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This forum is awesome, lot's of good company in these pages. My car has certainly been improved from the things I've learned here and the off-topic stuff gets pretty intertaining, this thread as an example.
When I left high school college wasnt an option. The future was sort of blank until a friend who while in the midst of his ATP training took me flying one summer day in 1977, I found that this flying was something I just had to do. At the time the military and commercial pilot routes werent an option but the FAA mechanics route was. This choice has served me very well through a combination of timing, luck and skill, in non-equal portions. My career could not be repeated today, unfortunately.
Flying has always been a lifestyle goal vs. a career. I needed to be able to own my aircraft, perform all the work myself (in a hangar too) and flying could never be a means of financial support. Aviation has always been my career, but I promised myself flying would never be something I accepted money for. Flying remains one of the few things I do that is a compete escape for the stress of living in the modern world. And I'm lucky in that working and just being around these old light aircraft is nearly as rewarding as flying them.
95% of my flights are with friends, family or just someone who wanted a ride. I have a perfect traveling machine that takes me to Oshkosh and Reno each year but I spend a lot of my time just tooling around the Pacific NW looking out the window with the dog.
I think I am going to go make some noise now.
FAA A&P mechanic, Inspection Authorization. FAA DAR-T and DAR-F. Bermuda DAI, owner of a FAA certification and engineering consulting company. On my 5th aircraft, 4 of which came in boxes or on trailers. Next one is a Dehavilland Beaver. When I am done with the Beaver I plan to work back down the list of aircraft I have owned until I am back at the beginning with a Champ.
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