Who were your favorite passengers?

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hilltop170
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Joined: Sat May 06, 2006 6:05 pm

Re: Who were your favorite passengers?

Post by hilltop170 »

I have many favorite passengers that I don't really know. Today I saw a mom in the grocery store whom I did not recognize but she recognized me. She told me her son was in college in Aeronautical Engineering and was an intern at NASA last summer. After college he wants to go to work for Orbital ATK and design rocket motors. I do not remember her son but she told me his first interest in aviation and space was the Young Eagle ride I gave him about 10 years ago.

I have no way of knowing how many other young people have gotten the bug from Young Eagle rides but I hope it's a lot. You never know what ideas those young folks have going thru their minds when they make that first flight or what they will do with those ideas.
Richard Pulley
2014-2016 TIC170A Past President
1951 170A, N1715D, s/n 20158, O-300D
Owned from 1973 to 1984.
Bought again in 2006 after 22 years.
It's not for sale!
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170C
Posts: 3182
Joined: Tue May 06, 2003 11:59 am

Re: Who were your favorite passengers?

Post by 170C »

Richard, that is so true. We never know when a YE flight may spark that long term interest in aviation. Its also fun to see the varied reactions to that first flight. The most memorable one I have done, and I haven't done all that many, was when I had a couple of young boys on a flight and needed to change the batteries in my headset. I asked the one in the copilot seat to hand me the batteries from the glove box, which he did. I then told him to fly over a road and I explained how the controls worked. All he could say was, "I can't do it, I can't do it!" I kept telling him "Yes you can" and sure enough he did just fine. By the time we landed he was all pumped up to get his ppl when he got 16. Haven't seen him since, but I hope he will go for it.
OLE POKEY
170C
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2012-2018
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IA DPE
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Re: Who were your favorite passengers?

Post by IA DPE »

Grandson #3 of 4. Hoping to teach them all how to fly in the 170 as time goes on.
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1955 C170B N2993D s/n 26936
1986 DG-400 N9966C
Flanker_33
Posts: 4
Joined: Tue Nov 20, 2018 4:35 pm

Re: Who were your favorite passengers?

Post by Flanker_33 »

Favorite, I don't know, but definitely the most interesting one.

I was the navigator for my father, who gave a ride to a rather famous Russian TV personality for a little flight around Athens, where he wanted to buy a villa; we thus gave him a ride to check out these from the sky.
We were paid quite a hefty sum for this, but part of the contract involved not disclosing too much about that person, so I'll stop there!
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