In 1948, living in New Jersey, I wanted very much to get into flying. My inquiries led me to Secaucus (now a metropolis in its own right, 10 minutes from New York City), where I found the Dawn Patrol seaplane base located on the Hackensack River. The owner-operator was a veteran Navy pilot, who just a few years earlier had engaged in combat flying a torpedo bomber. His name was Cliff Umschied, and the fleet consisted of two Luscombes on floats. I was a kid and didn’t have much money at the time, but it was the beginning of a long and wonderful love affair with aviation. The lessons that my own flight training taught me stayed with me over the years until I eventually became an instructor and a designated pilot examiner.
Hawaii Lessons in an Ercoupe
Key Takeaways:
- The author chronicles his lifelong love affair with aviation, starting with early seaplane lessons in 1948 New Jersey and culminating in a career as a flight instructor and designated pilot examiner.
- His most formative flight training occurred in Hawaii during the 1950s, where he learned to fly in Aeronca Champs using light-gun signals and completed challenging cross-country flights over open water in Ercoupes.
- As a DPE, he experienced an applicant nearly enter a spin during a checkride due to insufficient stall training, underscoring the critical importance of mastering foundational maneuvers.
- The rigorous and memorable challenges of his early flight training in Hawaii profoundly shaped his skills and perspective throughout his long and distinguished aviation career.
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