May 2019 Andi Paradis (New York)
Andi Paradis is based at KGFL, Floyd Bennett Memorial Airport, Glens Falls, New York.
My first flight was in a J3 Cub, and life has been a relentless chase for that thrill, awe, and freedom ever since. I’m 28 and work in Engineering and Graphic Design, and still look up every time I hear an engine overhead. My relationship with aviation began on a grass strip with taildraggers, flying for pancakes, aerobatics on cool summer evenings. The people I learned to fly with were true aviators- history came first, then fun. They and all the mentors I have had throughout the years have instilled the old school way of thought in me that makes me crave bush flying, lake landings, crop dusting, aerobatics, and slipping into beautiful strips. Aviation, for me, is ultimately the easiest way of being transported to the place in history where women were ferrying aircraft and women were in the factories riveting wings, fighting a stigma that I feel we are still trying to fight back against during one of the most important times in our history– and I try to honor those women every time I get behind the stick.
I am looking forward to meeting new people and seeking advice, encouragement, and sharing stories! Sounds like a great group.
Ratings: Student Pilot Certificate
Aircraft flown:
Piper J3 Cub, wheels/skis
Meyers OTW
Cessna 172
Cessna 180
Beechcraft Bonanza
Super Decathlon
Pitts S2C
T-6 Texan (paid ride, 20 mins PIC)
Cessna Grand Caravan (right seat)
de Havilland DHC-6 Twin Otter (right seat)
Dream taildragger: J3, 185 Turbo, Air Tractor, Pitts, Carbon Cub, how can you choose just 1?!
Thoughts on taildragging: My first flight was in a J3 Cub, on a grass strip, with the door down; I will never forget the way the grass smelled. We landed, then hopped into a Meyers OTW, an aerobatic-turned-trainer taildragger used during the war, alongside the Waco. We did a hammerhead, a Cuban, and a loop, and I was hooked. I have been and will forever be chasing the feeling of wonder and gritty inspiration that those two first planes made me feel. It connects me to history- to the Rosies and the WASPS of the past. Aviation for me is grabbing hold of the stick, looking up over the nose, and feeling the rush of all those who saw it all before me.
No Comments