Hello, I'm Claude Stokes. One of the Airport Bums of
Waycross. This is my personal reference page.
Welcome to my Personal Webpage and flight history where I have
summarized the Aircraft that I've flown and logged flight as Pilot in
Command. The pictures depicted are for reference only and are not
the actual planes that I've flown, but they are the same catagory,
class and type. The sequence of pictures are in the same order as
I actually progressed along my journey begining with my primary
trainer, the ever loveable 65 HP Aeronca 7 AC. I somehow had a
desire to fly tail wheel planes and logged over 100 hours in them
before I ever got in a Tri-cycle gear plane. My first Tri-gear
turned out to be the Cessna 182. If you love flying you probably
know that I had great fun flying all of these machines. Maybe you
will enjoy your visit. At the end of the airplanes I have a
summary of all the Airports where I have landed and ones that became my
"hangout" for a period of time.
This was my first learning experience. Aeronca 7 AC
"champ". I still love this little plane, even today, for
all the things it taught me without hurting me. And my
appreciation to Col Chuck Green, USAF ret. who sat in the back seat
with a doctors stethescope talking in my ears (who in the hell ever
heard of "headsets and intercoms" ) and taught me lessons I'll never
forget. Cirica 1962 when
it all began
I soloed at Opalocka airport at
Miami, Fl in this next airplane, the 90 HP Aeronca 7 EC. What a
change. It had a real battery and generator, and a real
radio. WOW
While I was a student pilot in
1964, I rented this fun machine at Grand Prairie airport in Dallas,
Tx., A Piper J-5 cub with a 75HP engine An old timer in grease stained
coveralls who's pilot license
number only had 5 digits checked me out in 15 minutes. This was
the first plane I ever went backwards in if you know anything about
those Texas winds.
When I got my private license in
1965 this next little jewel was not a very popular
airplane. Many BAD stories about ground loops and flip
overs. Everyone wanted the hot new Cessna 150. I just got
lucky I guess and found a Cessna 140 instead. I got my private
pilot license on a very windy saturday (20kts) with a crosswind at
Whiterock airport in Dallas, Tx flying the 140.
My luck seemed to be holding out
as I moved up the ladder, and when all the flight schools were renting
the Cessna 172 skyhawk, I found a great deal on a Cessna 170B.
I'm sure glad I did. What a great plane to fly. I must
admit, I loved this airplane like a girl friend. It was sweet,
sassy, and a hand full in a crosswind, but it always got me home.
I flew this plane from Redbird airport at Dallas, Tx, and on a trip to
Hotsprings Ar. Surface winds were 50kts at Dallas and Hotsprings.
I guess I really wanted to make that trip. Takeoff roll was about
100 feet, landing roll was about 200 ft.
Now it really got serious for
me. I stepped up to my first tri-cycle gear airplane. What
a hot little bird it was A real 4 passenger airplane,
Cessna 182. In 1965 I said goodbye to tail draggers for
about 10 years. I flew this plane from Dallas, Tx. to
Miami, Fl. a 2500 mile cross country. My log book had 110 hours
toal time when I started. I added 30 hours on that trip.
Hot damn in Hot Atlanta.
After flying for almost 6 years I finally got in the "real" game.
I started flying the Hot little Cessna 150 when I moved to Atlanta in
1968. It was fun I guess, but I sure missed that Cessna 140
I guess it had to happen one
day. After all these years of flying I finally got to sample the
"leader of the pack" I started flying the Cessna 172
Skyhawk. I liked it. It felt very much like the Cessna 170
only not as fast.
I hauled some skydivers one
saturday from a little dirt strip near Atlanta in this one.
Cessna 180, Its just another Skylane. I hauled 4 jumpers with
chutes and
me too. ssshhh Dont tell the FAA I was over gross.
My next new ride was both fun,
and hard work. Kinda like driving a truck, without power
stearing. But it was sure worth the effort. At the
time everyone thought now this is a "real" airplane. And it
is. A real joy to fly even on bad days.
I flew several different Cessna
150's, Cessna 182's and Cherokee 6-300 in the late Sixties while
living in Atlanta, GA
Then I got my Glider
rating. I returned to Dallas, Tx for a week of Company training,
and kinda like "open sessamie" right at the end of a dirt road
near the factory, was the Rockwall airport, and a glider school.
At 1500 each day I was finished at work, so,, I got my glider rating in
4 days. Unbelievable lift in the July Texas sun, the Instructor
and myself, going up 2000 ft/min all the way to 8000 feet. in an
SGS 2-33 with NO MOTOR. I was impressed.
So I went back to Atlanta,
joined the Mid Georgia Soaring club at Monroe, Ga. and started
soaring. Dont pass up the opportunity to do this if you have the
chance. There ain't nothing else like it. I flew SGS 1-26,
and the ASK KA-8. My longest flite in the 1-26 is 2 hours,
longest in the Ka-8 is 4 hours, and 45 miles x-cntry from Cordele to
Tifton Ga. at 7000ft.
And then finally, after 10 years
I get back to Taildraggers again with a J-3 cub, and a Cessna 140 after
Moving to Waycross Ga. in 1975. My old friends were back
and I was glad to see them. I did some banner towing in the J-3
cub and Flew the wings off my Cessna 140. Am I the only pilot who
feels this strong affection towards an airplane like a highschool
sweetheart??
I got checked out in the Piper
Seneca, and the Piper Seminole and got in a few hours on instruments in
a Cessna skyhawk. I flew quite a few hours in the Piper Arrow,
and made trips here and there Florida and Georgia. Tennessee and North
Carolina
In the late 1970's I bought a
Piper Cherokee 140 and worked on an instrument rating. I flew the
Piper Warrior, more Cessna 182's and skyhawks, and most recently Ive
flown the Light sport Titan Tornado and more skyhawks. I guess I
just like little airplanes.
Hey who knows whats next? I
really like some of the new light sport aircraft. I guess I might
could handle some of them. I hope you enjoyed your visit.
Ill add on the list of airports Ive flown into on another web
page.. see ya at the airport. Be sure and ask about the Airport
Bums of Waycross.