Introduce Yourself...

Went through initial flight screening at Hondo during the mid 90s, flying the ill-fated Slingsby T-3A (great little airplane). Good memories and a ton of aviation history there. Proud to be part of it.

Hondo Air Base - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

Over 15 years tech sales experience and enjoy scuba diving, exotic cars, speed boats and fast cars. Looking into buying my first F-car and aircraft and boat in the future as my big boy toys. Partial to the newer F-car models.

 

Snoopy's and my Walter Mitty life....
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Thought I'd throw something up here since I'm posting more now after a few years of general lurking from Fchat and getting to know a few more from here.

One of my Mantras, "Planes don't pull over."
I'm the FAA repair tech at Emteq- we design and manufacture LED lighting systems for aircraft as well as other electronic systems in them. We also have divisions with the Military and the ULA.
Prior to this job, I was at Zodiac Aerospace and worked on fuel, hydraulic, lighting and other aircraft systems. Also worked with our engineers on developmental projects with Airbus & Bombardier.
No license to fly here, just a passenger. I've always been into aircraft thanks to my grandfather- WWII B-17 Navigator over Europe; Cousin who served on several flat tops while I was in gradeschool (I had the coolest Tomcat pics sent back to me before TopGun was even made!); and an uncle who is a military author- Wayne Mutza (small sample) Wayne Mutza | Barnes & Noble - I've been paging through his works since before being able to read.
I'm also SCUBA certified, race a kart in the RT66 Sprint Series, ALMS worker and instruct at Road America.

See you at the ALMS races, HAWK, FCA50th and at the EAA!

John

 

I went up in my 182 today.

It had been way too many months since I took it for a flight.
I went with an instructor in the right seat to make sure I was safe as I knocked some of the "rust off" of my flying skills.

Wow, even though my plane is relatively slow and easy to fly like a trainer, it never ceases to amaze me how fantastic it is to be in control of a flying machine.
There just is nothing else like it.

We did slow flight and then a few stalls (intentional - I know what you're thinking! ) and some steep banked turns (45 degrees). Then did a few x-wind landings.

Definitely had a smile on my face the whole time. Thumbs up!
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I enrolled in FerrariChat a couple of years ago, but I didn't notice the link to AviatorChat until recently.

I started flying in the mid-60s while I was studying Aerospace Engineering in school, and I earned my Private Pilot's license back then. But I really didn't fly very much until about 1986, when I started to work on my instrument rating. My wife and I currently own an Aerostar.

Bill Terry

 

I imagine that is a handful. Designed by the guy who designed the A-20 and A-26 IIRC.

 

I've never flown an Aerostar, but always wanted to. What a great looking airplane! Congrats!!!!

 

And the Aero Commander, too, if I'm not mistaken.

 

All good performers, too.

 

One of the things that I remember about the "Ted Smith Aerostar", as it was called, is that the horizontal and vertical stabilizers are all the same unit. Oriented right-side up, relatively upside down on the other side and vertically for the vertical stab. Saved some $$$.

And that they were very fast...

 

Hey everyone.

Fixed wing pilot here. Got my PPL in high school and have always found flying to be a blast. Flown C150s, C152s, C172s, and Piper Tomahawks.

I also just took an intro helicopter flight in a Robinson R-22 yesterday and that thing was a blast! Helicopter license is definitely going on the bucket list after that.

 

The AeroCommander is one of the most versatile aircraft I've ever flown. The Conquest 441 is up there too.....but that was when flying was fun. Now my butt is strapped to a B737NG doing RPT in Australia...........
And the most fun now is when I get home from a trip, and I see the little 360 in my garage.... It's time to play.....

Learned to fly in '81.....only wanted to do PPL, and so I dealt cards in a casino for 6 years. Became ATC for 12 years to then start flying at 36 years if age. 13 years later its time to stop changing jobs, enjoy my car, enjoy my new lady, and sit on the balcony and look at the city lights whilst sipping a Port..........

 

Hi all. Just joined this board. I own a 1988 Bonanza F33A with a TAT IO-550. I'm a CFII / MEI and have been flying for about 20 years. As you can tell, I like engines -- and going fast . . .

