Maryland area. After 8 months of that I interviewed with Atlantic Southeast Airlines and my life long dream was realized when they hired me on the spot.

Even as I started training at ASA, I had this feeling like "yeah...like this will work out". Three and a half years later I still somehow have my job. While there is a lot of things that come with this job that aren't at all what I pictured them, when the cockpit door is closed, this is the best job in the world. I'm very lucky to be where I am. I look around this website and see stories of people who have worked much harder than I have, only to fall short. This industry is so much about timing and being in the right place.
 
Screaming_Emu said:
That being said, I have noticed that kids nowadays show absolutely zero interest when passing by before or after a flight.

Growing up my life was made up of two things. Airplanes and hockey. Despite being almost my only two interests, a career in either seemed lofty and out of reach. I had always just assumed that I wouldn't be able to make it and would have to settle for something else.
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Wow, you sound a lot like me! Although anytime I board an airplane I can't stop looking at the flight deck and always go visit after we park at the gate.

For me, I don't really know...I've always loved airplanes and one of my friends dad was a private pilot. I remember playing Flightsim 98 thinking I could actually fly lol and my parents saying "Yeah I don't think we want you going up in those small planes" Well look at me now :P
 
When I was 10 my parents took us to Europe. On the way back Flight attendant took me into a 747 KLM cockpit.
 
I always wanted to fly, ever since I can remember. My Father flies for Delta (Northwest) and my mother was a flight attendant for them, stereotypical. Our family " fun days" were to KMSP to see my Dad in between flights. Around age 11 I got really into Motocross and raced all over the country for many years so the flying thing kind of went to the wayside. During my Junior year of college I was injured and told I could not race anymore. After a few monhs of debating I decided I needed somethihg with an engine and speed to replace motocross, so I decided to try my inner dream of being a pilot. After taking my discovery flight in May 09 i was hooked and ended up getting my CFI in June 2010. Got on at a busy school and have been instructing for the past 8 or so months. Now I am studying for my upcoming regional interview next week!
 
Always wanted to fly. Joined CAP when I was 12, started flight training when I was 14, private, instrument in highschool, commercial at 19, been working and going to college ever since.
 
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