What gave you the aviation bug?

[FarnboroJohn]

1. Living in Farnborough
2. The Dam Busters
3. 633 Squadron

John

[TBPhoto]

My parents taking me to Bournemouth Airshows. Also living slap bang in the middle of Odiham and Middle Wallop... Always getting Chinooks, Apaches, Lynxs, Gazelles, and the odd Merlin or Puma! Love seeing military helis!

[Hammy]

My Dad bought these from a shop at, he thinks, Gatwick, to keep me amused on a flight to from LGW to Auckland back in 1993 - they've been incredibly well thumbed over the years.



I was also brought up on copies of Flight International; aged four and five, I used to get my Mum to cut the images out and stick them on my school books. I was incredibly proud when, fifteen years later, my own images started appearing in issues of Flight.

Martin

[Distant Thunder]

Don't post on here too often these days but thought I'd join in on this one.

For me it was a number of things that got me interested.
1. Living between Farnborough and Guildford always went to the airshow.
2. My best mate was/is into aircraft.
3. The TV series in the late 80's, (on the beeb I think) Reaching For The Skies.

[Big_Gareth]

Just last year I popped along to Flying Legends purely to try and photograph a 'new subject'. Two small aircraft screamed across the crowd line from right to left and then over the tanoy the commentator announces "MUSTANG"

[sithrity]

Growing up in Southend, my late father and other relatives were obsessed. I always looked forward to May, sitting in junior school in the early 90s the Friday before the show, hearing the 2 Tornado's, Harrier's and Jaguar's approaching the airport.
The whole family would trek town to the beach Saturday and Sunday. Those were the days!.

[MC hammer]

Initially it was catching the bus to Heathrow with some school mates in 1970.
Then soon after, while playing in my back garden, an Italian C-119 (not that I knew that then) flew over at 1500 ft on it's downwind leg for runway 26, as it was then, at Northolt. I saw it turn right onto finals and decided I'd get a better view from my front bedroom window, following it until it descended below the houses opposite, with about three miles to go. Right behind this was a German C-160. I did not even know Northolt was there at the time. After that I spent most of my youth either at Northolt or sitting on my bedroom windowsill staring out at the distant 26 approach. My mum said I was a very easy child to look after!!

[Andover]

Growing up under the flight path to RAF Benson in the '70s / '80s, and additionally Martin-Baker's airfield on the door step. So regularly in the circuit were Andovers, Wessex, Hercules, Devons, 125s, 146s, Chinooks and occasional VC10. Jags and Hawks would shoot the odd approach from Abingdon. And at M-B's was a Dakota and a Meteor. (A Meteor is still there!) I even saw the Boscombe Down Argosy come over once!

So I developed a particular interest in prop-transports, even types I'd never seen! They still are my absolute favourite types today, and I miss the ones that flew over the house...Ahh, those were the days

[SPLAT]

I went to North Weald in 1989 having seen the advert on the Central Line , before I even saw an aircraft , the noise and smell of a Jaguar roaring off the runway . From that goosepimply moment onwards , I have been hooked.

[CMS]

My father qualified as a Lancaster pilot just as WW2 ended and then went on to work as an engineer for de Havilland so my interest in aircraft began at quite an early age. Living under the Brize flight path meant there were always planes to look at. But one of my most clear memories was being taken to an airshow as a child and a Hunter arriving really low and flat out from behind the crowd. As everyone ducked I was terrified and excited at the same time (if that’s possible) and hooked! Many airshows followed but I still remember that Hunter.

Chris

[Giant]

Simply grew up with Aircraft around me, Grandfather - RAF, Grandmother - RAF, Father RAF!

First ever flight at the age of 4 - XV108 VC-10. Numerous families days flights of VC-10's & Hercs when Dad moved to Lyneham.

Going into work with him at weekends when he was doing the handover on the Tristars at Brize. Eating the inflight dinners BA provided, playing on the electric pilots seats and helping to jack one up to change a wheel!

Living in Cricklade, Wiltshire we had constant Hercs, VC-10's, Tristars and KC-135s from Fairford flying over all the time.

Taken to Greenham Common in 1983 when he was working and sat on the tug as he marshalled in the circle of Hercs and plonked in various backseats of aircraft as they were towed around, a RAF Phantom and a Canadian CT-133 spring to mind from the pics my mum has.

Flying into RIAT Fairford once on the display Herc, holding onto the engineers seat as he did the full 'Kehsahn' (sp) approach and my feet leaving the floor! Great way to beat the queues on the way home!

A ski'ing trip to the Forces lodge in Scotland all done by throwing a car and minibus in the back of a Herc that was heading to Kinloss.

Going gliding at Hullavington for pittance, obtaining enough hours to get my license. Backseating in his mates Flex-wing Microlight...

