RE: What got you interested in airplanes in general?
When I was approximately 4 yrs old the man next door built model airplanes and was always in his garage soldering something up. When I was 5 my dad took me out to watch him fly one of his models. It was cub-yellow and I watched him flip, flip, flip, to no end. The field was at a local airstrip and my dad told me to stay put while he ran over to a nearby business to use the men's room. Since airplanes were flying in and out not to mention our neighbor finally got his model going I didn't react to a plane growing louder and louder until I could feel the air shake. It was my dad in an Aeronca waving me to come over. I was a little scared but I ran over and he got out and put me in the rear seat.
To this day I remember standing up and peering over his shoulder, him reaching back to assure me all was well. Wish I could remember all the details but I know I liked it. Must have talked about it enough that other friends of my folks would give me balsa/tissue model piper cubs with rubber band motors for my birthday or Christmas. Seems like all of those collapsed when I'd overwind them to make them fly faster-longer.
But those two things combined firmly affixed my interest in airplanes.
That was 50 years ago.
Hard for me to believe it,
Clay