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Where do you start when you have a career in something you are passionate about? The same place as anyone else, the beginning. I was blessed to have a dad that loves planes and helicopters. He did a little flying himself in Hueys while in the Army, but never "lived the dream" to its fullest. What he did do though was pass that love on to his youngest son.
Strapping into the T-6 TrainerSome of my earliest memories involve looking at planes with my dad. We lived under the approach path of DFW so all growing up I remember watching the massive airliners fly by wondering what that would be like. I used to get my dad to take us to the airport to ride the trains and watch the planes. This was way before TSA so anyone could go out to the terminals after going through a metal detector. We would just sit there and watch the planes come and go. At the time I knew nothing about them, but it planted a seed that has carried me for at least 25 years.
One of my favorite memories was going to The Boneyard at Davis Monthan Air Force Base in Tuscon, AZ. I was only about eight years old, but I will never forget it. This was right at the end of the Cold War when all of the B-52s were being taken to the desert to be cut up into pieces. I remember taking a bus ride with my dad through what felt like miles and miles of solid B-52s. They were all still clean and almost brand new looking. It amazed me how so many planes could be in one place at the same time. I recently had the opportunity to go back to The Boneyard and saw all of those B-52s again, only now they are all cut up in pieces rotting away in the Arizona desert. This time there were rows of F-16s lined up awaiting their destiny.
The other aircraft that we used in CSO training is the T-1 which is essentially the military version of the Beechjet. The flying is not nearly as fun or intense as in the T-6, but it is always a good time flying low-level routes, no matter what plane you are flying in.Upon completing CSO training I was assigned to be a navigator on the C-130 Hercules at Little Rock AFB, AR. Initially I was really disappointed, but it has worked out for a number of reasons that I won't bore you with. The C-130 is an awesome aircraft that has been the workhorse of the Air Force for at least 40 years. There are a ton of different variants, but I am on what is referred to as a "slick" C-130 since we are strictly a cargo hauler.
It was on the C-130 that I came to really enjoy flying low-level. On one flight in particular it struck me how awesome it was. It was an overcast day with light rain so initially I was kind of hoping my training flight would be cancelled, so I could go home and go back to sleep, but we ended up flying anyway. I had an experienced pilot that day so he was able to take us down to about 300 feet AGL for most of the route. So picture this, we are in a plane that weighs about 130,000 lbs, cruising at about 210 knots, with a steady rain falling, looking UP at hills that are only 500 ft tall. It was on that flight that it really hit me how cool flying this mission is. I am yet to deploy on the C-130 though I hope to have the opportunity sooner than later, but it is still fun to fly no matter where we are.
Recently, I have also increased my love of aviation through blogging(AviationGuy.com), and interacting with fellow AvGeeks on Twitter. I really enjoy writing about what I love, and even more so interacting with people who are as passionate about planes as I am. I recently had the opportunity to go to Seattle, and I actually met a handful of people that I had previously only ever tweeted with.
That is what is amazing about aviation. We all come from different backgrounds, have different stories, and want different things from flying, but in the end we all share the same passion. We can sit and talk for hours about planes we saw, flights we took, or even just the ones we dream about. Not everyone is an AvGeek, but AvGeeks are everywhere, and if you ever start to waiver in your love of flying just spend a few hours with them talking about how amazing it is and you will fall in love all over again.Twitter: @davidvlynnFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/AviationGuy1Blog: www.aviationguy.com
Thanks so much David for sharing how you got into an aviation career! It was really interesting to read about how you started out like most aviators, watching all of the planes come into nearby airports... it's the exact same for me!
Thanks again for writing in and participating in the Share Your Story section of the blog,
Swayne Martin
Martins Aviation / From Private to Professional Pilot
Twitter: @MartinsAviationYoutube: MartinsAviation1