First job in life, Maintenance Controller on Continental Airlines 747 & DC-10 refurbs at Manchester Airport

Why do I like aviation? ahh a few reasons....

Despite the changes in whats out there, Im still an enthusiastic observer and photographer and just about to complete my 20th year as a IAT/RIAT volunteer! Life is good!

[shaggy101]

Mine is fairly simple.

The Hungarian MiG 29 display at Waddington years ago. Been obsessed with military hardware (especially from the East) ever since that display

[Unknown74]

One of my friends was already an Aircraft Enthusiast and he introduced me to the hobby, fortunately enough living under the flightpath for Edinburgh Airport saw the flights arriving and departing I quite enjoyed watching them going over. What really started me apart from that was going to 1986 Leuchars Airshow and watching the Red Arrows both Arriving and Displaying. Didn't stay that long that day apart from watching the Vulcan and 4 Phantoms displaying. Anyway hobby for me kicked off after that and first full show was Prestwick 1987.

[Lee606]

Being taken to watch the Battle of Britain 50th flypast over London in 1990,I was 10yrs old and loved it! And also living down the road from Heathrow helped!

[DerekF]

I was brought up in Fife only a few miles from Leuchars and of course having a father that was (and still is) a bit keen on aeroplanes.

[davidjones533]

.

[fiesty fox]

For me It was my Dad taking me and my brother on the old Great central railway to the Hucknel air show, late 1950s early 1960 I think. Also being taken at about the same time by my grand parents to Heathrow on a coach trip, the coach taking you on to the aprons right under the aircraft wings, they were the days, if only I had a camera at the time.

[Blackbird]

My Dad too.

He took me to the Wethersfield open days in the early 60s and I never looked back. He always thought that anything that wasn't prop-powered, or preferably a Spitfire (or in extremis a Hurricane) was ugly, and as for helicopters.... !! In his later days, I must have bored him silly with photos of Phantoms, Starfighters, Hercules', Tornados and the like, but he would always have a look and comment

He also introduced me to photography when I was around 10 years old (some while ago that was ) and was fascinated when I showed him my first DSLR some 10+years ago, and how hundreds of pictures were all on a CF card - and you could look at them instantly!!

Andy

[andrewman]

Going to an airshow when I was young and seeing the Vulcan display first got me interested.

[Irishaernut]

Watching aer corps fouga magisters chase each other down the valleys. I would run out with a little crap instant camera and take blurred shots.
The area around Wicklow was something of an Irish Mach loop back then. Only the odd SAR these days.

My mum said I could hear the jets about 20 seconds before she could .

[Tonka 617]

My mum doing a parachute jump at Sibson Airfield when i was 8, whilst there getting a chance to look inside the Let L-410 she jumped from and having a flight in a Cessna.

Then i was taken to my 1st airshow at Duxford a month later and i was hooked, since then i have been aviation mad and i wouldn't have it any other way

[Mr OAG]

Growing up under the flight path to RAF Benson in the '70s / '80s, and additionally Martin-Baker's airfield on the door step. So regularly in the circuit were Andovers, Wessex, Hercules, Devons, 125s, 146s, Chinooks and occasional VC10. Jags and Hawks would shoot the odd approach from Abingdon. And at M-B's was a Dakota and a Meteor. (A Meteor is still there!) I even saw the Boscombe Down Argosy come over once!

So I developed a particular interest in prop-transports, even types I'd never seen! They still are my absolute favourite types today, and I miss the ones that flew over the house...Ahh, those were the days

Ditto,mate....lived in Wallingford back then and can remember all those and many more into and out of Benson.IIRC the downwind leg of the pattern was to the west of the airfield back then(ie right overhead Wallingford ).Dad had loads of magazines and books(many of which I inherited upon his passing 5 years ago) and was into kit-building back then,so his "bug" soon passed down to me and whenever anything was heard by either of us it was a mad dash to see who could get out into the back garden first

There was also a private farm-strip alongside the riverbank between Wallingford and Cholsey with a Cessna 150A and Jodel DR100 based...they used to have 2-3 fly-ins there during the summer in the '80s(sadly had to close in early '90s to allow Wallingford by-pass to be built)

[reheat module]

Being raised for 17 years about 5 miles away from Finningley, watching all the comings and goings close to the flight path and approach.
Family friends Were Vulcan crews at the time too

[J.Smith photography]

My love for aviation came from my love for photography. When I got my first DSLR me and my dad went to as many airshows as possible (RIAT, Duxford, Shuttleworth and Waddington in the space of three weeks in 2011) and since then my love for both aviation and photography has grown.

[SWATCO]

For me there are to reasons, first Living about 11 miles away from Yeovil and Yeovilton, with the lynxes, seakings and Merlin's flying over. Secondly my Grandad was in the RAF and his stories always fascinate me, from him being based at the now nearly redundant RNAS Merryfield.