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From: jc@sdcsvax.UUCP (John Cornelius)
Newsgroups: net.aviation
Subject: Re: Happy New Year
Message-ID: <1279@sdcsvax.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 6-Jan-86 12:03:02 EST
Article-I.D.: sdcsvax.1279
Posted: Mon Jan  6 12:03:02 1986
Date-Received: Wed, 8-Jan-86 06:42:48 EST
References: <729@ucsfcgl.UUCP> <116@r2d2.UUCP>
Reply-To: jc@sdcsvax.UUCP (John Cornelius)
Distribution: net
Organization: Western Scientific, San Diego
Lines: 54
Summary: It sure beats driving the freeways

Bob had an excellent idea, as always. Herewith my vitae.

I was ground bound through 10 years at UCSD because computer hacks don't really
have to go anywhere, they just send mail. In 1980 I bought an interest in
Western Scientific which sells computer peripherals and systems throughout
Southern California. After spending about 50 hours parked on the freeways of
Los Angeles I took my first medical followed a few weeks later by my first
lesson. About $2000 and 60 hours later I received my private in a C-152,
N9494G, and proceeded to learn what flying was all about.

My first trip as a licensed pilot was with my family to Palm Springs. At one
point I tipped the plane a little so that my wife could see something on the
ground. I still have the scars from when she grabbed my arm, tightly. She is
afraid of heights.

I presently have ~510 hours, much of it over Los Angeles watching the brake
lights on the freeways, of which 70 or so are in complex aircraft. I have 60
hours of instrument instruction and really must finish the rating one day.

Each year my family takes 1 long cross country trip lasting 1-2 weeks. We
usually fly up the coast to Puget Sound, stopping to visit friends and
relatives along the way. This type of flying has introduced me to some
memorable airports. Two of my favorites are on Whidbey Island. The first time I
flew into Oak Harbor I couldn't find the runway on downwind, only a narrow road
running parallel to the runway heading. I turned crosswind, and then final,
still unable to identify the runway. On short final, just as I was preparing to
go around, I noticed NUMBERS on the end of the road. I went ahead and landed.
That was my first clue that not all airports have runways that are 4000 X 100.

The other great one was Ernie Youdarian's cow pasture. He convinced my father
in law that I should have no problem landing on his 2600 foot cow pasture since
he and many of his friends landed their C-172s and Bonanzas there all the time.
The only problem was that the Coupville NAAS was located at the
approach/departure end of the field. Occasionally one could encounter a herd of
A-4s doing touch and goes on the field. Instructions for landing were, if there
are A-4s in the pattern contact the tower, join the A-4s in the pattern, turn
final at midfield (Coupeville NAAS) at about 300' AGL and land. Imagine my
dismay at seeing a notch cut out of the trees with the far end a solid wall of
trees. I went ahead and landed. The toughest part was getting the cow pies off
of the underside of the airplane. Since then I've been able to try some pretty
strange airports.

Today, I fly mostly for business and fly to most of the West Coast UNIX
meetings as well as to customer's offices. I wonder why it took me so long to
do it, I was 41 when I received my private.

After I make a few million I plan to retire, build a recreational airstrip, and
open an FBO.

There must be SOME relationship between all of this and molecular biology.

John Cornelius
Western Scientific
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