Airplanes, and kids

[fLYbUDDY]

What ever happened to kids that liked to hang around an airport and drool over old smelly airplanes? Does anyone out there have an airport where kids still do that? Does anyone still have an old smelly wore out old airplane? God forbid that the FAA should find out about it!

Well, at 20 years young/old I still consider myself to be a kid. I love hanging around the airport. Boca (BCT) and Ft. Lauderdale (FLL) have been very hospitable to me. I cleaned airplanes at the flight school I attended at Boca and would occasionally stroll around the ramp area without ever having anything said to me. FLL has a great viewing area next to the runway, and sometimes I would park there and take the quick walk down the perimeter road to stand right under the extended runway center line of 9L. No displaced threshold, so they get pretty low over that road. What a rush it is! I usually stay until the guy in the security truck tells me to move or a cop sees me and tells me to move. They have always been friendly about it and I have never been arrested for doing this.

The government pretty much minded its own business. Kids were kids. Parents were definitely parents. You didn't mess with parents or schoolteachers. My lifelong hero is a teacher from those days. He had the strangest ideas, such as behaving, being quiet, doing your school work, and addressing him as sir.

As for this generation, there is definitely “something in the water,” messing with the minds of people today. The kids are ridiculous and some of the parents are no better. I am not trying to say I am all that perfect, but I have definitely noticed a very bad attitude from/towards the youth of today. This world would be a better place if people would think for themselves. A lot of people (youth and adults) seem to accept whatever the trend is and then rely on other people to bail them out of trouble when the trend they followed led them to it (the trouble). Of course this is all in my humble opinion and doesn't mean I think this way about everyone/every-youth. It just seems like each day more and more people join the following and less and less care about leading (or at least being original). Children are staying children and grown-ups are thinking like children (ie-someone has to spoon-feed them both).

Well I guess I will climb off my soapbox now.
See you all later!

 

[wickedpilot]

My dad is a State Police Helicopter Pilot out of GED and my mom flies out of OXB. Both are in the north east in Delaware and Maryland.

Intresting, I just flew a passenger to Ocean City, NJ a few weeks back. I found is peculiar that there were two Ocean City airports so close to each other.
(I live in Atlanta).

Anyhoo, sounds like you're set bud. Don't be foolish and screw anything up. Good luck down the road.

 

[low-n-slow]

I hung around a couple of airports as a kid, namely the small airport in Holdenville, Oklahoma were a couple of local cropdusters worked out of, "Grab that wrench over there for me, would ya kid?". The local prominent doctor wouldn't let me anywhere near his C-310, maybe thats why I somehow found my way into cropdusting, who knows.

About 4 years ago we had a 13 year kid that hung around our airport and my boss actually hired him to sweep floors, paint and etc. I was impressed because this kid's family didn't have a dime to their name for any type of flight lesson but this kid was willing to do any kind of work to learn how to fly and just be around the airplanes.

He now holds a PPL and is currently working on his instrument while making top notch grades in high school and working two jobs. Every penny he spent towards flying came entirely from himself without any help whatsoever from any other source.
That impresses me.

 

[Ravengirl]

I loved hanging around airports when I was younger (I'm only 21 now, jeez!). I would watch airplanes with my father as often as he could tolerate it- fairly often, since he's an aerospace engineer. We would hang out on the balcony of the old terminal building at SNA, or on the other side of the fence at LBG. Several of his friends kept airplanes at FUL, AJO, and the old Meadowlark in Huntington Beach, and a trip up in the air was something I cherished for months. It was better if they let me try to fly!

I still love to sit and just watch the planes, but security pays more attention now (I have had the Costa Mesa Police descend on me with three squad cars and the chopper, no joke). I miss how it used to be...

 

[Dominicinco]

Originally posted by Citationkid

Ah, if you read the post maybe you'll see where I mentioned that.

Geez Citationkid, no disrepect or anything, but Geeez kid..

