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I am not sure how old I was, when my interest for airplanes was sparked, but as far back as I can remember I was always looking at books of old war birds and modern day military aircraft, going to air shows and museums and running out the front door to look in the sky when ever I heard the sound of aircraft near by, thinking to myself that someday that would be me up there! |
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Planes I've Been Privileged To Fly In
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I took my first ride in an airplane at age 12, as part of an EAA Young Eagles Aviation Seminar I attended over spring break, and since that time I have had countless opportunities to fly. This page is a list of many of the aircraft that I have been invited to and have had the pleasure to fly in. I would like to say “Thank You” to all those that have helped me to realize my dream of flying and making it possible to do so.
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| Note: This page does not represent all of the planes and pilots that have given me the opportunity to fly, there are several more but I didn’t know my dad was going to make me this web site so I did not take pictures of every plane. As I run into them again, I will take a picture and we will add it to this page. Also, the planes I have flown in are listed in chronological order, the first at the bottom of the page and the latest at the top, to the best of my recollection anyway. |
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FireFly Hot Air Balloon
Between my involvement with the Young Eagles program and the Commemorative Air Force, opportunities to fly in various airplanes happen often. During one of my high school classes however, I met hot air balloon pilot Mr. Gary Eaton, which subsequently turned into my first lighter than air flight of my life. During one of the Flabob Open House events, Gary, and his crew, set up and provided tethered hot air balloon rides in his 90,000 cubic foot FireFly hot air balloon. In the basket and ready to go for a ride, Gary instructs me to take the burner handle and then instructs me through the entire flight. Another first and great experience, for me, that will always be remembered.
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Cessna Skyhawk
This gorgeous Cessna Skyhawk is owned by Tom Wathen, founder of the Wathen Foundation, and was made available to one of the volunteer pilots that flew a group of us FAPA Earth Science students on a field trip over the San Andreas fault. A bonus to the flying field trip was that I was allowed to pilot this plane most of the return trip back to Flabob Airport. Students of FAPA are very fortunate to be in the company of Tom Wathen and part of the Wathen Foundation, which brings so many great opportunities to young aviators like myself.
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Tecnam P92 Echo Super, Light Sport
This plane is my weekly flier, at least during the course of my flight lessons. Although I’ve had the opportunity to take the stick of many different planes, for short periods of time, by virtue of this being my flying instruction aircraft, she is the first that I have become intimately familiar with and has been a great plane to learn from, a plane I am sure I will remember for the rest of my life.
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Beechcraft 35R Bonanza V-Tail
After finishing up with the monthly Hangar Day, at the Commemorative Air Force - Inland Empire Wing hangar, several of the Colonels decided to pull out their planes and head over to Cable Airport for a 100 dollar hamburger. I was invited to fly along, by one of the wing members, in his Beechcraft Bonanza V-Tail. We flew over to Cable Airport, for some lunch, and on the return back to Riverside Airport I was given the opportunity to fly the Bonanza for a while.
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C-53D Skytrooper
The centerpiece of the Commemorative Air Force - Inland Empire Wing squadron is this C-53D Skytrooper, more affectionately know as the "D-Day Doll". This plane travels to most of the local air shows and almost always has a spare seat or two available for a wing member to hop a ride in, giving me several opportunities to fly in her and likely many more in the future. She is big and noisy and the metal jump seats were not made for passenger comfort but just sitting and looking out of one of the windows and thinking about the history of this plane, the places she has been and the things she has seen, makes every second flying in her special, an opportunity that very few will ever get to experience. There is more information on the C-53D Skytrooper on my CAF-IEW page.
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AT-6 Texan
What might be one of the best examples of a fully restored and airworthy AT-6 Texan, this plane calls the Commemorative Air Force - Inland Empire Wing hangar home. Owned and flown by one of the CAF-IEW Colonels, who lives out of state part time, one of my duties as a Cadet of the wing is to help keep the dust off of her. One of the biggest flying thrills I have experienced was the day I was offered to go for a ride in this War Bird. WOW, what a flight that was. The inverted flight buzzing over the surface of Lake Mathews will be a flight I will not soon forget. I was also allowed to take the stick and perform some simple s-turn maneuvers as well, something not many 14 year old kids get the opportunity to do I am sure. I was grinning for a week, after the flight, my parents said. Hopefully there will be other opportunities to fly in this gorgeous plane, maybe I’ll even own one myself someday.
