Piloting a plane for the first time at 8 years old

The year was 1956 and we were in Santa Fe for a church conclave then and because I was pretty young and most motels didn't have TVs then I was sort of bored on this trip. So, my father took my riding horseback and then he took me flying because I think it was my birthday (I was either 8 or 9 years old). So, there was a red and white new 1956 Piper Tri pacer that we climbed into.

My father sat in back because he had already asked the flight instructor if I could fly it once it took off and got up to altitude. This was a pretty normal thing to do then I guess. So, once we got up to altitude my father and the instructor talked while I flew the plane all over the Santa Fe area for an hour. I was always pretty good with mechanical things. My father had been letting me drive the car on remote paved and dirt roads since I was 6 years old. And I had been sitting in my Dad's lap on trips steering the car since I was 4 which was sort of the way boys were treated then by their Dad's if they were cool like my Dad. So, basically the first time Dad let me drive the car with him sitting next to me I was 6 years old. I had to stand up to do this so I could see over the dashboard but we were so remote no one was within about 10 miles of us. Just the two of us and our car and it was then an automatic transmission so this could work.

I remember when my step son wanted to drive a 1971 VW Van stickshift across a dry Lake once. He got a funny look on his face and told us to get out so he could drive. I thought he was just going to keep it in 1st gear at about 10 miles per hour across the big dry lake but he shifted into second and was doing about 30 mph across the dry lake with us all screaming (my wife and I and his brother and sister) to stop which finally he did. He was about 10 or 11 years old and we were pretty scared because he wasn't doing what we told him to.

So, there is some tradition here too. But, then again this was about 1980 by then.

So, the instructor then in 1956 in Santa Fe seemed to be okay wherever I flew as long as I kept the plane level which I did except when I was banking slightly to turn. I was in heaven as I wanted to grow up to be then at age 8 either an airline pilot or a bush pilot in Alaska when I was that age.

The flight instructor also showed me how to turn a plane more slowly without banking by just pushing on the right pedal or left pedal. However, this causes a lot of slippage or flying sort of sideways and isn't as efficient as banking to turn.