To tell, or not to tell??

[CoolLuke]

was more than $2,200.00. That may not seem like much to some, but it is alot for me.

Was not trying to trivialize the costs, but I am an airline pilot and get discounts on travel and some hotels the airline is affiliated with.

Sorry, did not mean to offend, but was pointing out that MY cost to travel for what might be a wasted trip would not be an important issue for ME.

[Edwin]

That is okay. We just couldn't figure out how you got such reasonable flights, and what your secret was. We all wanted to join your club! Well, I was facinated with airplanes all my life. My Dad was also, but all he ever did was dream about it. I told him that I was going to learn to fly airplanes, and he told me that if there were as many airplanes in the sky as cars the sky would rain them down! He told me he didn't want me to learn to fly because he said that he would worry about me all the time. So as long as he was alive I did not learn to fly. I think part of his thinking was because he watched a terrible crash at an airshow in Spokane, and he didn't tell me about it, but my older brother did, and I guess it was a terrible scene for the people at the airshow. I think they watched his body hit the ground falling from above, and it was bad. My Dad did take one flight to Texas for an open heart surgery from a Dr. Debakey, and he was given a pretty fair percentage of a chance to survive well, but he didn't survive, and the doctor told my mother that his heart was too diseased to be able to start it again. So they flew his body back home after the unsuccessful surgery. Then a few years after that I did learn to pilot small single engine land airplanes with tricycle gear. It was so much fun! My wife would never fly with me when I piloted airplanes, but our kids did. I took them up, flew around the area with them, and then landed. Three kids and me got into a 2 seater and flew, but we all had to exhail so that we could shut the door, and all seat belt buckle in. Our weight was fine, we were just too wide all of us for the airplane, but it worked. I put them in a larger airplane that had a seat in the back, then I flew directly over where we live now, and flew to a lake where we went swimming, and them we flew back home. Economics changed for our family and I stopped piloting airplanes. Since then I have ridden my Honda 500, never out on the highway though; always riding slower in town, or on roads with lower speed limits. I also have concentrated on my music as that fits my buget better, and it is fun too! I still remember the fun times we had flying, but I doubt that I will ever pilot airplanes again. It is possible, but probably not.

[CoolLuke]

By the time I was ten I had enough hours to get a license, but I think the minimum age back then was 14, maybe 16 so I had to wait until I was old enough. By that time I had enough hours to do a Commercial license but the minimum age was 21, I think, may have been 18, so I had to wait until I was old enough -- again!!

My parents told/forbade me to do a lot of things, but they also encouraged me to be my own person. Kinda contradictory, I know, but they were never against me learning to fly. Probably helped that they owned a small flight school.

The same encouragement was not apparent when I wanted to race motorcycles at age 15. These days parents are getting kids on to small dirt bikes at age 5! I could only have dreamed of that.

They were also not so enthusiastic when I started building and flying ultralights, gyros and helicopters either. Although they did regard the helos as real planes.

[Edwin]

You, CoolLuke, being an experienced pilot, you know that difference between the feeling of the Cessna 150 or 152, and the 172. When I learned I wanted to learn really badly, but I was kind of scared of it at the same time. My instructor taught me to recover from the stall, so I thought if I reacted, or over reacted I could recover faster. So what I did was instead of easing off on the stick, I pushed it forward, gave it full power, and we were headed to the water below. My instructor pulled it out, as he didn't want to go down with me. When we came up I sat on my good comb so hard that I busted it, and things flew up off the dash. I like the stable feeling of the 172 more than the 150 or 152, so I don't think I would have liked piloting ultra lights. I was always trying to do things better. I worked so hard to get the plane on the very beginning of the runway strip that once I landed before I got to the strip, brushing tall weeds and grass on the belly of the airplane. My instructor said to me, "Well, you didn't make it, did you." We did manage to cross the barb wire fense before dropping that low though. My instructor did something a lot of instructors will not do. He had me put the airplane in a spin and then recover from it. Of course he was not advocating putting it in an advanced spin, just the starting of the spin and then recovery. I was thankful he did that, because I got into the start of a spin alone once in the airplane; I recognized the spin beginning and brought it out of the spin in a hurry, and I was safe. One time when doing touch and goes I forgot to retrack the flaps from the full setting from landing, and the airplane did not take off the same way. While still in ground effect I gradually brought them back. Once my instructor reached over shut the motor off on the airplane, and then he asked me what I was going to do. He was a brave soul because I made the wrong decision, and he just sat and rode along with me; maybe he was crazy, I don't know. What the deal was is that there was a runway strip right below me, and he expected me to spiral down and land on that strip. I was not aware of the strip, so I set the airplane in the best glide I could, and we glided further than you can imangine back to the airport. He told me later that he didn't think I would make it, but I did. I don't know whether he was proud of me, or mad that I didn't do what he thought I should have done. One time while soloing I realized halfway down the runway on the takeoff roll that I had forgotten to make my takeoff radio call. So I attempted to use the radio, and I almost lost control of the airplane. I still have fun thinking of the good times I had learning to fly. I probablly took my life in my hands a few times, but the Lord protected me. This is like they used to say when the speed limit was 60 mph that the Lord gets out of the car as the speed increases any over 60 mph!

[CoolLuke]

Edwin, as I am sure you are now well aware that transition between a Stall and Flying is all a matter of Physics. You cannot rush the plane into anything.

