As many of you know, I've been working on my pilot's license for some time now, a passion handed down to me by my dad who was a flight engineer for Pan Am. This Holiday Season has not been good for my siblings and I decided to take my money set aside for flying lessons to help them out because while my dad gave me a great passion for flying he also instilled in me a greater gift- compassion to help others in need. Anyone else paying it forward this season? Thanks for letting me share this.

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"It's normal for these things to empty your wallet and break your heart in the process."
2012 SLK 350
1987 420 SEL

I used money I was going to use to make my new Delorean engine run and bought presents for my family.

I took the money I had set aside for a Ferrari Testarossa and bought a Maserati for the wife.

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99 ML320
94 SL600
92 SL500
95 E320 Cabriolet
87 560SEC
86 300SDL Grease Car
80 380SLC Euro

13 Fiat Abarth
02 Maserati Spyder Cambiocorsa
00 BMW Z3
90 Rolls Royce Silver Spur
80 Ferrari 308 GTSI
88 Jaguar XJS12 H&E Edition
99 Land Rover Discovery

Only in small ways.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

When I was on a hiatus from lessons, in order to keep my skills up I used MS Flight Simulators 2000 and 2002 combined with the CH yoke and pedals. Simulator X is a huge memory hog plus $ for not much more benefit.

It really made a huge difference and for the small investment, saved a lot of money when it came time to actually fly again with an instructor.
One of my instructors turned me onto the combination.
Best investment!

There's also no brushing snow off the wings or getting out the heater.

What's the stat? Only 10% of those who start complete and get the Private?
Keep the skills sharp.

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85' 300D No inspection, No registration fees, Cheap insurance
"If my calculations are correct, when this baby hits 88 miles per hour, you're going to see some serious %$&^."

Mistress you are an uncommonly kind person.

I don’t know if it amounts to paying it foreword but I contribute to my community, both with $$ and with my time.

So thats how you stayed out of the dog house!

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

I'm putting in a new engine in my niece's Focus.

Thank you for sharing that with us, Sid.

Our world is in far greater need of more people like you, than it is in need of more pilots.

You’re doing a wonderful thing. As much as our lives here revolve around a passion for flight, we wouldn’t hesitate to say that you are “doing the right thing”.

Though we’ve only seen photos of him as an aspiring young aviator. It’s apparent from your words here, that your father was a great man throughout his entire life. His gifts to you are testament to this. Your compassion to help others in need is not only a greater gift than that of a passion for flight. It is perhaps the greatest gift of all.

Hats off. And, Gods blessings to you and him both.

Merry Christmas to you and yours.

John, DJ, Shelby and the entire TOS/Advanced-Aerobatics crew and family.

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1980 300D - Veggie Burner !

Every waitress I meet when I eat out at the local restaurants gets a 20 from me as a Christmas gift, until I hit 200 and run out of cash

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Strelnik
Invest in America: Buy a Congressman!

1950 170SD
1951 Citroen 11BN
1953 Citroen 11BNF limo
1953 220a project
1959 180D
1960 190D
1960 Borgward Isabella TS 2dr
1983 240D daily driver
1983 380SL
1990 350SDL daily driver alt
3 x Citroen DS21M, down from 5
3 x Citroen 2CV, down from 6

If you are going to go for Instrument don't even wast time get Elite. I found flight simulators to be of limited use for the Private and Commercial ratings. Generally they are useful for the navigation phase. When it comes to instrument training they will save you thousands.

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To see my 129 parts for sale visit:
http://stores.ebay.com/The-Mercedes-SL-Store
John Roncallo

Thats very nice of you. Those things need to be weighed up carefully. Interruptions to these kinds of activities can leave them on hold for ever. Its like the plane I started building 25 years ago. I new if I didn't get it done before going into collage It would never happen. Hence I didn't get it done and went to collage, got married ect ect ect.

Whatever you do, don't sell Jezebel.

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To see my 129 parts for sale visit:
http://stores.ebay.com/The-Mercedes-SL-Store
John Roncallo

Here's the next best thing to flying yourself.

http://laughingsquid.com/how-to-land-a-747-at-san-francisco-international-airport/

Kudos to you Mistress. You are a very generous soul and dug this for you,



“Christmas is forever, not for just one day,
for loving, sharing, giving, are not to put away
like bells and lights and tinsel, in some box upon a shelf.
The good you do for others is good you do yourself...”

Norman Wesley Brooks
"Let Every Day Be Christmas," 1976

Wishing you and all here at Shopforum

A VERY MERRY XMAS



.

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Deltacom ~ Absit Iniuria Verbis ~

We all could do a little bit more.

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You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows - Robert A. Zimmerman