Have you ever flown a plane?

[NM]

As a child, I was invited to the flight deck of a VC10 and allowed to sit in the left hand seat and was asked to make a slight turn of the aircraft. Obviously was under close supervision by the first officer and Captain standing behind me.

I had the opportunity to take control a helicopter owned by an friend in the USA while flying over San Francisco Bay as he took us for a scenic tour of the area.

More recently, I was given a voucher for an introductory flying lesson by my kids, which does provide some opportunity to control the light sport aircraft (a Eurofox 3K).

 

[Mwenenzi]

No, I didn't accidentally leave out the word "on" from the thread title. Have you ever been a pilot, physically at the controls of a plane and flown it?

Yes. Got my PPL in C152/C172 at Rand Airport, South Africa in 17 Dec 1983. [17 Dec is an auspicious day in aviation] My first instructor was from Wellington NZ. The second and main instructor was a retired KLM B707 pilot (Afrikaner):- he taught me to fly. And later an AU PPL at Moorabbin. Now only flying is as a passenger.

Rand Airport - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[jb747]

I'll answer on the pilot thread, Matt.

 

[AviatorInsight]

starting off with an Air Training Corps camp, and then continuing on my own.

That’s how I got my start too. The Air Training Corps provided a great set up that I could take a week of my school holidays to learn to fly.

Eventually I got a scholarship from the RAAF to finish up until my restricted pilots licence.

I initially wanted to go gliding because I could fly at an earlier age, however, when I went home to tell my mother there was no engine she freaked out and wouldn’t sign the paperwork.

 

[jastel]

A couple of times in friends personal planes, here you fly while I take some photos was how it went!!
Have landed the Space Shuttle on a SIM at NASA...thats more gliding I guess. Also the more normal 747 and helicopter SIMS.

 

[danintas]

Back in the early 80’s took flying lessons at the Tasmanian Aero Club at LST In a Cessna 172. Soloed after 9 hours or so… such an amazing experience! Went on to do around 10 hours of solo before other priorities took over. Resurrected the urge in the mid 90‘s on a Thruster T500 ultralight but ultimately decided that the responsibility of piloting an aircraft wasn’t for me!

These experiences though gave me a great insight into aviation, and I remain a committed “avgeek”

 

[1022]

Late to the party on this thread but 10 years ago I clocked about 25 hours in a Beechcraft Skipper. My very best ever landing was on my first solo. Sadly with no instructor next to me to feel just how well I greased it. A couple of my lessons were with a female instructor in her 90s, a true aviation pioneer.

 

[CMak]

I managed to get my Restricted PPL as I turned 17 - became unrestricted and then endorsed on quite a few aircraft from C152 Aerobat to C421 as well as few Pipers. Flew as a private pilot (with a night rating) until I had children. I now enjoy sitting back and being flown around.

 

[Brissy1]

A mate let me take the controls on a joy flight once, a Cessna 172 or similar.
But I shudder reading above of children, and others, being allowed a go in commercial passenger flights! I remember ...

Aeroflot Flight 593​

 

[BCons]

Does a glider count?
I did a five-day course back in the 80s.
On the Friday morning the instructor strapped a lead weight to his seat, slapped me on the back and sent me on my way.
I got it back down in one piece, but only then did I learn that the instructor was still half-pissed from the night before.
I was pleased to have done it, but didn't feel the urge to pursue it any further.

I wonder if that was in Narromine ? I did a 5 day course there probly '84 and had 2 solo's on the final day. Not enough for a silver C or bronze medallion, or whatever the base qualification is called.. Have had the controls a few times in light a/c - once memorably with a friend getting his hours up. Flew with his instructor at night from Essendon to Launceston and then continued next day across to WC Tas and into Hobart. Next day, Sun, up the EC of Tas, over Flinders Isl and followed the sunken backbone of granite (Deal, Hogan Isls) to Wilsons Prom. Highly scenic, partic when my friend gave me the controls and told me to stay xx_x feet away from all the nice little clouds

Nvr had a worry flying single engine a/c, tho my wife has a different version of a forced landing somewhere E of Broome on our honeymoon...

 

[Cessna 180]

@Cessna 180

Just catching up on a bit of AFF this week as things are a bit quiet and saw this now.

My first flight ever was in a friends Dads C182 in 2003. He mentioned there was a new instructor at the local aero club who was keen to get some students. I had always been interested in flying but really had no idea about it and knew no one involved until that day. It was a couple of years after this before I even went on an RPT or airliner.

