You best experience with flying

[Cam]

I would like to know some of the best experiences that members here have had with flying.

For me. It would have to be the first time in a small plane (172) in Bar Harbour, Main. It was just downright awesome. I remember when we were on the take-off roll saying to myself, "I hope Bernoulli was right". We flew around for only 20 mins, but I had a blast and I knew there and then I liked what I was doing and wanted to get my license.

Let's here some of yours.

[ptbodale]

Mine was in a 1972 Cessna 150 Aerobat. It was August 15th 1972 and it was my solo. And I did my licence in Peterborough.

[Chris@YYZ]

for me it would have to be the first time I flied the entire flight myself, my instructor was in the cockpit, but he just sat there

[scramjet]

Every flight I ever took!

[Kaz]

I have loads!

But best time was being invited up to the cockpit of an AF 321 in flight last year and given the jumpseat for landing last year.. now THAT was FUN
[photoid=5612058]

[screaming_emu]

Probably putzing around the Tokyo area in a Cessna 152, flying into MSP in a Warrior, Flying to St. Paul Downtown in a Seminole, and the one flight as a passenger that really sticks out was NRT-PVG on a NW 747. When we took off we flew right down Tokyo Bay. This was at night so you could see the lights of the city. Really strikes you how big Tokyo is when you see it from the air like that.

[Crism]

BOS-LAS Song 757 6:15PM-9:15PM

Freakin 6hrs of TV, AWESOME food, a cockpit visit before the flight, Seat 6F (window in old first class section away from all the other pax), Visual 19R at LAS at night....WHOLE strip went by on my side of the plane, clapping on landing

Best flight ever!

[pkonowrocki]

Warsaw - Toronto on LOT's Boeing 767-300.
Great food, service watching "Shrek 2" for the 100th time, and landing in a cockpit. Awesome.

[pilotgolfer]

I would probably have to go with the time I was doing some patterns with my instructor and saw the old DC-3 "Bluebonnet Belle" taxiing out while we were on downwind. We decided to extend it to give him some time. I turned base about a couple miles farther than I usually would and just watched that old bird apply power and gracefully take off and turn while we were on final. Both my and my instructor were speechless just watching it and we almost forgot what we were doing. It was great. Just one of those times I wish I had gotten my camera out.

[JordanD]

My best was probably the first time i took the controls in a C172 back in November of 2004. It was so great. That'll probably be small potatoes to the day I pass my first checkride.

[Cam]

Can one of the moderators put the "r" next to "You" in the title...thanks

[RobinB]

Wow, I have "a few" for different reasons.

DC-3: because it's a DC3, the thunderstorm we flew through made it "interesting".

DC-4: flew the Cape Town to East London leg on the last commercial flight before SAA withdrew DC-4's from service - I was a "tiny lad" then, but we flew low and spent time in the cockpit.

deHavilland Dragon Rapide: Classic Wings flip at Duxford - awsome

Vickers Viscount: Also back in the 60's - those 4 Darts make an AWSOME sound.

C130 Herc: Flew from AFB Rooikop (Namibia) to AFB Waterkloof (Pretoria) in the jump seat behind the skipper. Did short take off and land at respective fields.

Westland Wasp chopper: our "bird" on the frigate SAS President Pretorius - during my 2 year stint in the S A Navy.

Glider: when Baragwanath used to be an airfield - great fun

Kingair B200: very nice kite......

[maverick]

I have two-

One was last summer, when as part of a ROTC program at Altus AFB, OK, I got an incentive flight on a C-17. We did a tactical decent from 24,000 ft, and then some low level tactical flying, it was the best roller coaster ride ever. For a cargo plane, the C-17 has some amazing capabilities.

The other was last winter, my ROTC detatchment was en route to Nellis AFB for a base visit, we were flying from Grand Forks on a KC-135. During the flight, we refueled 3 B-2 Stealth Bombers......it was amazing to see the stealth so close (distance between aircraft during refueling is about 12 ft). During the same base visit, we got to see the F-22 Raptor up close on the flight line... a very cool bird.

[janni-chan]

LHR-JFK on Virgin Atlantic (340-600) in Premium Economy... mmmm.... half-drunk during take-off because of the welcome drink, good food, with the best boyfriend ever (although we weren't really a couple before a couple of days after the flight.. and he didn't have a seat next to me... but it was still good )

That, and CPH-SIN on Singapore airways... because it was just awesome

[a78jumper]

Wow there are so many.....

DC 3 flights, several at Perris Valley, Ca, and also jumping from the Canadian Warplane Heritage C47 over Oakville, ON

C141 jumps!

Coming home to Pearson on a big KLM 744 for the last time after my tour in Kabul (nasty surroundings/even worse company to work for). Coming home from a six month UN Tour in Cyprus rates up there as well.

first jump from a CC130 Hercules/first freefall from a Herc as well.

first chopper ride of many, Kingston , ON spring 1981. First Huey jump/first Chinook jump.

Low level tactical flying in a Herc over northern Alberta, followed by a jump. Being Airborne Force Commander meant I spent most of the time in the cockpit before getting my chute on!

first freefall from a C180 (CF-NZY)

flying through the Rockies (vs flying over the Rockies) in a CC115 Buffalo on a beaut of a summer's day.

YYT to YVR on AC upgraded to biz all the way, and then on to Vanderhoof, BC.

Upgrades to domestic First when AC used to have it (several times YYZ-YEG on a 762)

Being in the cockpit of a Herc in formation and watching jumpers and loads exit from the planes either side of you!! Watching a 35,000 lb dozer leave the back of a Herc via the ramp is pretty exciting too.

First time in a balloon-YES I jumped outta that as well.

Flying to Ramstein from Zagreb in a C9 Nightingale en route to Landstuhl for surgury after an accident in Croatia (BAD BAD landing). I was still with it enough despite the morphine(the ultimate in in-flight cocktails!!!!!) and PAIN to marvel that I was one of only two "pax" on board with a whole crew of about 10 including nurses and medics to attend to my medical situation (Thanks USA and the USAF). Worse part was being carried up and down the stairs strapped to a stretcher, and then later finding myself in Germany with no shoes, socks or shirt, but fortunately plenty of AMEX travellers' cheques! Flying back to Zagreb from Frankfurt four days later in LH Business Class was almost anti climactical!

Landing at CFS Alert in a C130, truly the top of the world, after spending the night at Thule AB.

Flying in a Tu154M, simply for the novelty of it all.

Lots of 707 flights, and a couple in a DC8 that I was old enough to remember well.

Arriving anyplace warm in the middle of a Canadian winter (Bermuda, LAX and HNL come to mind)