General Aviation

Neko · 01-06-2011, 07:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AllAbourdon

He was chief pilot when he was part owner of a charter service, i think he needed a medical every 6 months not sure if that was class 1 or 2. I also know he's got a bunch of endorsements Multi, Tailwheel, amphib/float plane, CFI, multiengine Instructor, instrument instructor, etc etc.

Last flight i made with him was over the past summer in a 172rg to p-town and shortly before that a trip over to Jaffrey for lunch and ice-cream.

He was filling in as an instructor for some of the Daniel Webster students I believe within the last couple of years. I dont know if he is current now.

We used to live in Tewksbury, MA so I spent a lot of time at Tew-Mac in particular. There was a cherokee 6 out of there that my father flew quite a bit doing everything from scenic rides and skydivers to flying caskets with bodies in them out for a funeral. Reliable workhorse with capacity.

I always thought about getting my license without letting him know I was working on it and surprising him with it. But if theres an angle to save money while spending some quality time with pops that sounds really good to me. Right now he's got a grass strip in his front yard and an empty 40x40 airplane hangar.

It would sure cut down on my commute to be able to fly up to the lake right from Hampton Airfield!

I also spent a lot of time at Tew-Mac and did my sole there. Never got my due to a heart attack.
I loved to fly the TR2 trainers there were a great little plane.

chipj29 · 01-06-2011, 08:37 AM

Wow, some great stuff in this thread! Thank you to all the pilots for the info and stories!!

My 14 year old son has started taking flying lessons. He has 2 lessons under his belt so far. His instructor has told us that he is a natural.
We would love to get him more time in the air, but as stated above, it is very expensive. The flight instructor is a family friend so we get a bit of a break, but we still have to pay for the rental etc.

His ultimate goal is the Air Force Academy. If that doesn't work out, I am pretty sure he will be enlisting in the military. He can't wait to put his flying skills to good use!

On a side note, I am going to try like crazy to get my son and I up to Alton Bay for the winter carnival. He will love watching the planes coming and going. Maybe if he begs someone he will even catch a ride!

Winni-Retired · 01-06-2011, 09:43 AM

Chip,

My son is a graduate of the US Naval Academy, Annapolis, so I have been where you are today. He expressed an interest in Annapolis the summer before the ninth grade. Your son being 14 is a great age to begin the process and understand the requirements for admission. There are many good books out there that explain the process and educational requirements for admission.

One input I would give you is that he does not need to be the class genius, what they are after is a well rounded person, involved in high school with sports, class officer, a great student and also involved outside the school .... such as food drives etc.

On the parental side, it is not a free ride. The goverment does pay for school and they are paid the salary of a Sgt E-5 while attending the Academy. The gov does charge them for food, computer, food, uniforms, etc out of the monthly pay, so they wind up with a pay of 100 per month as a fourth class (plebe) going up to 400 per month as a 1st class (senior). His free college cost us about 40,000, car, travel and health insurance, which the parents club suggest you keep them on since the midshipment might decide to leave the academy or is separated by the academy.

It is a very emotional ride as a parent watching your child graduate and take the oath of office as an officer. My son elected to take his as a U.S. Marine. Matter of fact both my son, now a 1st LT and my son-in-law, also a U.S. Marine, are currently deployed, in the war zone, putting their life on the line every day.

chipj29 · 01-07-2011, 08:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Winni-Retired

Chip,

My son is a graduate of the US Naval Academy, Annapolis, so I have been where you are today. He expressed an interest in Annapolis the summer before the ninth grade. Your son being 14 is a great age to begin the process and understand the requirements for admission. There are many good books out there that explain the process and educational requirements for admission.

One input I would give you is that he does not need to be the class genius, what they are after is a well rounded person, involved in high school with sports, class officer, a great student and also involved outside the school .... such as food drives etc.

On the parental side, it is not a free ride. The goverment does pay for school and they are paid the salary of a Sgt E-5 while attending the Academy. The gov does charge them for food, computer, food, uniforms, etc out of the monthly pay, so they wind up with a pay of 100 per month as a fourth class (plebe) going up to 400 per month as a 1st class (senior). His free college cost us about 40,000, car, travel and health insurance, which the parents club suggest you keep them on since the midshipment might decide to leave the academy or is separated by the academy.

