I am an old geezer, retired high school teacher, and pilot, since age 13. I agree 100% with flywithastick.
I grew up in Roswell, New Mexico in the 50's. The world was simpler then.
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.
Idiots infuriated him. Teenagers were expected to act like teenagers, not like kids in grade school.
The old geezers at the Roswell Municipal Airport back then took me under their wing, when I was 12 and 13. In return for washing airplanes, scrubbing endless amounts of oil and grease off of airplane bellies, and just being the airport kid, I was rewarded with flying lessons, taught how to keep all those wore out old airplanes running and flying, and got to listen to all their wonderful flying stories. Thank God for all those old pilots!
I soloed a beat up old J - 3 when I was 13. I went home and told my dad, who was a hot tempered old Greek. He actually came to the U.S. from Greece. I figured he'd really hit the ceiling, since he had no idea where I'd really been going on my bicycle every Saturday and Sunday for two years.
He asked me if I really wanted to fly that badly. I said , " Yes, Sir. "
All he said was if I wanted something that badly he figured he didn't need to interfere.
The next time I soloed that old J - 3, I saw my dad's '51 Buick Roadmaster parked by the airport fence, with my Mom and him standing alongside the car watching.
That night he shook my hand and told me he was proud of me.
Years later, both of my sons soloed my old T - Craft when they were teenagers.
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!
What ever happened to pilots that liked to have kids hang around an airport? I know of one at my home airport. The rest of the guys are way too busy being important with their fancy 200mph airplanes and all the electronic gadgets that a kid might definitely screw up.
Having been a high school teacher for 36 years, I have known lots of parents. I know of only ONE Dad who lets his 13 year old son hang around the airport. The world's lawsuit crazy now. Can you imagine the lawsuit that would come about for just giving a kid a ride in an airplane? I gave this kid a ride anyway.
Yep, times are different.
Can't stop the march of time. Don't have to like it though.
Believe it or not, I remember when high school kids used to behave, be respectful, and even say yes sir and yes mam to their teachers. Of course, that was back when they could actually read, write, and do their math too. That tells you folks how old I am.
I grew up in Roswell, New Mexico in the 50's. The world was simpler then.
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.
Idiots infuriated him. Teenagers were expected to act like teenagers, not like kids in grade school.
The old geezers at the Roswell Municipal Airport back then took me under their wing, when I was 12 and 13. In return for washing airplanes, scrubbing endless amounts of oil and grease off of airplane bellies, and just being the airport kid, I was rewarded with flying lessons, taught how to keep all those wore out old airplanes running and flying, and got to listen to all their wonderful flying stories. Thank God for all those old pilots!
I soloed a beat up old J - 3 when I was 13. I went home and told my dad, who was a hot tempered old Greek. He actually came to the U.S. from Greece. I figured he'd really hit the ceiling, since he had no idea where I'd really been going on my bicycle every Saturday and Sunday for two years.
He asked me if I really wanted to fly that badly. I said , " Yes, Sir. "
All he said was if I wanted something that badly he figured he didn't need to interfere.
The next time I soloed that old J - 3, I saw my dad's '51 Buick Roadmaster parked by the airport fence, with my Mom and him standing alongside the car watching.
That night he shook my hand and told me he was proud of me.
Years later, both of my sons soloed my old T - Craft when they were teenagers.
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!
What ever happened to pilots that liked to have kids hang around an airport? I know of one at my home airport. The rest of the guys are way too busy being important with their fancy 200mph airplanes and all the electronic gadgets that a kid might definitely screw up.
Having been a high school teacher for 36 years, I have known lots of parents. I know of only ONE Dad who lets his 13 year old son hang around the airport. The world's lawsuit crazy now. Can you imagine the lawsuit that would come about for just giving a kid a ride in an airplane? I gave this kid a ride anyway.
Yep, times are different.
Can't stop the march of time. Don't have to like it though.
Believe it or not, I remember when high school kids used to behave, be respectful, and even say yes sir and yes mam to their teachers. Of course, that was back when they could actually read, write, and do their math too. That tells you folks how old I am.
Luckily I do..........