 

[SkyGuyEd]

Yeah ravengirl...

I'm 'older' now (is 19 'older'?), but I still stop by SNA to watch the planes come in every now and then (only now, in a car).

Sad thing is that security also stopped me... I was just sitting there studying for one of my college classes! I explained it, offered to show identification, yada yada... I ended up getting kicked out; all I did was just move to another parking lot anyways, but it's sad to see that happen!

====

And for the people who complain 'what's wrong with kids these days'... First of all, I'd bet that nearly every generation has said the same thing about 'those kids'.

Also, I coach tons of kids in the summer on a swim team. The vast majority are some of the most driven, friendly, and proactive people I've met.

 

[T-Gates]

I grew up in Atlanta and spent almost every weekend at PDK watching airplanes. When I was old enough I started working at a flight school and started taking lessons. I made more connections at that dang airport than I could have ever hoped.

Heck, even when I am bored now, I'll drive over to DTW and watch airplanes....

I miss those days....

--T

 

[Typhoon1244]

When I was about five, my father (at the time an EAL DC-9 F/O) took me on a layover from MIA to BUF. During the climb, Captain Mel Keene had the flight attendants douse all the lights and bring me up to the cockpit. I rode from there all the way to the descent through FL180 on the jumpseat.

I was hooked. I never seriously thought of being anything other than an airline pilot after that.

I would love to be able to return the favor and give my father a ride on my jumpseat...but sadly, thanks to the TSA...

(I tell you this: three and four years from now, TSA or no TSA, I will find a way to do the same thing for my boys. They don't have to become pilots to make me happy, but I want them to have the same chances I did.)

 

[Ravengirl]

Yeah ravengirl...

I'm 'older' now (is 19 'older'?), but I still stop by SNA to watch the planes come in every now and then (only now, in a car).

Sad thing is that security also stopped me... I was just sitting there studying for one of my college classes! I explained it, offered to show identification, yada yada... I ended up getting kicked out; all I did was just move to another parking lot anyways, but it's sad to see that happen!

I've even had security stop me while I'm on my way out to fly. Because I guess I look menacing with a headset and airplane keys...

 

[Citationkid]

I've even had security stop me while I'm on my way out to fly. Because I guess I look menacing with a headset and airplane keys...

Try being 14 and opening up a jet. That'll get security on you where ever you go.

 

[Immelman]

I too was an airport kid, at least in my latter teens. Started flying at 15, ran out of $, picked it back up a year later, and got my PPL on 17th b-day. Had a great CFI who taught several younger folks how to fly. After PPL I started working for the flight school just cleaning things up in exchange for aerobatics & formation flying instruction in the Citabria, what an awesome job!!!.. that is still the best rigged Citabria I've flown to date.

I think there are kids out there who are interested in it, but as many have pointed out there really needs to be a mentor (or two or more) who are interested in showing younger folks what its all about; I too have seen that "Dr. with the 310" syndrome, no thanks!! Seems like the EAA consistently does a good job with the young eagles events and what not.

Personally, I am really thankful to have had a good CFI early on who was familiar with teaching younger folks, and then later on, a great mentor who gave me the job sweeping the floor, cleaning the airplanes, helping with the annual inspectioins, and what not.

 

[toneal]

Citationkid....

Are you logging this time in a jet?

I remember my first flight. I was 13 at a CAP meeting and a CAP pilot took me up in his mooney....

 

[Citationkid]

Yeah when I fly in it there's always a CFIIME in the left seat.

 

[Salty Dog]

Watch your back, laddy, I'm going to make you my little be-otch!!!

Just kidding. Harmless jealousy, I assure you. If only I'd logged that T-34 dual, or been eligible to log hundreds of hours of cross-country, aerobatics, round-engine time, simulator time in 727, DC-10, F-105, F-4, etc. etc.

Note to all: Being a flying parent w/out a CFI rating is CHILD ABUSE!!!