Happy to be here. Looks like you're all good people.

 

I'm Mike, here via Fchat as well. I fly or have flown all Boeing airliners from 727-777, the DC-10 and MD-11, BAe-146, F-100, numerous NASA aircraft from 747 to ER-2 (U-2) and most standard civilian prop, turbo prop and jet aircraft. If it sounds like I must be old, yep, I am: 64. Also flown the P-51, SNJ/T-6, T-28, B-25 and Ventura bomber.
As for Ferraris, I've owned seven, from Dino to 4 Cam to Daytona, also four Lamborghinis. I don't have any at the moment, although I'm leaning toward another Ferarri.

 

Hi All, another Fchat Transplant! Started flying piper and cessna singles and most of their twin series. Then DC 8s, B747 200s,300s,400s and currently on the B777 in HongKong. Own 2 F cars and I am trying to convince my wife I need a 3rd. Great to see so many passionate people on the Fchat website.Regards Gary.

 

Hi all. Just joined FChat and was delighted to find so many Ferrari lovers were involved in general aviation (not to mention our airline brothers).

Must admit, the flying bug bit long before I started appreciating exotic cars and Ferrari specifically. Since I was always on the verge of poverty while in college, I didn't start my flying until shorty after graduating in the late sixties and have a Commercial, SEL, MEL, SES, Glider and Instrument rating. My second career finally got me in the aviation industry and was with Cessna in various management positions for thirteen years and Bombardier Aerospace for twenty years before retiring. No type ratings although I got to fly right seat in several model Citations, F10 and Challenger 601. I now live in Montana and enjoy flying my P210.

Very happy to be a member of this blog!

 

Welcome aboard. Very cool jet time. I wanted to be in aviation for a lifetime, lasted 18 months out of college. Managed .2 on the Hobbs in a citation from tie down to the gate. Otherwise I've only fueled the other planes you've flown particularly jealous of the f10 time. I met the dassault test pilot once. That plan will exceed Mach 1. Been done. Gorgeous little hotrod. Anyway, again, welcome.

 

Thanks for the welcome. Only aviators can fully appreciate how important .2 hours in a jet can be. Looking back, every .1 in my log book is a treasure!

 

Hi, I'm also a F-chatter but never had the guts to post here. I've always liked the aircrafts. My first flight was with my oncle in his Tailorcraft in the early 70s. I came close to buy it when he sold it but I didn't. I fly once in a while with my friend in his 150 and with my cousin in his Cherokee. Another friend has a Grumman but I didn't fly in this one yet.
A co-worker also own a RV-8 and I should be able to get to fly in it soon.

I'm thinking a lot about the possibility of buying a Rotorway helicopter. I like the idea of hovering over a precise spot to look at something which you can't do with a plane.

A picture of my old Mondial with the Grumman and the tail of the Cherokee.
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I got bit by the aviation bug before the exotic bug. Believe it or not, my first few airplanes were much less expensive than an exotic. Exotics kind of went to the back burner as the family grew, but I remained heavily into aviation. My aviation progression was: Cherokee 140, Archer II, Saratoga SP, Seneca III, (2) Malibu Mirages, Cheyenne IA, King Air 200 and currently in a Premier.

Somewhere in the Malibu era I took a helicopter ride and was hooked. I bought an R22, which was upgraded to an R44, then a Bell 206 and finally now a Bell 407.

I also have a G1000 equipped Diamond DA-40 for fooling around.

 

Just noticed this section. I'm sort of like the OP, my father was a private pilot as a hobby. When I turned 14, I did several lessons. My Dad wanted us kids to have enough knowledge to land the plane if something happened to him. I was more into cars and boats, didn't get my license. My older brother completed his lessons, pilots license at 16. He actually got his pilots before his car license. Growing up my Father had a Beech Sundowner and Piper Saratoga. He kept both until 2000. Had a hangar at Boundary Bay, near Vancouver.

Now that I'm 42, miss the flying and thinking of getting the license.