Nov 2018 Laura Doornbos (Illinois)
Laura Doornbos is based at KBMI, Central Illinois Regional Airport, Bloomington, Illinois.
I flew in my first taildragger at 10 days old, thanks to my mom and dad who were both pilots and owned a Cessna 170 (straight model). As a kid our family trips and vacations revolved around where the 170 could get us (which was close to anywhere). It was a pretty awesome childhood. I have been around aviation my entire life. I soloed at 19, but life (college,marriage, and kids) sidetracked me for a few years. This past summer I FINALLY got back on track and got my Sport Pilot license in a our 46′ J-3 cub. I am finishing up the additional flying requirements for my private license that weren’t part of getting a sport pilot. My future goals include flying the Cessna 170 that has been in the family since 1983. Meanwhile, I enjoy flying the cub around, finding some grass strips and camping with our pilot friends. I hope along the way to create some more family trips and memories for my kids.
I was able to attend the luncheon at OSH this past year. It was great to meet fellow lady taildragger pilots 🙂
Ratings: Sport Pilot
Aircraft flown:
Cessna 150
Cessna 172
Cessna 170
Piper J-3 Cub
Dream Taildragger: Cessna 195 or a Beech Staggerwing
Thoughts on taildragging: Being raised around them, I wouldn’t prefer anything else. While learning to fly, I appreciated how much the tailwheel teaches you about flying but challenges you at the same time.
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