Author Archive for: roberttrumpolt

Bob took his first airplane ride in 1947, and the flying bug bit hard. He started as a CAP cadet, did a two-year stint as a line boy, then soloed a T-Craft at sixteen. In 1952, at age seventeen, he bought a 1936 Piper J-2 Taylor Cub, 40hp, single ignition, no brakes. His commercial flying career began in 1956, flying 493 hours in six months in a Tri-Pacer, over a nasty New England winter. Seven years as an ATC tower operator, charter pilot, and flight instructor led to a 27-year TWA career, starting as a Connie F/E, later F/O, and Captain on the Boeing 707, ending as a Lockheed L-1011 International Captain. His last landing was in another 1936 J-2 Taylor Cub (this one had brakes).