It is a very emotional ride as a parent watching your child graduate and take the oath of office as an officer. My son elected to take his as a U.S. Marine. Matter of fact both my son, now a 1st LT and my son-in-law, also a U.S. Marine, are currently deployed, in the war zone, putting their life on the line every day.

This is a great post, thank you so much for all the info! And a big thank you to you and your family for serving our country.

AllAbourdon · 01-06-2011, 10:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Neko

I also spent a lot of time at Tew-Mac and did my sole there. Never got my due to a heart attack.
I loved to fly the TR2 trainers there were a great little plane.

Who was your instructor at TewMac? I still see some of the guys from there a couple of times a year.

I recently went to a rehearsal dinner for my friends wedding at the Tewksbury Country club which sits right where the old runway was.

This website has some history about some of the closed airports with some good photographs. Tew-Mac included!

http://members.tripod.com/airfields_...ields_MA_C.htm

dbahn · 01-06-2011, 01:06 PM

Hi. I'm one of the guys that flies into the ice airport for the past years, so far just in my Piper J3. I also have a Cessna 206 that my wife and I flew from Vermont to Alaska with a motorcycle in the back and I just this past year got my CFI (flight instructor rating) and SES (seaplane rating) and shortly after that bought a share of a Piper Super Cruiser on floats that we are leasing to an operation in Florida in the winter and to one in Vermont in the summer. A group of us looks forward to your Winter Carnival every year, and we usually manage another trip or two around the Carnival where we just fly in for breakfast. Last year one of our internet buddies flew in from Kansas for it, and she's planning to come again this year.

I'd say that Ironfish has an excellent synopsis of flying as a hobby, posted earlier. I would add that "getting there faster" is often wishful thinking and a little bit of rationalization that all pilots, including me, gladly do to justify the cost of pursuing the hobby. When you really calculate the time from door-to-door, including the time spent getting the airplane ready and putting it away, plus time ground transportation (which can be a big factor) you'll often find that it's more practical to drive, even though it's a lot less fun.

I often tell people that the "practical service area" for a typical airplane is shaped like a donut around your house. The area close to your house is faster to drive, the donut itself might be practical to fly yourself, then outside the donut it's considerably more practical to fly commercially.

P.S. Here's a link to our Alaska Trip and one to our new seaplane endeavor. And if you're still interested, a little video we made last year of flying over to Isle au Haut, Maine, and landing on the ice. (The video is at the bottom of the page.)

So I'm rambling a bit, because I actually dropped in to see if anyone knew for sure when the Winter Carnival will be. Paul thinks it will be February 20th, but some of the crew doesn't want to make hotel reservations until the date is more definite. Anyone know?

hancoveguy · 01-06-2011, 08:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AllAbourdon

Who was your instructor at TewMac? I still see some of the guys from there a couple of times a year.

I recently went to a rehearsal dinner for my friends wedding at the Tewksbury Country club which sits right where the old runway was.

This website has some history about some of the closed airports with some good photographs. Tew-Mac included!

http://members.tripod.com/airfields_...ields_MA_C.htm

I dont mean to derail this topic but I was at Tew-Mac during the 80's as well. What a great airport. Got my first taste of flying through Civil Air Patrol there. Met my wife (19 years ago) through working there part time for a summer.

Would be nice if M Boro airport rekindled some of that for us in the lakes region...

HCG

AllAbourdon · 01-07-2011, 10:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hancoveguy

I dont mean to derail this topic but I was at Tew-Mac during the 80's as well. What a great airport. Got my first taste of flying through Civil Air Patrol there. Met my wife (19 years ago) through working there part time for a summer.

Would be nice if M Boro airport rekindled some of that for us in the lakes region...

HCG

My father, John, met my mother through CAP in Tewksbury sometime in the 70's. He and Ron Emond operated Air Direct Airways out of there until the airport closed.

The business has since moved over to Nashua where Ron still operates.

