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You are not alone. Back in the late 60s, my dad would take us to the airport in Raleigh. They had a balcony that overlooked the taxi and run ways. We would watch for hours... the best part (for me) was the jet fuel exhaust. About as close as I came to being a polite was when I got bit by the sailplane bug. Was seriously considering that, but needed to feed the family first.
Charlie Gilley
“They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” BF, 1759
Has never been more appropriate.
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charlieg wrote: You are not alone.
That's nice to know. I'm glad for that. 
charlieg wrote: They had a balcony that overlooked the taxi and run ways. We would watch for hours...
Yes, for hours and hours. The last time I visited the airport to watch planes take off and land was just a few years ago. I loved it. When I was a kid, I'd bring along my telescope and binoculars. Nowadays, bringing a telescope, binoculars, and even a camera can grab the attention of the police. It's not illegal to use those things at a non-military airport, but I know many people who have been hassled by the police for taking photos. Some people actually make a living from taking photos of airliners. The largest aviation photography site that I know of is https://airliners.net, and if you take a look at its number of members, you'll see how popular aviation photography is.
charlieg wrote: the best part (for me) was the jet fuel exhaust.
I know. That's my favorite. I've probably lost a few brain cells from the aroma of avgas in my time. Jet fuel used by airliners is my favorite. It's got that hint of kerosine that I love. It's usually called Jet-A. JP-8 which is the fuel used in many fighter jets is just as good. I wish there was a Jet-A fuel cologne you could buy. Imagine one of those cologne commercials you see on TV. ...Aviation Turbine Fuel Eau De Toilette, A Fragrance For Men, by Boeing. 
charlieg wrote: About as close as I came to being a polite was when I got bit by the sailplane bug.
Yes, I hear that often. Gliders/Sailplanes seem to be the overall favorite by a long shot.
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Mircea Neacsu wrote: If interested, I can also recommend an aviation hair dryer: Princess Juliana International Airport - Wikipedia[^]
Oh, yes! St. Maarten Airport! I'd move there and live on the beach if I could. And all the videos on YouTube -- I've spent hours watching them. It's fascinating.
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I tried to do the “hair dryer” thing but, when the jet went full blast, I chickened out and dropped down
Mircea
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Mircea Neacsu wrote: I tried to do the “hair dryer” thing but, when the jet went full blast, I chickened out and dropped down
I can't blame you for that. Some of those videos showing 747s on approach are unbelievable. I envy you for the fact that you've actually been there.
Do you ever watch videos of 747s landing in strong crosswinds at Hong Kong's airport? Those are the best. My uncle flew 747s out of Hong Kong after retiring from the Royal Air Force in the UK. He was a fighter pilot and flew the English Electric Lightning. Sometimes my aunt and nephew would stand on the beach and watch him fly by. Each time he flew by, and he knew they would be watching, he'd do this great big loop. My cousin was a young kid at the time and he absolutely loved it. Now, my cousin works as an airline pilot. Go figure.
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As you come out of the National Airport in Washington, DC to go towards the city, there is a place with a parking lot where you can pull in and watch the airliners come in for landing. Awesome, close views of the planes!
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Steve Raw wrote: Aviation Turbine Fuel Eau De Toilette, A Fragrance For Men, by Boeing.
With a lid that falls off. 
Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows.
-- 6079 Smith W.
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I love to fly.
While in the service I was able to do a lot of flying, mostly helicopters, but others types as well.
If you can't find time to do it right the first time, how are you going to find time to do it again?
PartsBin an Electronics Part Organizer - Release Version 1.4.0 (Many new features) JaxCoder.com
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Mike Hankey wrote: I love to fly.
Nice!
Mike Hankey wrote: While in the service I was able to do a lot of flying, mostly helicopters, but others types as well.
The military offers the best flight training you can get. I seriously contemplated joining the service out of high school for that reason. The problem I had with that is that you need to have a 4-year college degree to fly fixed-wing aircraft in the military. As for flying helicopters, I remember hearing that a college degree isn't required. I don't know. What type of helicopters did you fly? The Apache would be my pick. When the Apache was produced by McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing), I remember my dad mentioning that he had done some engineering work on several of its systems. I was in awe.
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I didn't fly them< I was transported to areas that I didn't want to be.
If you can't find time to do it right the first time, how are you going to find time to do it again?
PartsBin an Electronics Part Organizer - Release Version 1.4.0 (Many new features) JaxCoder.com
Latest Article: EventAggregator
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Mike Hankey wrote: I didn't fly them< I was transported to areas that I didn't want to be.
Ah, Okay. I misunderstood. Either way, I respect that you served regardless of what you did.
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Thanks, at the time I didn't have much choice.
If you can't find time to do it right the first time, how are you going to find time to do it again?
PartsBin an Electronics Part Organizer - Release Version 1.4.0 (Many new features) JaxCoder.com
Latest Article: EventAggregator
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For about 8 years I worked for an airline company (in IT) and some of the flying stuff rubbed off me. Seems that somehow all my life I’ve been doing software related to things that move: planes, cars, boats, subs, you name it.
