Your first driving experience

[Neal]

Maybe Tockwith Termie, I took my own daughter there a few years ago, you now have to pay, but it was well worth it to get her up and running as it were.
She is now just about to take her 3rd test Costs a bloody fortune with the instructors car nearly £100 a go . Still when she passes that could save a few taxi fares

[termietermite]

Maybe Tockwith Termie, I took my own daughter there a few years ago, you now have to pay, but it was well worth it to get her up and running as it were.
She is now just about to take her 3rd test Costs a bloody fortune with the instructors car nearly £100 a go . Still when she passes that could save a few taxi fares

It could have been one of a number of places - I've been looking at this fascinating site
http://airfieldarchaeology.fotopic.net/
and have a couple of thoughts although the least-photographable (Sherburn) is the most likely, given where it was.  As my old Dad had been in the RAF during the war, it was certainly a place he had known, rather than somewhere which was officially open to the public - as I do remember we just used to sneak in through some ancient ill-maintained gate to get there, and we invariably had the place to ourselves.  Lovely times.

[Neal]

There is now a flying club there on part of the old site. the other parts were converted into an industrial estate, originally the old hangers were used as factories. My dad used to work there, I remember that one of the units bought old buses, refurbished them and then sold them on mainly to India.

[mgmark]

Another lovely thread!  First time in control of something with 4 wheels was the traditional DIY-built wooden go-kart, built from spare wood in the shed and proper old pram wheels.  Launching from the top of the hill at home was swiftly followed by the brake snapping and a high-speed entry into the garage block at the bottom of the hill....The Mk2 had better brakes.....

First time in control of something with an internal combustion engine was aged about 11, learning to drive and then driving the tractor at the Gliding Club, to retrieve the tow line after each winch launch - was a great introduction to the whole thing, on something that was really difficult to break, and got me a couple of free flights every day I did it.  Thereafter, it was after I'd reached the grand age of 18, as Dad wouldn't let me near any of his cars!

MG Mark

[F-Troop Mom]

Does having a steering wheel on your carseat as a baby count?  I would turn like my Dad and it had a horn that beeped.  Alot like Pieter, my Dad took me to a large vacant parking lot and let me go.  I also recommend that method to first timers.

[Lazy B'stard]

Termie, Did you know that Sherburn was used as a motor racing circuit. I bought a book last year that claimed to cover every motor racing circuit in the land even if it was used only once- such as Catterick for example. It has no mention of Sherburn- but amongst my collection of crap as the wife calls it I have 2 programs from events that the B.R.S.C.C. ran in '57. There were 7 events per meet of 18 laps with Le Mans type start. Jerry Burgess set FTD in a Cooper Climax.   

[Leftie]

Probably around 3-4 years of age in the much revered Austin J-40.

I'd just like to point out that it was not new when I had it as a boy, but not far off....

Wish I still had it.

sh*t, this brings back memories.

Did your's have working headlights? mine didn't but the lad nextdoor had. And he had inflated tyres as well. But mine was quicker and used to drift around corners if you kept peddaling really hard and leaning into the bend.

sh*t, really great days of the 50's, where kids learnt not to fall out of trees by falling out of them!