01-06-2011, 08:37 AM	#2
chipj29 Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Bow Posts: 1,874 Thanks: 521 Thanked 308 Times in 162 Posts	Wow, some great stuff in this thread! Thank you to all the pilots for the info and stories!! My 14 year old son has started taking flying lessons. He has 2 lessons under his belt so far. His instructor has told us that he is a natural. We would love to get him more time in the air, but as stated above, it is very expensive. The flight instructor is a family friend so we get a bit of a break, but we still have to pay for the rental etc. His ultimate goal is the Air Force Academy. If that doesn't work out, I am pretty sure he will be enlisting in the military. He can't wait to put his flying skills to good use! On a side note, I am going to try like crazy to get my son and I up to Alton Bay for the winter carnival. He will love watching the planes coming and going. Maybe if he begs someone he will even catch a ride! __________________ Getting ready for winter!

01-06-2011, 09:43 AM	#3
Winni-Retired Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: SE Mass / Lake Posts: 125 Thanks: 98 Thanked 102 Times in 22 Posts	Great Start Chip, My son is a graduate of the US Naval Academy, Annapolis, so I have been where you are today. He expressed an interest in Annapolis the summer before the ninth grade. Your son being 14 is a great age to begin the process and understand the requirements for admission. There are many good books out there that explain the process and educational requirements for admission. One input I would give you is that he does not need to be the class genius, what they are after is a well rounded person, involved in high school with sports, class officer, a great student and also involved outside the school .... such as food drives etc. On the parental side, it is not a free ride. The goverment does pay for school and they are paid the salary of a Sgt E-5 while attending the Academy. The gov does charge them for food, computer, food, uniforms, etc out of the monthly pay, so they wind up with a pay of 100 per month as a fourth class (plebe) going up to 400 per month as a 1st class (senior). His free college cost us about 40,000, car, travel and health insurance, which the parents club suggest you keep them on since the midshipment might decide to leave the academy or is separated by the academy. It is a very emotional ride as a parent watching your child graduate and take the oath of office as an officer. My son elected to take his as a U.S. Marine. Matter of fact both my son, now a 1st LT and my son-in-law, also a U.S. Marine, are currently deployed, in the war zone, putting their life on the line every day. Last edited by Winni-Retired; 01-06-2011 at 10:27 AM.

01-06-2011, 01:06 PM	#6
dbahn Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Mendon, Vermont Posts: 39 Thanks: 0 Thanked 3 Times in 3 Posts	Hi. I'm one of the guys that flies into the ice airport for the past years, so far just in my Piper J3. I also have a Cessna 206 that my wife and I flew from Vermont to Alaska with a motorcycle in the back and I just this past year got my CFI (flight instructor rating) and SES (seaplane rating) and shortly after that bought a share of a Piper Super Cruiser on floats that we are leasing to an operation in Florida in the winter and to one in Vermont in the summer. A group of us looks forward to your Winter Carnival every year, and we usually manage another trip or two around the Carnival where we just fly in for breakfast. Last year one of our internet buddies flew in from Kansas for it, and she's planning to come again this year. I'd say that Ironfish has an excellent synopsis of flying as a hobby, posted earlier. I would add that "getting there faster" is often wishful thinking and a little bit of rationalization that all pilots, including me, gladly do to justify the cost of pursuing the hobby. When you really calculate the time from door-to-door, including the time spent getting the airplane ready and putting it away, plus time ground transportation (which can be a big factor) you'll often find that it's more practical to drive, even though it's a lot less fun. I often tell people that the "practical service area" for a typical airplane is shaped like a donut around your house. The area close to your house is faster to drive, the donut itself might be practical to fly yourself, then outside the donut it's considerably more practical to fly commercially. P.S. Here's a link to our Alaska Trip and one to our new seaplane endeavor. And if you're still interested, a little video we made last year of flying over to Isle au Haut, Maine, and landing on the ice. (The video is at the bottom of the page.) So I'm rambling a bit, because I actually dropped in to see if anyone knew for sure when the Winter Carnival will be. Paul thinks it will be February 20th, but some of the crew doesn't want to make hotel reservations until the date is more definite. Anyone know? __________________ Dave Rutland, VT