Spin recovery sadly is not a required skill in the Private License here. I was afforded the luxury of learning it all and there is nothing happening in an aircraft that can or would scare me. As cops and the Military often say, they react as a result of training. They do not need to think about anything, it becomes instinct if the training is followed. Been there, got the tee shirt.

Actually it was spin recovery that got me totally hooked on flying. I loved the sensation of falling then recovering. Especially so since the control input is pretty much the reverse of what you mind would suggest. "What? You want me to accelerate towards the ground and turn into the direction of spin? Are you nuts?"

My Pop used to say there are three things every pilot should do. "Fly in a major controlled airspace," (man you get busy there the first few times) "aerobatics and land on water in a float plane."

Dare I say it, but the object of the forced landing your instructor instigated, was for you to find a place to land and not try to head back to dubious safety. If you have a problem, the deal is to put it on the ground as soon as safely-possible as the problem may get worse. If the (simulated) dead engine was a broken fuel line, a fire could be the next interesting arrival. The home airport is too far away to be an option and by then you may have passed that grass strip and been too low to go back. Had you tried for that grass strip, he would have let you get to about 50-feet and had you fly it out.

[jadegil6]

These song lyrics sort of illustrate the dilemma when a person needs to choose between two romantic interests. It was written by John Sebastion, and sung by The Lovin' Spoonful in 1966.

Did you ever have to make up your mind
Pick up on one and leave the other behind
It's not often easy and not often kind
Did you ever have to make up your mind

Did you ever have to finally decide
Say yes to one and let the other one ride
There's so many changes and tears you must hide
Did you ever have to finally decide

And here is another song that is named, Look Out Here Comes Tomorrow that also portrays the same thing. It was written by Neil Diamond, and sung by the Monkees , and released in January of 1967.

Look out, here comes tomorrow,
That's when I'll have to choose.
How I wish I could borrow,
Someone else's shoes.

Mary, oh what a sweet girl,
Lips like strawberry pie.
Sandra, the long hair and pig tails,
Can't make up my mind.

I see all kinds of sorrow,
Wish I only loved one.
Look out, here comes tomorrow,
Oh how I wish tomorrow would never come

Told them both that I loved them,
Said it, and it was true.
But I can't have both of them
Don't know what to do.

I see all kinds of sorrow,
Wish I only loved one.
Look out, here comes tomorrow,
Oh how I wish tomorrow would never come

[Edwin]

When I was a young guy, before I was married, I loved all the girls. My favorite place was in the kitchen because that is where they were preparing food; the two things I liked most, food and women!!!! It didn't matter a lot whether it was my sister-in-law, my mother, my sister, or a visiting female, I liked them all. This is a terrible admission, but true. I was very sensitive, more than I am now, if that is possible, so with most of my girl friends I got my feeling hurt and quit them. Two fathers of the young ladies did not like me. My Dad told me that the preacher did not like me and did not want me with his daughter. Well, a few days later I got a dear John letter from her. We did remain friends however. She died very young from Cancer, and that was very sad. She was always Young; that was her last name. The other young lady I didn't even know she liked me, and one day I got this letter from her that had sweet things said to me that I had not even heard before, telling how much she loved me. But a few days later I got another letter from her, telling me that her Dad did not approve, and she guessed we couldn't continue! I had a lot of fun with my girl friends though. I know I broke a lot of hearts, and my Dad gave me one stern talking to over it. I wasn't with Carol long enough for her to hurt my feelings, so I married her, and now it is almost 45 years.

I was telling one of my fellow Bible College student friends, a young lady, my love life troubles, and she told me, "Cheer up, I will marry you." Well, I didn't jump on that fast enough so I missed out on her. I'm not sure how serious she was because she was very jovial, always laughing, always smiling and joking. She did cheer me up a number of times, and maybe visa versa also. It is kind of funny because she was from the same city where my future father-in-law lived, and Carol and a good part of her family knew this young lady and her family, only I didn't know that they all knew each other, and that can be dangerous. Well, we repeatedly traveled to this city, and we would see her almost every time. Since my father-in-law moved away from that city in 1980 I have not seen her since.

I still love the girls, only now it is mostly Carol, our kids and our grandkids, and a few I love as sisters in Christ.

[red]

This may not help to the one who posted the topic but hoping will help for those facing the same situation.
For the guys, I suggest that you be discreet. Most of the ladies are jealous type so you might end up with zero. And they would think an impression of you that you are a two timer.
For the ladies, better be open minded. Don't take it so seriously unless you have meet face to face. Keep your options open. When meeting face to face, ask questions. Get to know the person. Never ask money because some guys are broke

[Edwin]

This is kind of a delima. The people involved must be honest, because if not the payday for sins will come sooner or later, and it may not be pleasant. There can be hurt feelings for not being open about everything, especially if someone thinks they are the only one, only to find out the truth later after getting emotionally attached. Yes it is natural to have a little jealously, and the other person can get the reputation for being a 2 timer, and then end up with zero, as Red, said. Not everyone has the same ideas about this. I have seen some write, come to see me only, and if not forget it. The other idea expressed is the trip is expensive, and one may not work out, so go for a number and the eliminate some. Everyone has to make a personal choice on this and live with the results. I am not going to tell others how to deal with this, but I know how I would approach it rightly or wrongly. I don't think I would travel to see more than one. I would hope that I would have made a good decision, but I am married, so I really don't have to be involved with this.

[Smiley]

Just from the way that he asked, I think that Luke already knew what the answer was and that deep inside he had already decided to do the right thing. Sounds like a stand up guy to me.