I grew up talking aviation. Well, more precisely, there is a family story that my first attempt at speaking was while pointing up at an airplane flying overhead. While I can not vouch for the veracity of this story, I can attest to the fact that some of my first attempts at reading were while assembling plastic airplane models.

   My Dad was a pilot and this surely fed my early interest in aviation. A pair of prized photos taken when I was about 8 years old shows Dad seated at the controls of his Cessna 170 and a second one with me in an identical pose (although somewhat shorter). After the 170, Dad had a B and then a C model Bonanza. Years later when I told him how natural I found flying on instruments he said “Of course - you always flew on instruments in the Bonanza because you couldn’t see over the dash!”

   For many years I fed my aviation interest by building plastic models, then balsa ones, then flying controline models, and, finally, moving on to radio control models in 1970. I still fly R/C today.

   My re-entry into full scale aviation came in 1985 while I was helping run a display of R/C models at TLH during an “Aviation Appreciation Day.” A physics graduate student from my quantum mechanics class saw me and commented on my models and my obvious interest in aviation. As it turned out, he was about to take his Apache for a flight after having some work done on it. Would I like to come along? You bet! As it turned out, this graduate student also was a CFII. He asked me to describe how I took off and landed the R/C models. After describing the procedures to him, he pointed out the similarities to operating a full scale plane. He then proceeded to talk me through a take-off in his twin! After flying around Alligator Point we headed back to the airport and he showed me the basics of how a VOR works. Then he talked me through the approach and landing. My first lesson - and in a twin, no less. I was hooked!

   Darryl helped me make out a budget and a schedule. One lesson per week with a proposed duration of nine months and I would be able to get my private license. Well, at the end of the first week I had already had four lessons! I couldn’t stay away. My logbook shows fourteen hours over the Christmas break that year. Three months from that first flight I passed my check ride. So much for budgets! (That seems to be a common problem in aviation.)

   Now, I needed an airplane. Years earlier I had taught Tom Arnold how to fly R/C models, but he moved on to flying a Cessna 140 and, later, a 150. He was looking to form a partnership in a 172 and I agreed to join him. Four of us bought N9699V from Brian Barnard (The Carpet Trader.) I flew in that partnership for a year, getting my instrument rating along with Tom. I was enjoying this so much that I decided to get my own plane (one week out of four wasn’t enough.) In February 1987 I bought my 182 - N9214G - and I still have it, nearly sixteen years later. By the way, the 9699V partnership has helped many people over the years and it still exists, although with two partners now. In fact, the plane is in the hangar behind mine. And Brian Barnard is still flying. He has an Arrow and his family and mine took part in the Flightline sponsored Bahama Fly-out last June. It is a small world.

   I now have 2450 hours, all but 200 of it in our 182. I have about 50 hours in 150/152’s, 140 in 172’s and 9 doing aerobatic training in a CAP-10B. About half my hours are cross country with frequent trips to New York and New England for family visits, and travel throughout the eastern half of the country for physics-related trips. I bought the plane in Phoenix, Arizona, which is the furthest west I have flown and I have taken it to Denver twice. Flying around Pike’s Peak was a definite thrill for someone who learned to fly in Florida. What are rocks doing at 13,000 feet?

   There have been several moments of  “increased concern” over the years. One happened early on, during a descent to Dog Island. We were just crossing the coast, descending through 2,500 feet and announcing our position on the radio. Just then a Piper Arrow appeared in our windshield barely missing us as it descended from above and behind us. He never saw us as he descended and, of course, we didn’t see him until he was in front of us. A classic set up for a mid air. And he never did talk on the radio, even though he landed at Dog and parked next to us.  By then it was raining or I would have gone over and inquired as to whether or not his radio worked...

   Another encounter comes to mind, this time with ice. We were between Urbana-Champaign and Terra-Haute and started to pick up ice. The weather was better in front or behind us - just not where we were. At 12,000 feet I couldn’t climb out of it, so I turned back to Urbana and did a rapid descent to 3,000 feet at which time the ice started to melt. I had the airport visually, but had to do a 360 on approach while the ice melted off the windshield so that I could see out the front. We spent the night in Urbana and the FBO gave us crew car, put the plane in the hangar (free) and we got a reduced crew rate at a local hotel. Not too bad! My graduate student had flown back commercially and was stuck overnight in Atlanta due to ice and he slept on the airport floor! That turned out to be the same night that NASCAR Champion Alan Kulwicki died in a crash at Bristol, Tennessee when his twin picked up a load of ice on approach. I knew his pilot. Years before, he and I had competed together in R/C precision aerobatics. So, I now have a very healthy respect for ice.

   It is amazing what general aviation allows us to do, whether it is family outings, business trips, or just airport hopping. We just got back from a weekend trip to North Carolina to visit our daughter and son-in-law and our first grandson. We took a computer, printer,  computer stand, manuals, etc. so they can send us frequent updates. No problem getting all that in a 182. That reminds me of a trip to New York with the family. When we were getting ready to leave we pulled my father-in-law’s station wagon up to the plane and started loading up. Shortly thereafter a pair of FAA inspectors showed up and declared that I was clearly overloading the plane and endangering my family. I showed them a computerized weight and balance with a manifest showing the weights of all the bags, people, fuel, etc. We were under gross and within the CG limits. They learned a new respect for what a 182 can do!

    I went to Sun-n-Fun for the first time in 1992 and have been back every year since then. I joined EAA at Sun-n-Fun and then joined the local Chapter once I found out about it. Although I have not yet been an officer, I did manage the video tape collection from 1992 through 1997.

   I could continue with more stories, but this probably a good point at which to conclude.

Editor's Note: Jeff has been very active in the EAA's Young Eagles program.  He was one of four pilots to fly "Young Eagles" at this years Quincy fly-in and to date has formally introduced 48 young people to the thrill of flying.