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Any Pilots Here?

I have my private pilot, single engine and glider rating. Also my A&P and IA. I am the Service Manager of an FBO.

Don
 
I have my private pilot, single engine and glider rating. Also my A&P and IA. I am the Service Manager of an FBO.

Don

Great, might be a fun thread to continue, if the moderators don't mind. BTW, I fly for PHI, headquarters near you in Lafayette.
 
PPL and A&P. Had my own Piper Comanche 180 as well as part owner of 2 different C172's.
Looks like a police bike with "Motor" designator. I am a retired cop (also?) Commanche, great aircraft till the factory burned down, I used to own a 250 with another guy, until drug runners stole it, and torched it out here in Arizona....
 
Looks like a police bike with "Motor" designator. I am a retired cop (also?) Commanche, great aircraft till the factory burned down, I used to own a 250 with another guy, until drug runners stole it, and torched it out here in Arizona....

"The factory burned down"?

The factory that built the plane still stands. It's a diaper, bed pad and feminine hygene product warehouse.......
 
"The factory burned down"?

The factory that built the plane still stands. It's a diaper, bed pad and feminine hygene product warehouse.......

OOps, had the wrong natural disaster, it was a flood, quoted here by the Intl Commanche Society:

Plans were in the works to do away with the Comanche and Twin Comanche well before Hurricane Agnes flooded the Susquehanna River and inundated the Lock Haven plant in June 1972. Piper said that production of any more Comanches and Twin Comanches wouldn't be feasible, because the tooling and dies for the Comanche and Twin Comanche were destroyed in the flood.
 
OOps, had the wrong natural disaster, it was a flood, quoted here by the Intl Commanche Society:

Plans were in the works to do away with the Comanche and Twin Comanche well before Hurricane Agnes flooded the Susquehanna River and inundated the Lock Haven plant in June 1972. Piper said that production of any more Comanches and Twin Comanches wouldn't be feasible, because the tooling and dies for the Comanche and Twin Comanche were destroyed in the flood.

The factory limped along until about 1983. According to local lore, most of the machines and tooling were covered by federal flood insurance. Whatever happened with those funds is beyond me. However, I do have a brand new Gerstner tool chest (Circa 1973) filled with never used machinist tools that was provided by that same federal insurance program. Many parts of the factory were not flooded, so the old equipment remained in use until the plant was closed.
 
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I'm on the "fly & ride" program...

and the bike seems to offer a few similarities. Checklists for safe operation,
time/speed/distance calculations; even "bottle 2 throttle" & fitness considerations!
Its the challenge of smooth operation & decision process that I enjoy.

USAF / GI Bill Flight Training (circa 74-81)
ASEMEL, Commercial / Instrument
ATC Tower/TRACON (CVG/MCO)

Travel'in John
 
OOps, had the wrong natural disaster, it was a flood, quoted here by the Intl Commanche Society:

Plans were in the works to do away with the Comanche and Twin Comanche well before Hurricane Agnes flooded the Susquehanna River and inundated the Lock Haven plant in June 1972. Piper said that production of any more Comanches and Twin Comanches wouldn't be feasible, because the tooling and dies for the Comanche and Twin Comanche were destroyed in the flood.

Did all of my multi training in a TC. What a wonderful plane.
 
Got my private back in 84 and then worked for the FBO at MSN for a number of years part time on the ramp, got only a couple hundred hours and went as far as a few checkrides for my instrument, but never got it and really dropped out of flying for the most part since then, last went up maybe 20 yrs ago, but my wife wants me to get back in to it. I almost went up with her and a CFI this October, then she needed a minor operation done about the time we were going to go up, so put on hold again til spring. No medical exam or anything, just grab an instructor and go up for an hour or so, what do i care about the logbook, big deal. Learned on Cherokee 140s, and good amount of time in Warriors and Archers, also flew with CAP a little and got 152 and 172 time as well.

Lots of line experience though, the FBO had contracts for fuel for most of the airlines in to MSN back then, United, NWA, TWA, Air Wis, etc etc, so lots of different aircraft I refuelled, mostly DC9s and 727s, 737s, Fokker F27s, Shorts 360s, hated refuelling BAE146's, needed the tallest step ladder we had and almost had to stand on the top of it to reach the fuel door.
Over on the GA ramp lots of time fuelling and hangaring lots of what you guys are talking about, TCs, Aztecs, Navajos, and bigger stuff like Lears, Citations, Falcons, Gulfstreams, we also did a lot of transient Airguard stuff, like Hueys going up to Fort McCoy (got as good as Radar O'Reilly in hearing the Hueys approach! whumpwhumpwhump) and also transient Tweeties out punching holes in the clouds and calling it training. I did lots of grunt work in aviation for a lot of years. That JetA never really get sout of your blood I guess.
 
Oh, took a test a couple times for replacement ATCs, after the PATCO strike and Ronnie Reagan fired em all, remember that? One of the tests was in Chicago, I decided to rent a Warrior and fly in to Meigs and take a taxi to where the test was taken, so I did fly in to Meigs once, quite an experience for me in a lot of ways, mainly trying to understand these controllers who were talking faster than an auctioneer. "WHAT DID HE SAY? HUH???" The guys in the tower at Meigs were OK though, but the approach guys, holy crap dude......LOL. First and only time I had to pay a landing fee, which I did NOT know about going in (Otherwise I would have went to ORD, ha ha).
And on the way back hit like 1100 ragged, 1 mile viz, I had another guy with me from the FBO who just went for the ride and slept while I did that ATC test, but anyways MSN approach says "1100 ragged, viz now 1 mile, state your intentions", so I swear his eyes locked on mine, without even looking away from him i picks up the mic and say "request special vfr landing Madison"..........silence. Pregnant pause......"Cherokee 40 kilo, special vfr approved, maintain clear of clouds" and gave me a heading to fly.
 
I earned a Flying Scholarship in 1969 with the Royal Canadian Air Cadets, went on to get night rating and was working on my Commercial Licence when I lost my job and had to let it slide.

Went back 15 years later for a checkride (40 minutes!) and became an Officer with 2 Squadrons and became Commanding Officer. Got to do do some free flying with the Cadets and ended up with 360 hours flying time.

Let it go again, Too expencive now!

Some regrets!

Bucket List to be P.I.C. again!
 
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