Well, my girlfriend jumps out of perfectly working airplanes with some string and cloth in her backpack for fun.... so anything starting at that point works for me.

 

Man, for a minute there I thought you said she's just jumps out of perfectly good airplanes in a thong!

 

Scaring the hell out of my brother??????? Me????? We'll see.

I used to own a hang glider, scuba gear and dirt bikes. Just two modified Harleys and the GTC.

 

Hey, so have I. Except for the alligator boots, we could be twins!

 

I used to fly a little for fun - gliders mainly, but did my licence hours in choppers and fixed wing. Rode motorbikes for the best part of 20 years, but nothing exciting like racing or such except the time I took my BMW Paris-Dakar in a solo trip across Australia via the Nullarbor.

A while back I did a list of some interesting experiences (interesting to me) I have done. While they're not in the realm of hobbies as such, maybe it might spur a few memories for others here.

Here's the list FWIW:

Black water rafting.
Raced a stock car.
Trained as a scuba diver, certified.
Played and sung in rock bands for 15 years (bass guitar), and backed our country's top vocalists.
Played and mastered 6 and 12-string guitar, mandolin, banjo, electric bass, mouth organ.
Owned a hang glider.
Qualified as a helicopter pilot.
Became a glider pilot.
Flew as a private pilot.
Flew a Skyhawk fighter jet (briefly) as well as being passenger in several other jet flights.
Attended a funeral flypast in the last one of 13 helicopters.
Met the Duke of Edinburgh and took his official photo.
Ridden in a military tank.
Visited Antarctica.
Visited the Azores.
Nearly crashed in a Harvard aircraft.
Wrote 3 best-selling books.
Watched a firewalking ceremony in Fiji.
Flew in a hot air balloon.
Taught a photography class for 1 year.
Rode an elephant.
At 19 was the youngest retail manager of a chain.
Rode motorcycles for 20 years.
Visited founder Ron Hubbard's mansion at the Scientology HQ in England (no, I haven't joined!)
Owned and published 2 community newspapers over 14 years.
Whale watched.
Flew over an active volcano at White Island in a Strikemaster military jet.
Climbed Mt Cook during a blizzard.
Visited 'edge of space,' saw earth's curvature in a Skyhawk military jet at 48,000ft.
Motorcycled across Australia's Nullabor Plains.
Flew in an open ****pit Tiger Moth.
Flew in a Sunderland flying boat.
Flew in a gyroglider.
Flew in a DC3 topdresser.
Almost crashed in a Robinson helicopter.


A lot of this stuff was done many years ago, but the memories it brings back today are delightful. Thanks for letting me remember them.

 

Ok Ken, you are seriously an adrenalin junkie! I used to be in the aircraft business long ago in another galaxy. My friend builds and modifies race crafts. Check this kid out. Areochia.com. The pilot that won 4 national championships for his company was an ex SR-71 pilot. Imagine, how cool is that?

 

nephews! what are they good for besides trying to destroy my toys when they are old enough!

 

I was a photographer in our country's air force for 8 years - so some of the experiences were job related... ie, 'forced' on me rather than having a choice. I certainly didn't WANT to crash in a Harvard!

Nice bikes! (drool)

 

S...u...r...e..... and you guys want me to post pics of that

 

Ken we must not be twins. If we are then you have left me at the house under mommy's skirts while you were out have the grand time.

I figured you guys have had (and still do have) colorful lives. A man who buys a Bentley GT is not average sot.

 

Thanks, Doc, but I'm sure some of those events are commonplace for many people. Anyone can climb into a MIG or a tank these days. But I did them mainly for free. Even my chopper training was heavily subsidized... after each flight my instructor and I would fly over the 'burbs and I would take aerial shots of a dozen houses. I sold those through a community newspaper I owned at the time (free ad!) and easily made back the hourly charge.

My experiences sound exotic, ie youngest retail manager. But the only great part about that low-paid, Head Office controlled position was that I could afford my second ever car, an Austin Healy 100/4. Got all of 6 month's use from it before the gearbox blew up, had to sell it at a huge loss to pay back the financiers.

All that glistens is not gold! But some experiences I will cherish forever.

And hey, 'snake in a car' is not to be sneezed at