Features 2001

Sixty years ago, Marie was flying a Piper Cub

 ... her hobby was put on hold during the war 

by Marie Moreland

It has been suggested that we write a bit about our hobbies. I had numerous hobbies but the most important (to me) was Flying!

This first real hobby started when I was in the last year of high school. Looking ahead, I thought wouldn't it be nice to have a job at an airport and receive part of my salary in flying time. So I looked in the phone book and listed all the local airports on the east coast of Massachusetts. I decided on two - E. W. Wiggins at the Boston Airport and Bayside Flying School in Revere. I wrote letters and received answers from both.

My first choice was Revere as I could get there by the elevated train and by bus. (The elevated was not named MTA). Bayside offered me two days a week (Saturday and Sunday)for a few dollars and a half hour flying lesson. That was great! When I finished my last year of high, I worked five days a week for eight dollars a week with flying instructions. I never did check out Wiggins.

I flew a Piper Cub -- a lovely little yellow plane -- and as soon as I got solo time, I took off and flew over Melrose. Located the house my family lived in when I was about five years old. Melrose looked so pretty -- all green with little house tops and a couple of ponds. Later I got my private license and was able to take someone with me. My mother would never let me take my sister up in case the plane went down. Cheerful thought! She didn't want to lose both of us at the same time. (We didn't wear parachutes for local flying.)

World War II came and we had to move inland fifty miles and as a civilian, I could not fly. But I kept my license. My wonderful hobby was put on hold while I worked in the office keeping records of the students that were in training for the Navy and Army.

August 3, 2001


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