I went along and had a couple of trial lessons and after a slow start all of a sudden got in to it and completed the PPL in about two months.
Then I realized it was all a bit pointless if I could not make some money out of it as I would not be able to fund regular flying myself. So with my instructor and his wifes' (retired school teachers who just loved all things aviation) help and motivation, I completed the seven CPL subjects over a year or two and kept ticking over a few hours. By 2006 I had a CPL and in early '07, I rented out my house, gave up my job, loaded up my old ute and headed to Broome looking for flying work.
I was more motivated by the desire to see the country and try something new rather than "build hours" for airlines as I have seen so many do since then.

I ended up working in Jabiru and Kununurra for a few years before returning south due some things I had to take care of.

BY 2013 I had gained my ATPL and now do mostly survey mapping. (Cessna 406 in the profile picture)

 

[Seat0B]

Well I sometimes help Mr Seat 0A in his Grumman Tiger. Usually when he wants to take a photo or adjust OzRunwwys.
And when I was in the RAAF I participated in handing over/taking over in a CT4, a Winjeel, a Macchi jet trainer and a Caribou. It was a grand time to be a single female officer if you wanted to try a few flights.

 

[ksksks]

kookaburra75 said:
starting off with an Air Training Corps camp, and then continuing on my own.

Same here. Got started all the way back in high school (Year 9 I believe) as part of AirTC

 

[jb747]

Well I sometimes help Mr Seat 0A in his Grumman Tiger. Usually when he wants to take a photo or adjust OzRunwwys.
And when I was in the RAAF I participated in handing over/taking over in a CT4, a Winjeel, a Macchi jet trainer and a Caribou. It was a grand time to be a single female officer if you wanted to try a few flights.

Yes, my "not then" wife got rides in at TA-4G, Macchi, and all of the RAN helicopters. Later she had to put up with the CT-4. She's a confirmed passenger...best to just let go rather than giving it to her.

 

[RSD]

Before becoming a wildlife photographer I was an aerospace engineer at Airbus and worked on the A380 design program. After leaving Airbus to move to Africa I grew frustrated with how difficult it was to move around Africa quickly and did my PPL. One thing led to another and after a lot of research I ended up back in France to pick up a brand new Socata TB-21 GT which I flew back to Botswana. The TB-21 Gt was the perfect plane for a wildlife photographer to get around Africa while carrying lots of camera gear. Loved that plane - plenty of room in the cabin, and it could take some abuse landing on rough dirt runways etc.

 

[harvyk]

As of today, yes

 

[Seat0B]

Here we are on Father’s Day. Mr Seat 0A in seat 0A, and me in Seat 0B.

 

[Matt_01]

@Seat0B does Mr0A hat have Platinum One on the back of it. Only asking as we have x3 hats that are exactly the same and were given to us when the 787 'dog and pony' show was on the initial tour. IIRC there was a ground crew staff member in ADL who wanted to swap his red cap for any one of ours as his did not have the Platinum One stitching on the back.

 

[Seat0B]

@Seat0B does Mr0A hat have Platinum One on the back of it. Only asking as we have x3 hats that are exactly the same and were given to us when the 787 'dog and pony' show was on the initial tour. IIRC there was a ground crew staff member in ADL who wanted to swap his red cap for any one of ours as his did not have the Platinum One stitching on the back.

Yes it does have Platinum One embroidered on the back - from my glory days. And yes it was from the 787 intro road show. I personally don’t like baseball caps, but he likes them

 

[ChrisGibbs]

1991 - 1994 RPPL / PPL Airport Flying School - Canberra. Aircraft Flown: C150, C172, PA28R, PA44, 8KCAB. Endorsements: CSU / Retractable, ME, NVFR, Aerobatic (Barrel Roll, Spin, Loop, Imelmann Turns, etc)
1995 - 1998 MECIR - Civil Flying School / General Flying School - Moorabin. Aircraft Flown: PA44, C310R, P68, B76, Victa Airtourer
2000 - 2002 BASAIR - Bankstown

Ended up with around 1,100 hrs across 10-11 years. Enjoyed flying in and out of Essendon and Moorabin with a MECIR under my belt. 3-4 trips to Birdsville and the ocassional trip to Adelaide, King Island, Flinders Island and Cradle Mountain. Lots of learning and interesting weather to deal with. Flying in and out of Milawa Winery (Brown Brothers) off an NDB approach into Wangaratta was fun in a C310R. Enjoyed flying in and out of NAS Nowra when it was open. In the late 90's things for a Private Pilot became very expensive and I couldn't devote the time I wanted to be more than just proficient. Doing an ILS every 35 days and an NDB approach every 90 days wasn't enough... Last flight in command was in 2002 out of Bankstown.

I now get to have a front row seat watching my 22 year old son navigate the RAAF OTS, 1FTS and 2FTS training....