50 Years ago

[oldtimer]

On the evening of June 30, 1959, I went to the Regina Flying Club and met a gentleman by the name of Jack Clake and he introduced me to a Cessna 140, CF-HJM. That was my first flying lesson, 50 years ago. I was on an Air Cadet scholarship, so I ate breathed and lived flying and on 30 JULY, 1959, I did my private pilot flight test. Been flying evere since. Now have and ATPL, type rating on 5 airplanes and a check A check pilot. WOW, how time flies.

[Cat Driver]

[Old Dog Flying]

[J31]

Congratulations on a half century of flight and many more years’ oldtimer!

I am at 25 years since my first flight. Living the dream ….ok maybe that is a stretch but I still enjoy every day in the air!

[Old Dog Flying]

Like Oldtimer, I too started as an Air Cadet on a scholarship...02 July 1952 in Fleet Canuck CF-EAO with Jim Pelkie in the right seat at Windsor, Ont. And tomorrow I have to do a full PPL flight test just to get insurance on the "Alley Cat". Over the years I have survived dumb things, taught hundreds of would be plane drivers how to survive, flown some of the slowest, DH 53 Hummingbird, some of the hottest CF-104D, and nearly 90 types in between...and now I need a flight test again.

It is almost like regression, or so the insurance companies would have you believe. But I can still fly an ADF or VOR, do a low level crosscountry without a GPS and like Doc and . and many other Golden Oldies, fly the hell out of a taildragger.

How many more of you Crispy Critters are members of the Half Century Club?

[beaverbob]

Makes me seem young with nine years to go to the 1/2 century club
Air Cadet, Victoria Flying Club. 1968
Tough retired military pilots. Noel Rebout (Aerobatics and PP flight test)) and Jack Shaw ((primary instructor), Lyngard and Newton
Lots of tail dragger time though since then.
Bob

[Cat Driver]

It is really weird how this insurance thing works isn't it Old Dog.

This spring a friend called his insurance broker to put my name on his insurance for a Cessna 172 on floats.

The insurance broker wanted me to take a check ride with a flight instructor so they can make sure I can still fly.

A couple of years ago I not only was doing training on war birds for the insurance underwriters I also held an unrestricted air display authority in Europe.....

.....how come I just passed my medical for my ATPL a few weeks ago but I now need a letter from a class 4 flight instructor confirming I am still capable of flying a Cessna 172?

[iflyforpie]

Not laughing at you Cat. Make sure you take notes...



Oh and to the OP, congrats!

[Cat Driver]

Not laughing at you Cat. Make sure you take notes...

The truth is I am used to recurrent training and taking check rides and fully understand and agree with doing them.

What I find annoying is the fact that the insurance broker is satisfied with a class 4 making the determination on my ability and understanding of flying.

What I should do is find something like a Grumman Turbo Goose for the training and check ride and have the class 4 teach me.

[alpha1]

Just looking at my Dad's old log book....on April 14, 1951 he had his first lesson at Central Airways with Gil Mongraw in a Cessna 140 F-FPW....later that year he had lessons with Les Baxter and Bob Wong...does time ever fly....and congratulations to Oldtimer, Cat Driver, Old Flying Dog and all the other veterans out there on their decades of safe flying.

[snaproll20]

Congrats Oldtimer.

It gets to be a ho-hum routine, but when you sit down and remember all the events, scary stuff, etc, it gets to be quite a story.

53 years for me. Not really counting any more. I enjoy some of the stuff from my 'old koot' brethren. Good luck to all.

[bmc]

Congrats to all of you that have been at it so long. There's a lot of collective wisdom here that can only help young guys like myself.










(I turned 51 in March)

[Cat Driver]

Just looking at my Dad's old log book....on April 14, 1951 he had his first lesson at Central Airways with Gil Mongraw in a Cessna 140 F-FPW....later that year he had lessons with Les Baxter and Bob Wong...does time ever fly....and congratulations to Oldtimer, Cat Driver, Old Flying Dog and all the other veterans out there on their decades of safe flying.

Ahhh that brings back memories, I did my first training flight in one of Centrals Cessna 140's on June 23 1953.

Ended up retiring with a whole bunch of licenses from a whole bunch of countries....but a license only means you reached the minimum requirements of of drones sitting in offices making up the rules.

Anyhow like a few others here I'm still flying but only when " I " want to.

By the way even though my licenses only showed I reached the minimum requirements I still haven't had an accident in a flying machine.

[xsbank]

(Sigh) 1973, Skyways Air Services Langley, Bachelor, an 'old' Sunderland pilot. 36 years and counting.

Congratulations you guys with the big 50!

