Warbird Information Exchange

I was a lad of 13 and my Dad told me to be ready to GO when he got home from work to go see the big High School football game between Highland Park and Plano back in 1978. I was a little confused as we drove past our turn off to the stadium and keep going towards Love Field in Dallas . As we pulled in to a Private entrance past the old WW1 type restraunt and on to the tar mat I was kinda getting a little excited as to the fact that of seeing a Cesna all painted up in Highland Parks School Colors.It had been painted in tempor paint by the cheerleaders that day . His Assiant Coach Mike lauier own the plane and invited my dad and me to fly with him before the Big Game. My dad turn to me and ask are you ready to go flying ? WOW I was floating out the car to the plane . As we Taxied to the end of the Runway a South West Airliner was taking off It was exciting to say the very least As we started to roll out and gaining speed I hardly remember one word of what My Dad was saying only watching as we went higher and higher As we travled towards I-75 I could see the Stadium very clear and fan Cheering as we flew over . As we approach our neighbor hood my mom and sister were standing in the front yard with half the neighbor hood waving at us . That first Ride will always be special to me as it was with my father. it is right up their with my first Warbird Rides of A-T6 with Victor Bilbo in the Denton Airshow 1985 in a dog fight of the Battle of Britian followed up by a Ride in the Sprit of Waco A-26. and a few years later Ready 4 Duty R4D and Chuckie B-17 ! .
Do you remember your first ride ?

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Always Keep Em Flying !

Glen

Lookie Capt Jim! Wham! Wham! ...............................Termights

I was 9...we were very poor. my parents took me to a free airshow and I saw a globemaster. I thought that was the coolest thing ever. My dad paid $15.00 for me to go up in a cessna...I got to sit in front.
hooked for life at that point and had to become a pilot!

About 1967-68 with my dad in his Aircoupe

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Don't touch my junk!!

Well, I'm 16 now and the only things I have spent any real time airborne in have been airliners. I've sat in and toured through countless planes, but I'm looking forward to when I can actually go up in something more exciting than a commercial airliner.

I'm really hoping to go up in a B-17 or a B-25 in the near future, and when I get my license I will need to make some friends .

As a 17 yo I had hung out at POF for a around a year and we had gotten the O-47 flying on a small budget. It had previously flown in Flight of the Phoenix as a stand in for the destroyed homebuilt that killed Paul Mantz. This is 76/77 as I recall and on the 2nd flight I went up with Jim Maloney. I remember sitting in the turret or near it as that was the only fixed seats. Also the 1st time I wore a parachute as well as 1st warbird ride.
Sad to say both plane and pilot are gone in seperate accidents.
Rich

I don't remember my first ride 'cause I was inside my mommy still. She was six months pregnant and went up with one of my relatives in a Cub. He proceeded to scare the $%& out of her and she always told me that the reason I am a gearhead is because of that flight. Probably true.

Scott

My first airplane ride was in a wide-body airliner on the way down to Australia. I don't remember it because I wasn't even one year old.

As for an airplane ride that I remember... well I've loved airplanes for what seems like forever and one summer day when I was maybe 9 or 10 I went for a joy flight at the local ultra-light field. It wasn't much of an ultra-light though. It was a Rans S-7 Courier. Quite a wonderful airplane and I suppose much like an L bird.

-David

Too young to remember the first as I was less than three. I had been in a 140, 150 and 152 before I was ten. My dad was an AP and I spent many hours bouncing around hangars when mom had places to be. Daycare wasn't invented yet and sitters were not in the budget.

Took many naps in the back of a 150 as well while the bustle went on around me. Hostess fruit pies and chocolate milk in a box on red Cessna floor mats. Breakfast of a hangar rat circa 1972-5.

I have VERY vivid memories of my first heli ride with one of dad's crop duster buddies. I was maybe 8 or 9 and while the grin was from ear to ear I was white as a ghost. Duster pilots are a truly odd but interesting bunch.

Eric

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597

1969 age 8 Cessna 182
My son also started before he was born, many many flights. First flight post birth for him was when he was 3 weeks old. I flew the family all the way from Illinois to St Augutine when I picked up an Extra 300. He started actual flying on my lap in gliders by 12 months and now he takes the Arrow off and flys all the way to just before touchdown at age eleven.

On his ninth birthday he did his first roll in the Extra.

Ditto for me Eric. My 1st ride was 8 months in our C-140. ( mom only went with dad once up in a CAP T-34 where he put it through its paces and she never went with him again)
Grew up in the hangar on the weekends getting my dipers changed on the wing of our N3N that dad and uncle were restoring. Later played around at the big airport on the summers "riding around the airline system in Short 330's and F-27's on AirNorth." via btv to bos and back. ( got a funny story I will write that in the other thread). Rode in the N3N not seeing anything but the instrument panel and my cousin and I sharing the front seat. Loved it when I could finally stack 4 cushions to see up out of the hole!!!

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Long Live the N3N-3 "The Last US Military Bi-Plane" 1940-1959
Badmouthing Stearmans on WIX since 2005

C-46

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Jerry
S/Sgt. - USAF Radio Operator '52-'56
C-119 "Flying Boxcar" - Korea & Japan

Volunteer: National Museum of the US Air Force (2007-2016)
LTM 381st Bomb Group Memorial Association

1988 Douglas A-26 Invader. First airshow was Victoria in 1992. I have a picture of riding to that airshow in the back seat of the Navion asleep in my car-seat.

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real airplanes have round engines

1972, 11 years old, flew to acapulco mexico on a convair 440, with my parents & sister. piedmont airlines. i remember upon seeing it & saying no jet engines?? it was a flight to remember as the plane was hit by lightning, & our altitude dropped dramatically & i hit my head on the ceiling as we dropped.

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tom d. friedman - hey!!! those fokkers were messerschmitts!! * without ammunition, the usaf would be just another flying club!!! * better to have piece of mind than piece of tail!!

My first airplane ride was this past July on the Collings Foundation B-24 Liberator.

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"Keep 'em Flying!"

I was 11 & my dad had just gotten his Private. It was a Saturday afternoon & it was one of the C150s at the local airport (VKS). I still remember looking out the window, & among the other sights of wonder, I noticed the wheels were still down. I thought all airplanes had retractable gear then.............