why i fly

I thought this was just awesome....its why I love to fly

Wolfe Air Reel on Vimeo

Lou is that you in the 747-8 from Nippon ??

 

Here's a screen snapshot of the Nippon Cargo 747 in the video.
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While I wish I was flying that one, it definitely wasn't me. I'm sure I'd remember being up close and personal with a Lear.

Great video.

 

Very cool.

Noticed the F-16's and the F-4 are Turkish. Makes me a little "homesick" for when I worked on that F-16 program in 90 and 91.

 

Why I Fly....

After already flying Tokyo to Hong Kong and sitting for 2 hours, this was the sunrise on the way back to Tokyo.
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That beautiful shot says tons about the joy of flying. Groundlings can never see this kind of spectacle unless they are somewhere up there.

 

I liked that glimpse of the F-4E

 

Lou...great picture

 

“Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return.”

 

Absolutely amazing video and pix! I have some less spectacular, but still quite interesting pix, a few of which I should dig up and post.

Thanks again, guys

 

Some of the most beautiful objects made by man are flying machines.

Great video!

 

A wonderful picture. Thanks, Lou. My thoughts go back to a time in 1947 when a friend and I often flew at night in Florida. It was not like the high and the mighty, to coin a phrase from Gann, but in a lowly 40HP Taylorcraft. We launched into the night that was sprinkled with bright stars and a full moon, thus giving us a horizon that allowed us to fly in an upright position. That little airplane actually had a radio, an Airboy, but there was no need for it since there was no one to talk to anyway. We had red, green, and white nav lights, however, powered by a little wind driven generator that whirred away between the landing gear struts. The little Continental eventually pulled us up to 5000 feet by the time we had reached the Gulf of Mexico, the moon casting a silver shimmering reflection in the Gulf completed the setting and we cruised along down the coast at 60 MPH without a word between us. A few lights along the beach below signaled that there were some people down there but not many. After 30 minutes going south it was time to perform a 180 and return to Sarasota Airport. Sometimes it spiced up the flight to drop down to 50 feet and buzzed along the beach, guided by the lights of the cottages. Lights of the town began to appear at a 1:30 position and we made a climbing turn inland to arrive at the airport at pattern height. Even though we were the only thing in the air at the time, we followed the rules and flew the pattern and then down to a smooth wheelie, announced by a timid chirp of the tires. We did this every time that we had a moon and calm weather and some times our good behavior was rewarded by spectacular light shows provided by the storms out in the Gulf.
Not fancy or dramatic. Not powerful and sophisticated high flight but a brief magical moment that one can no longer experience and I feel fortunate to have been there .

 

Typo. Altitude should have read 2000 feet not 5000. Picked up the moon reflection off Sarasota Bay while returning to the field.

 

Sounds like a great memory Bob.

 

Kudos on the sound track, also... great.

 

That sounds like a great time.
My first night flight wasn't nearly as poetic, but it was great because I got to share it with my best friend growing up in the England, who is now a Gold Shield CFII in OR, and the younger of my two main instructors whom I have become firm friends with through this almost never ending process of training.
It was a crystal clear night in LA, one of those nights where you can see every star and from Long Beach to Malibu.
It was my first night cross country, from Van Nuys to Riverside, climbing out of VNY, level of being controlled by Burbank and SoCal, we have Dodger Stadium and Downtown LA on one side the San Fernando Valley on the other, the Ocean and LAX behind us, even only being 5500 ft over LA it was enough for the glare of the city lights to not disturb the stars, better than being out in the desert.
But the thing that silenced the 3 airplane dudes bumbling along in this little 172 was the site of all the heavy's lined up and descending into LAX, it seemed like a stream of never ending lights all the way from the ocean to Palm Springs, from the ground to 15,000 and from that altitude, and against the contrast of the stars and city lights it was quite a site.

Did my landing, at riverside and climbed back out, staying clear of the class Bravo we scooted lower over LA and Hollywood, right over the sign, we could see the Queen Mary in Long Beach and Santa Monica pier clear as day, but all we could talk about once we landed was that line of heavies Awesome.

 

I know what you have so well described. Los Angeles at night is a staggering sight. It seems to go on forever and it has a mesmerizing effect on one who gazes at it. In 1973 I was flying a Barron from Santa Barbara to Palm Springs with the man who invited my wife and me to accompany his wife and him on a trip. We crossed L.a. at 13000 over a layer of muddy goop and we could see many light planes criss-crossing the gunk below us. And like you, we saw a never ending descending line of heavies from LAX clear back to the Grand Canyon on their approach. It was amazing to see. I imagine it hasn't changed a bit since then.

 

Nice morning in ORD
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My fav...
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Fantastic...

 

Your next service is on me

 

I'm screen shoting that for proof Hard to believe that was with an Iphone camera. The moon is on top of Jupiter if I remember correctly.

 

Imagine you're flying along on a trip around the state of Washington in an old WWII trainer, in this case a PT-22. It is in the summer and perfect weather for the 3 day tour stopping here and there. You're sitting behind that old Kinner for hours listening to that pockita, pockita sound it makes at 1625 rpm just cruising along at 105 mph minding your own business enjoying the scenery of the Columbia river.

Life is good as the sun shines on your face and you look out at your wingtip at the "meatball" painted out there and thinking to yourself, this is what it must have been like to be a 19 year old trainee in 1941. With a smile on your face you push the stick forward for a little airspeed... there's 130 and pull, pull, now you're at the top of the loop and you ease off the back pressure a little cause even though no one is watching, a man just can't have his loop egg shaped now can he?

You pull some more and come out the bottom where you started and run right into your own prop wash and feel that jiggle of turbulence and smell your own burnt oil and exhaust as you climb back up to do it again cause you can. Burnt Aeroshell 100 is a "man's perfume" plus I just love that old plane. That's why I fly.
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Even as a passenger, the scenery can be breathtaking. Here are Rainier and friends, taken a month ago, eastbound from SEA.
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Here's that meatball I was talking about...
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