Mircea
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I'm really glad to see that we have many aviation enthusiasts in this forum.
Mircea Neacsu wrote: For about 8 years I worked for an airline company (in IT) and some of the flying stuff rubbed off me. Seems that somehow all my life I’ve been doing software related to things that move: planes, cars, boats, subs, you name it.
How was your experience while working in the airline industry? Both my dad and sister have worked in the industry, and they underwent difficulty due to its volatile nature. Boeing, Gates Learjet, Bombardier, and McDonnell Douglas were all the same. The company would complete a contract, and then lay off half the employees. When a new contact came in, they'd hire back. It was ridiculous.
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What impressed me most was the camaraderie, what the French call the “esprit de corps”. It might hark back to the years of Saint-Exupery’s “Night Flight” (IMO required reading for any aviation buff), but if you were flying ZED fare, almost everyone would look at you as being somewhat part of the same family and try to help you. I still have many good friends from that time.
Mircea
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Mircea Neacsu wrote: What impressed me most was the camaraderie, what the French call the “esprit de corps”. It might hark back to the years of Saint-Exupery’s “Night Flight” (IMO required reading for any aviation buff), but if you were flying ZED fare, almost everyone would look at you as being somewhat part of the same family and try to help you. I still have many good friends from that time.
When my sister worked for American Airlines, I could fly standby to Dallas for the price of a cheeseburger. It was great!
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In a previous life, I was an aircraft mechanic for an airline (veteran USAF mechanic). 3 of us were going to buy and share an older 4 seater. I signed up for lessons.
First lesson, instructor is a no show.
Figured:
1. Bad Omen.
2. As mistake-prone as I am, bad idea.
Got married, had kids.
End of flying career.
>64
It’s weird being the same age as old people. Live every day like it is your last; one day, it will be.
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The nearest I've been to aerospace is sitting in a commercial jetliner.
Had the opportunity to once fly in an Airbus 380; and was allotted the last seat in economy in the aircraft, below the tail; all other seats in the last row were empty during the flight. Requested the crew to allow me to briefly go to the upper floor just to see, and they obliged.
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I'd like to see that. I've never been on the second floor of an aircraft.
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Several decades ago I did start doing my PPL(H) training, but my circumstances changed and I couldn't afford to complete it - it's an expensive hobby, particularly when Herself was doing much the same for fixed wing.
So we both dropped the idea (which was a pity) and never went back for a pile of reasons.
It was a huge load of fun, but as my instructor said: "Let's turn some money into noise!" 
"I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
"Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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OriginalGriff wrote: Several decades ago I did start doing my PPL(H) training, but my circumstances changed and I couldn't afford to complete it
If God had wanted us to fly, he would have given us bigger wallets. I want to fly, but since I haven't the financial resources to do so, I downloaded the Microsoft Flight Simulator. I tried doing this years ago on one of my older laptops. The first time I attempted to run the flight simulator, it errored out. The message of the error basically said, "Your machine does not have the minimum requirements to run this program." and when you clicked "OK", it would exit.
I went into a long period of deep despair after that. It was a very dark time in my life. All I wanted to do was run a flight SIM. I can't afford to fly right now, nor could I do so back then. What is the cost of renting a Cessna Skyhawk 172 these days? 17 years ago it was $120 per hour plus fuel. To imagine what it would cost nowadays? I don't want to know.
Eventually, I recovered. I bought an updated copy of MS Flight Simulator on the laptop I am using now. It's fairly new. Upon first running the sim two days ago, a message box popped up. It said, "Your machine does not have the minimum requirements to run this program." After that, it froze. I feel very depressed now. I need your thoughts and prayers.
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To run flight sim you need a PC with a bit of grunt and a decent graphics card such as the Nvidia RTX series that supports multiple monitors. On a flight sim I was roped in to assist on the owner had built a cockpit simulation and with all the switches and controls hooked into a USB joystick interface with simple push in wire connectors for the necessary buttons, potentiometers, sensors, rotary encoders and switches. An excellent set-up but a lot of work and all enhanced with terrific sound card and speakers to add to the realism.
I have just purchased a Meta Quest 3 to see what it is like on my son's sim, I reckon that will add an extra dimension to things.
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Here in the UK we have an aviation charity called Aerobility it's main intention is to get the disabled into the air and behind the controls of an aircraft.
My wife and I do our best to put our twin adult disabled sons into the air with them once a month. One of the son's flies a Piper "PA-28 Warrior" and the other a "Grob109B" Touring Motor Glider. The lads have almost no functionallity in their hands and forearms so the instructors (amazing folks) assist but only where necessary.
What an fantastic therapy, they land and life has been different for a while. The sparkle in their eyes says it all, muscular dystrophy and all the baggage that goes with it is forgotton about for that joyful hour. It is not as expensive as flying for the able bodied but still hurts the wallet but our philosophy is to make every day count, you can't take it with you!
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I've not heard of them, must look them up.
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