Little did know as a child sanding a chunk of pine that this was the beginning of a passion that would last the rest of my life.
Uncle Leland lived with us. His favorite indoor pastime was building model airplanes. And of course, whatever he was doing, I had to do, too.
His airplane modeling skills were enough to earn prizes and eventually money. Of course, I wanted to be just like him. What I remember most was sanding. After sanding a wing for what must have been hours I was certain that it was perfect. “Uncle Leland, isn’t this great?” His reply never changed, “Keep sanding.”
A few years later, Lee left us to enlist in the newly created United States Air Force. And I went on to other things that kids do. But my love of airplanes never died. As a college student, one course – Aviation 101 at the University of Illinois – shaped my life more than any other. At the end of the semester, I had earned three credit hours … PLUS a pilot license. Over the next 60 years I logged five thousand hours, flew dozens of airplanes, attained a host of pilot ratings … and even spent several years teaching others to fly.
Though I’ve retired my wings in real airplanes my passion just won’t die – regrettably its now limited to flying a flight simulator at our local airport and talking about it. Anyone who’s familiar with smaller airports has seen and heard old guys sitting in the lounge, swapping lies about what it was like way back when. Over the coming year that’s just what I’ll be doing – in Grandpalyle’s Notebook. Taking a year or two at a time, I’ll share my logbook and reminisce about some of those old times. Hope you enjoy the journey as much as I know I will.
-GrandpaLyle
P.S. Check the smile on my face as I fly with Skip some years later.
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The Instrument Rating
1979-1984 In the spring of 1979, an angel entered my life. His name was John Smith and I owed him a not-too-small fortune. In one afternoon, he showed me how to change massive losses into equally large gains. The story of this failure and recovery is wonderful, rich, and complex, and I’ll share it in another ...Read moreMy Own Airplane
1984 As I reflect on the prior twenty years, I realize they were simply preparation for what lay ahead. The business crisis was behind me. I was now a private pilot with an instrument rating. I could go anywhere in almost any kind of weather. But thus far I was sharing planes with other pilots. Having paid ...Read moreThree flyers on 9/11
For most, Tuesday, September 11, 2001 began as an ordinary day. * * * My first student of the day was Bryan. An excellent student, he had become familiar with procedures at Palwaukee so when it was time to land I had him call the tower for instructions. That was the end ...Read moreFlying After 911
Two days after the World Trade Center Towers were attacked, I had the unique experience of flying a mission for Lifeline Pilots … when the skies over the U.S.A. were cleared of all but F-16s and a handful of emergency medical flights. Here are some stories from that flight: (From LifeLine Pilots: the shortest distance between ...Read moreSituational awareness
Originally posted to ontheroadagainagain.com on October 22, 2014 A dear friend and operator of a top quality flight school posed this question in a lesson. Although he was teaching aspiring pilots, the lesson applies to a host of life situations: “You are driving down a four-lane highway. There are high curbs on either side of the ...Read more