[flipper35]

The first time I flew a full motion flight sim I was showing off with Em in the cockpit with me, but it was not a combat sim. She was 6 or 7 and told me up front she did not want to go upside down. I told her she better fly then because we are going to go upside down. It was an F18 and the scenery was San Diego, probably because we were in the SD Air Museum. Anyway, we did the usual vertical rolling, loops and so on. Then I decided we should get a good look at the city so I rolled inverted and pushed the throttles up. We were at mach 1.2 when I decided to do a bunt and about 2 seconds into said bunt the wing broke off. We tumbled in a ballistic arc for the next minute. I bruised the bone in my shoulder and the whole time we were tumbling she was looking at me, pony tail flying all over the place, saying "See, I didn't want to go upside down". She wasn't screaming or mad, but admonishing me for breaking the wing off. When we got out there were two retired Naval aviators that talked to her about the flight. They told her if she could hold it together after that that she would make a good Naval aviator.

We flew the combat sim at Oshkosh and at WPAFBM in Dayton. We always set the high score. The last time we flew we took an Extra 300 because they did not have the air combat for the 3D experience. That is the one where she argued with the attendant that the straps were not tight enough. While he was patiently telling me the basics of flying she braced herself and pulled them tighter on her own. At least it was an aerobatic capable aircraft. We did the Leo Loudenslager routine, including the snap roll on takeoff. Wife said people watching the cockpit screen were getting squeamish.

I suck at a lot of things, but flying I do OK at. If I ever won the lotto I would network 8 together to fly against other people. All y'all are invited if that happens.

I shoulda been a military pilot!