The Best Moments

[beagle pilot]

My solo

The first time I scared the he11 out of myself and lived through it to tell the tale.

While in basic flight training, my instructor had to shoot a non-precision approach into home field. When we popped out of the clouds at about 1000' with the runway directly in front of us, I was very impressed. Hey! This stuff actually works!!!

Not a best moment, but a memorable one. We lost an instructor and a student in a mid-air. I'd been flying for quite some time and it wasn't my first loss of a friend, but this one hit me hard. It took me some time to get over it. Should I quit flying? Take desk job? Do something safer? NOT!

 

[SDF2BUF2MCO]

Sitting in a DC8 sim for the first time thinking this feels nice and natural and then kicking myself for being in management. Kind of like a pitcher throwing the hanging curveball wishing he could take the pitch back.

 

[Kream926]

when my examiner told me to stop doin stand up and go find a job on my comm ride

 

[johnpeace]

- My first flight as a 10 yr old...I flew a warrior, from the left seat, with my dad's CFI instructing, on about a 160nm XC to go have cake at my grandma's.

- First solo, on an overcast, gusty day at PHOG in a 152 Aerobat that is no more.

- Getting to cloudbase at over 12,5' and looking off my right trailing edge to see a BIG eagle tracing the same arc through the turn...then breaking off to get my first 25nm XC flight.

- 3 hours of ridge soaring on a sunday afternoon at an off limits coastal site on Maui. Back and forths over waterfalls, seaside cliffs and knife-edged ridges with 20kt tradewinds providing big lift everywhere.

- My first actual. Keeping my scan going, using the radios and realizing that I was straight and level, knew where I was and how to get to the IAF.

- Practicing turns around a point at about 800', around a pod of whales playing off of Oluwalu.

- My flight off of Sandia Mt. in Albuquerque...one of the biggest, baddest mountain sites in the country. I got to cloudbase and flew a tight approach to a no-step landing in my friend's borrowed Predator.

- Getting 2K over the top at Haleakala. Conditions only allow that to happen like, once every 10 years and it was the only time I ever launched from the top. Hung out in great thermals looking down all sides of that awesome mountain, above the observatories, for about 45min.

Flying is awesome! What a gift!

 

[dal72]

Not a pilot yet, so nothing about flying an actual plane except for one:

-My first flying lesson

-Flying for 1 1/2 in a 717 simulator

-Visiting the flight deck before my flights and spending some time in the office of my dreams

-Watching other planes fly by at sunset over the Atlantic

-Flying parrallel to a Turkish A340 for 3 hours last summer

-The first time I saw a C-17 fly by when we moved to our new house (it's under the approach to LGB)

That's all I can think of now...great memories for me...#3 and 4 will hopefully happen in 8 days!

 

[TriStar_drvr]

- Landing at home station after a trip to the sandbox and having Mom, Dad, Wife and Kids all waving flags and holding signs with tears in their eyes. That was a great feeling.

Amen to that. In fact, it put tears in my eyes...

 

[91100 100 set]

I can think of a few cool moments over the last 10 or 15 years, but one really sticks out.

Just last year, right before I left Allegheny. My father had been there for quite some time (34 years) and was retiring. Despite all garbage going on at the time, the company was still willing and able to put together a wonderful little going away for him, with the fire trucks in Middletown, a special message on the ATIS for him, getting my mother and sister on his last flight, a little party and ceremony at the gate in Middletown, and (the best part) was able to pair me with him for his last two legs. He was more than ready to retire (34 years will do that to a person I guess), but there was a moment right before we pushed back in Philly that I'll always remember. Running a little late, (typical Philly), but for a few seconds, he just kinda sat there, looking things over one last time. I looked at him, real quiet, and just said "take your time and let me know when I should call to push". A few seconds went by, he looked at me and just nodded. The flight was uneventful, just like most of his other 30,000 hours. I'll always remember that.

 

[johnpeace]

- Having 85 Army guys and girls cheer when you take off out of Baghdad for their first leg of their trip home after 13 months in Iraq.

- Landing at home station after a trip to the sandbox and having Mom, Dad, Wife and Kids all waving flags and holding signs with tears in their eyes. That was a great feeling.

Hat off and salute to you dude...good job and thanks for your service!

 

[OrphicSeth]

A while back, a Summer in the Granite State, bombing around in an old T-Craft with my arm out the window and the hills at my feet, and not a care in the world.

 

[rumpletumbler]

Oops, how could I forget about that one?

what was the a/c type on that adventure?