Hello from Chicago
Posted: Mon Sep 11, 2017 8:13 am
I'm 68, retired, been in the EAA for over 20 yrs, worked AirVenture as a Tram conductor since 2004 and up until two days ago had NEVER been up in any sort of small airplane. Army helicopters in Vietnam? Yes. Commercial aircraft? Yes. But small planes? Not once.
I was out on a glorious weather motorcycle ride Saturday and pure chance and a Rte 52 detour put me riding right past Cushing Field, a grass strip airport near Sheridan, IL. I saw a sign that said Sport Pilot training and pulled in to check it out. I ended up spending a couple hours there just chatting with a few folks and watching their instructors/students take off and land their two Evektor Sport planes.
Call it serendipity or the fates, but it came to me to finally take the leap and I bought a Discovery Flight right then and there. It was terrifyingly terrific, info and sensory overload kept me trying to catch up to the plane, but I managed to remain calm enough to do the takeoff, ascent and in general flit about the clear blue skies under the adept guidance of my instructor Jake. I brought us back down from 3000' and did part of the downwind leg and he of course ably landed the very fine airplane.
Suffice it to say that I am now hooked and will explore how to gather enough $$$ over the next months to pay for the complete training package as a Sport Pilot. I don't want to even start until I am financially secure to finish and a little beyond.
That's my into - I'll now start reading all the posts on this new-to-me forum - lol
I was out on a glorious weather motorcycle ride Saturday and pure chance and a Rte 52 detour put me riding right past Cushing Field, a grass strip airport near Sheridan, IL. I saw a sign that said Sport Pilot training and pulled in to check it out. I ended up spending a couple hours there just chatting with a few folks and watching their instructors/students take off and land their two Evektor Sport planes.
Call it serendipity or the fates, but it came to me to finally take the leap and I bought a Discovery Flight right then and there. It was terrifyingly terrific, info and sensory overload kept me trying to catch up to the plane, but I managed to remain calm enough to do the takeoff, ascent and in general flit about the clear blue skies under the adept guidance of my instructor Jake. I brought us back down from 3000' and did part of the downwind leg and he of course ably landed the very fine airplane.
Suffice it to say that I am now hooked and will explore how to gather enough $$$ over the next months to pay for the complete training package as a Sport Pilot. I don't want to even start until I am financially secure to finish and a little beyond.
That's my into - I'll now start reading all the posts on this new-to-me forum - lol
