This is a guest post from Jeffrey Popoviz, a 17 year-old aviation enthusiast from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He runs Vintage Air Ventures, which runs charter flights on classic planes. He offers GHW readers a $50 discount on the next flight in August so mention the site when you book!
Ever since my first flight in June of 2006, I was hooked on flying and all things that defy gravity and fly. During the past several years nearly all of my school projects have been related to aviation, and I have read just about every book the FAA has published. Presently, I am a senior in high school, and hope to become a professional pilot in the years to come. I am currently working at my local airport, washing and waxing airplanes.
Several months ago, I decided to start my own business. My love for flying knows no bounds, however, with only 0.6 hours in my logbook, financial constraints have limited my flight time. I was determined to begin flight lessons, and therefore decided to start a business to gain the financial capital needed to begin flying. After several evenings of arduous research, I decided to start an air tour business with a large focus on vintage aviation. As Mark Twain once said “The secret of success is to make your vocation your vacation.” I have always been fascinated with vintage and classic airliners; from the Ford Tri-Motor to the Vickers VC-10. The so-called “Golden Age” of flight has always intrigued me, so I decided that a business based on my greatest passion was an excellent fit. My business, Vintage Air Ventures, focuses on organizing group charters for aviation enthusiasts from around the globe. After several months of searching, I finally found the perfect classic, rare and vintage aircraft open for an enthusiast charter- the Convair 580.
The Convair Company manufactured nearly 1,100 aircraft in the CV-240 family between 1947 and 1956. Since then, nearly all passenger Convairs have been removed from scheduled service, and only a small amount remain in use today. I was ecstatic to find such a wonderful airplane, and immediately booked the charter. In my opinion, the Convair serves as the quintessential American-made aircraft, as it was originally intended to replace the Douglas DC-3. Convairs are seldom seen nowadays and their time left in service is definitely limited.
Vintage Air Venture’s enthusiast charter on the Convair 580 is going to be an amazing experience. The flight is scheduled for the 25th of August, and will last 2 hours. The flight will overfly some of Quebec’s most breath-taking settings, and will give fellow, like-minded, aviation enthusiasts from around the world an opportunity to fly on a truly vintage aircraft from the Golden Age of Aviation. Personally, the flight will allow me to finally, after nearly 10 years, begin flight lessons and take to the skies. Please visit my website (I made it myself with no prior website-building experience) at www.vintageairventures.com to learn more about the upcoming charter flight.