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Navion
Owned and flown by one of the Commemorative Air Force - Inland Empire Wing Colonels, I experienced my first 100 dollar hamburger in this Navion, not my 100 dollars of course. My first flight in the Navion came about when we needed to pick up some chairs, from another CAF wing, about 25 miles away. A half dozen IEW members loaded up in cars and a truck and headed out to Cable airport while Fred pushed his Navion out of the hangar and we flew over to meet the others for lunch and then flew back. I guess I had better start saving up for when I get my own license and plane, those hamburgers get really expensive.
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PT-22
One of the prize possessions of the Commemorative Air Force - Inland Empire Wing is this perfectly restored Ryan PT-22 Recruit. In this photo, I am being strapped in to the front seat to take my first ride in the PT-22. What a thrill to fly in this piece of aviation history and it was an even greater thrill when I was allowed to take the stick for a part of the flight. There is more information on the PT-22 on my CAF-IEW page.
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RV-7A
The owner of this gorgeous RV-7A flew it out to one of the Commemorative Air Force - Inland Empire Wing fly days and was kind enough to take me up for a ride. Knowing my interest in learning to fly, the pilot let me take the stick and we flew over to Flabob Airport where we did several touch and goes, for practice. Upon my return to Riverside Airport, my parents heard that I was flying in and made it to the end of the runway to watch and listen as I brought the RV-7A in for a perfect landing.
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Cessna 175
Every now and then the Commemorative Air Force - Inland Empire Wing hosts a fly day, where wing members and other pilots bring their aircraft to the IEW hangar and provide rides to anyone who wishes to go up. It was on one such day that I was taken on my first ride in this Cessna 175 owned by one of the Inland Empire Wing Colonels. My mom also came along for the ride.
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Cessna 182
I have had the unique opportunity to have flown with one of the best known names in the EAA, Ray Stits. Back in 1954 Ray Stits founded EAA Chapter One and remains active in Chapter One to this day. Ray Stits often volunteers his time and plane, on Young Eagles fly days, and on more than one occasion, I have had the pleasure to fly his plane, under his direction. The Cessna 182, pictured here has since been sold and Ray was awaiting his new plane at the time my dad built this web page.
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Ercoupe
The owner of this fully restored Ercoupe, was a pilot I assisted and who took me for a flight after another EAA Chapter One Young Eagles fly day. The Ercoupe is a unique plane in that it's designer focused on simplicity and safety leading to an airplane that was incapable of stalling or spinning. The first thing I noticed, when I got into the Ercoupe, was the absence of rudder pedals and second, a steerable nose wheel, making this plane very simple to taxi and fly. For more information on this unique aircraft, click Here.
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Piper Cherokee
At the end of another day of volunteering, during an EAA Chapter One Young Eagles fly day, I asked my pilot if he would mind taking my dad up for a ride. I know my dad is not a big fan of flying, but I wanted him to see what the town of Riverside looked like, from the sky. I loaded in the back seat of the Piper Cherokee and my dad sat up front. We spent about 20 minutes flying around and my dad really enjoyed the flight, but I think he enjoyed it even more once we landed.
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Cessna 152
This Cessna 152 was the first plane that I ever took off and landed myself. After a day of volunteer work for the EAA Chapter One Young Eagles fly day, the pilot I helped with loaded up my mom and me in his plane, told me to grab the wheel and away we went. Talking me through, step by step, we taxied out to runway two-four, did our run-up and away we went. After about 20 minutes in the air, we were back at Flabob runway two-four and he talked me through the landing as well. I’m not sure who was more excited about me getting to fly, me or my mom.
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Sail Plane
As a birthday present, for my 12th birthday, my parents arranged for me to fly in a sail plane. From a small glider field in Hemet, California, my dad and I squeezed in to the back seat of the sail plane and away we went. The tow plane took us up over the skies of Hemet and released us. The cockpit of the sail plane was small and tight and I could feel every move the pilot made on the control stick. He dipped the wing tips in clouds and did a few aerial maneuvers, but my dad gets motion sick so we didn’t do anything too wild. This was my second time flying and it reassured me that flying is what I wanted to do.
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N3N
What a way to be introduced to flying. As part of the week long summer EAA Aviation Academy, I attended a few years ago, we were taken up for a plane ride. With several volunteer pilots giving rides, you flew in what ever plane lined up when you made the front of the line. I had been watching this old yellow biplane fly around all day and so hoped that I was going to be lucky enough to fly in it. It turned out to be my lucky day as it was the next plane to roll up when it was my turn to fly. It was a perfect day and to take my first flight in an open cockpit vintage biplane could not have been a better way to introduce me to flying. Oh yea, and the pilot let me take the stick and pedals for a while. I was hooked!
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