This is my pilot Logbook which I started in 1979 even though I previously flew gliders and planes back to when I was 8 in Santa Fe, New Mexico. To my father I was always a "Golden Boy" even when the world took a shit on me for no Good Reason.
"Whatever doesn't kill us makes us stronger"
I had promised my father at about age 16 that my dream to become an airline pilot I wouldn't do to save him the suffering of me dying from flying like Tommy went missing. (like my cousins dream was to be a lawyer which he is still doing in his 70s now) He has been to the U.S. Supreme court many times now with Cases. He is a very impressive lawyer and since I'm an only child the closest thing to a brother I ever had. He has a Catalina 25 and whenever I drive south we sail together like we started with his first sailboat a Columbia 22 to Catalina in 1968 when he passed the California Bar and became a lawyer in California. We used to go snorkling and Scuba diving there off of Catalina Island. I Scuba dived starting at age 12 with a junior Scuba diver's license.
The first entry of my pilot's Logbook says I was learning to fly a Cessna 172 likely at Carlsbad Airport:
Many many logbook entries later my father had passed away in 1985. IN 1964 I had promised my father I wouldn't get my pilots license or become an airline pilot because of his brother passing away when he was an Army or Marine test pilot trying to take off or land on the first aircraft carriers. (or he was a time traveler). The story told to the family in 1942 however, was a made up one because he was a military test pilot which resulted in Dolittle's raiders attacking Japan to throw them off Guard early in the war. The story fabricated because of the top secret nature of his work then was that someone came up under his private plane and sheered off one of his wings and he spiraled down and landed on a powerline but was burned to death when a little old lady tried to get a hose to put out the flames and lost it instead. Supposedly they heard him screaming.
So, the whole family was devastated by Tommy "Disappearing" like that with no body available to bury.
It messed my Dad up for years because he was very close with his amazing pilot brother.
the following is a true story: Tommy was watching planes take of and land at the airport in Seattle. The man saw Tommy watching him and said, "Hey. You want to take my biplane up?" Tommy said sure and he took off and landed in a perfect 3 point landing. The man said, "My God where did you learn to fly like that?"
Tommy said, "I've never flown a plane before. I'm just a very quick study." and indeed he was. This was a test pilot's test pilot.
My middle name is after him.
But this was all a complete lie because he was a top secret test pilot for the U.S. military in reality. I have seen the certificate showing this now.
Though my love was such for my father that I would give up my purpose here on earth as a professional pilot, I realized during this last illness that in some ways this pledge to my father really has screwed up my life. I just hadn't thought about it that way before.
I'm still well off despite not pursuing the only thing I wanted to do for a living. Now, because of a heart condition I cannot get medically certified to fly a private plane. However, because it is considered an experimental aircraft I can fly a motorized paraglider likely in any country in the world including the U.S. if they permit me too. What fun!
So here I am retired with no medical certificate and all I need is $4000 to buy a motor and a paraglider (so easy). I'm there as soon as I heal up enough. Thank you God. So, if you see me flying up Interstate 5 at about 30 mph or so wave because that may be me with my wife following with our motor home and enclosed trailer with my klr 650 and room to store my motorized paraglider there inside. Happy trails dude!
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