[Pirate Pilot]

Yep, I'm a little short of years as well. I got my PPL Oct. 1971 at Abbotsford Air Services, Abbotsford, B.C. I had 15-20 hrs. total time on a C150 when the school bought a C177. I paid the extra money and finished the course with the Cardinal. It seemed to me the aviation community was tighter knit and more vibrant during that time but.....I sure met a lot of interesting "professional" pilots back then.
I am in my office (working) and my old log book is at home so I can't look it up but I kinda think John Spronk (then of Skyway Air Services) gave me my private ride. In any case I did know him reasonably well. Two years ago at ZBB I went into the coffee room at an FTU and there sat John eating his lunch. We had a very nice visit and he told me he was still doing flight exams for PPL's. He had a line-up of ESL students to do that afternoon! He stated he now likes to pace himself somewhat and didn't want to overdo it!! I hope he is still well and carrying on.

[Hedley]

It has been my unfortunate experience that it is not
a good idea to have it known that you were flying
50 (or more) years ago, because in Transport's opinion,
you're too old to fly any more - you should quit flying entirely.

[Cat Driver]

because in Transport's opinion,
you're too old to fly any more - you should quit flying entirely.

And they base that opinion on what?

[Hedley]

Absolutely no data whatsover.

In a recent conversation with the region RAMO on a
related subject, he stated under oath that his decision
was not data-driven, and that there was no amount
of data that could change his mind.

[Cat Driver]

In a recent conversation with the region RAMO

WTF is a RAMO the givee in a gay relationship?

How is anyone supposed to remember all these acronyms?

on a related subject, he stated under oath that his decision
was not data-driven, and that there was no amount
of data that could change his mind.

Sounds like what little mind this gem has is tightly closed, where does TC find these idiots?

[atpl53]

...but I now need a letter from a class 4 flight instructor confirming I am still capable of flying a Cessna 172?

Hey Cat.

I can remember as a lowly Class III instructor being asked to do the pre-ride check ride for a Speedbird pilot with 20,000 hrs. He was getting a Canadian ATPL. Wasn't anything that I could teach him, BUT he certainly opened my eyes. I learned more from him about teaching 'real-world' IFR than I ever did from any of my instructors or CFI (not to be mistaken as a complaint). Hopefully your Class IV will be equally open minded.

[Cat Driver]

Hopefully your Class IV will be equally open minded.

In that I can choose the instructor I will do a check ride with MichaelP and see how that goes.

[Shiny Side Up]

What I find annoying is the fact that the insurance broker is satisfied with a class 4 making the determination on my ability and understanding of flying.

Meh, no one said insurance brokers made any sense. Take the opportunity to influence the younger generation as atpl53 mentions above and make the best of it, Or if you prefer to play the part of the irascible old man, march in there and demand that you get the CFI. Or their resident class 1. Or their chief pilot. Or whomever you view will be suitable. If you got to go through with the process (and you will, because the only people more difficult to deal with than TC are insurance brokers), get your money's worth, since your average instructor probably goes out for around forty to sixty bucks an hour. To that end you might pick the most attractive one and play the part of the old lecherous man.

[Cat Driver]

The class of instructor rating is not a guarantee that you will get someone that is a reflection of what the higher rating is supposed to guarantee.

Having owned and operated a school with both fixed wing and rotary wing aircraft I have seen some class 1's that were almost morons.

As to my having to take a check ride that is SOP in my business as recurrent training and check rides are what helps us stay alive.

Quite frankly I need a complete check out in how things are done in Canada due to the length of time since I last flew here.

As to my ability to actually fly the airplane I doubt very much if I have deteriorated all that much despite my advancing years.

Bob Hoover was a lot older than me when he was still doing air shows and he still was one of the best in the world, so age in and of it's self is not really a good benchmark of ability or the lack thereof.

[warner]

(Sigh) 1973, Skyways Air Services Langley, Bachelor, an 'old' Sunderland pilot. 36 years and counting.

Congratulations you guys with the big 50!

yeah Mr. Bachelor did my flight test 1970, I had a lot of respect for that man, was still teaching me "new " things during the flight test, staunch British sense of order was what I remember best.........yes congrats to all of the big 50

[Old Dog Flying]

Golly...I passed my PPL check ride with Francois on Tuesday...We wrung the Grumman out and he was happy as can be...the next time I'll let him fly the little sucker

You guys might like to know that the RAMO only sees the medical reports that the semi-literate clerks pass on to him/her. These clerks, who have difficulty with the English language, get a very short course on what to be looking for but they have no idea how to interpret the info. For instance they tried to have my medical questioned when one of them saw in the report, blood in the urine but did not comprehend that the Dirty Digit of Destiny had been poking around in there doing a Prostate exam just a few minutes before the sample was given. Things quieted down when I suggested that my lawyer might like to have a conversation with the Minister..in court.

Today is the 57th anniversary of my first lesson and maybe I'll get it straight in a couple of years.

Barney