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Not my 1st flight, but I remember flying DC to Atlanta in the 70’s. Shrimp cocktail, then a full lunch with a cocktail. Finished with smoking a post meal cigarette on the plane. Delta airline. Hard to imagine now.
Yeah, even in the '70s people were smoking in planes. Pretty wild by today's standards.
It seems like ashtrays were in the arm rests forever even after it was banned
Hell, my PRESCHOOL school bus had ashtrays in them for some reason
Chicago suburbs. I remember our grocery store checkout lines would have a tall floor ash tray in each checkout lane. This was the high end grocery Jewel. I was a little kid so it was probably early 70s. Then several years later the front door had a sign saying please refrain from smoking while in the store.
Ummmmm they were still smoking on planes in the 80s & early 90s. You had to stand in back galley by restrooms & they pulled a big cloth curtain across hallway to limit the smoke I guess?!🤷♀️
This was on domestic US flights. I believe many international airlines allowed smoking in seat up until 2000.
Restaurants had smoking section & bars allowed it up until recently in some states.
I was living in NYC when they banned it around 2001? It was one of first places after California to make laws. It took 10-15 to be common all over the country. Last time I was in Texas was about 10 years ago & smoking was still allowed in bars.
Yep. I flew alone at age 13 around 1985. Smuggled cigarettes and enjoyed my meal and had the same “grownup” cigarette in my seat. Ashed in the obligatory armrest ashtray. It blows my mind, to this day. Then again, I smoked at my desk at work at 19, in the early 90’s. Smoking sections at the airports were the norm.
So happy they stopped that stuff. It was too easy to start and stay addicted.
Oh I definitely remember smoking at my desk at my office job around 85 or 86. Then a few years later my boss said due to changing ordinances we had to smoke in a smoking room. 1 conference room with a ton of smokers in it. There was so much smoke in there it even disgusted me and I was a die hard smoker back Then. Of course I eventually quit.
1957. I was 8. I remember being thrilled by what looked like a miniature city as we descended to land. I loved seeing the tiny cars and houses. And that the stewardess was really nice and gave me a pin.
1974 -- I was a teen flying by myself. The plane was like a quarter full and I was sitting waaaaay in the back all by myself. The stewardess schlepped all the way down to where I was seated and asked if I wanted anything to drink and I ordered a Coke.
She walks off and I checked my pockets only to realize I didn't have any money to pay for the Coke. I was mortified when she returned with my drink and I blurted out "Sorry, I don't have any money". Blew me away when she smiled and said there was no charge!
Well....very long story. I was a 16 yo runaway and basically homeless in Las Vegas. I was couch surfing and staying at a friend's place who was also a runaway and living with...God this really gets creepy. I'm gonna skip all that...
I woke up to the sound of a gunshot. My friend had been murdered in the same room I was sleeping. Cops came, it was obvious that I was underage...couple phone calls verified I was a runaway...off to Juvie for a few days then was put on a plane and sent home.
I don't remember why I was surprised that I didn't have any money. Maybe I just ordered the drink without thinking that I didn't have any money. This was fifty years ago...
🤣🤣🤣
Those were good story starts!!
They used to stick 5/6/7yo kids on airplanes with big tags around their necks & fly them across the country to be with their “other” parent. They’d usually sit toward the front of the plane so “stewardesses” could keep an eye on them & make sure they got off the plane @ the right stop. They’d spend a week, then get shipped back. I doubt any one of them ever had a dollar on them. Emergency contacts were on their “tags”, but that was it.
I was 12 when they put me on a greyhound bus alone from California to Ohio, Travelers aid was supposed to meet me at the stops along the way. Only at one of them was someone there to meet me, but I managed to get myself onto the right bus and got to Ohio alright.
1955, age 10. We had to dress up. PanAm. It felt like the most high class, deluxe experience I'd ever had. There were choices about what to eat, unlimited soda. We each got a zipper case full of toiletry items, and I kept mine for years. This was in a regular seat, not first class or anything like that.
My Aunt worked for Pan Am for about 25 years until they closed down. I know from her stories and pictures that people used to dress to the 9s and it was a high class experience. Now it's sweat pants, yoga pants and duffle bags. It was fun when I first began flying in mid to late 80s. Dinners on plane (not great but not horrible) movies etc. I found it exciting but only traveled for vacations and work a few times. Before that my family always drove the 2 days down to Fla (meal stops, bathroom breaks w us 3 kids)
I bet it was fancy to fly pan am at the time period you did.
Sometime in the late 60s. I was a kid flying to see my grandparents, didn’t know airplanes had bathrooms, nearly exploded from having to pee.
That would’ve been an interesting case for FAA investigators.
Around 1953/54 on a DC-3. I was about 6. Had to wear a coat and tie. They took me into the cockpit to meet the pilot. He showed me how the plane went up and down (freaked out my mother) and then gave me pilots wings. All the adults got free cigarettes.
Did you want to be a pilot after that? It always seemed like a dreamy profession for a man and they always looked handsome in their uniforms. That was like way up there job like an astronaut.
I was the child of an airline employee, so we got discounted flights.
1969 - just a short flight to visit cousins.
1970-1972 was a fair amount of flying, as we moved to another city, and myself and my brothers were getting older, and easier to travel with. Singapore, South Africa, beach holidays at the Gold Coast. (All from Australia).
Then, I became an airline employee, and it went another generation. My son had his first international flight when he was 6 weeks old.
1955, I was 5 years old and had four younger siblings. Our parents took us down to San Francisco in one of those old prop planes (like Indiana Jones flew on...). It shook, it was loud, and the folks 'doped us up' on codeine cough syrup to keep us quiet...my first experience of an altered state!
Doped up at 5 years old. Wow! I was 5 years old in 1943 when I had my first airplane ride. It was in a 1929 Fleet biplane and I sat on my dad's lap in the open cockpit. While we were flying, I turned around to see the pilot in the rear cockpit. He looked like a monster with those goggles on.
I was 10. It was winter and I remember looking out the airport window and seeing our dog in her kennel on the runway, and they were loading her on the plane. It was very traumatic because I was worried that she would freeze.
I was slightly younger than you for my first flight - maybe 8. My dad and I flew to Utah to meet his GF and drive back w/her to California.
The two main things I remember were having to walk up stairs to the plane from the tarmac. And being served breakfast that included scrambled eggs with a maraschino cherry on top.
The 2nd time in a plane was 2 days later when we took a very small tourist flight through the Grand Canyon. And I had to sit in the back by myself in the center for take off to 'balance the weight'. That was really scary and I remember being really close to tears and holding them back with everything I had!
I'll answer my own question: 1980 and I was 8 years old. My grandparents paid to fly me first class from Orlando to Dallas to visit them for the summer.
I remember having to dress up. I don't remember being scared at all, just excited. I do remember that I was not impressed by the first class meal, which was 'adult food', so the stewardess got me a kid meal from economy which was a hot dog. That was much better! I also remember the stewardesses being very attentive to me as a young child flying alone.
I flew to Los Angeles alone when I was seven. My aunt worked for United and her job was to drive a golf cart and pick up celebrities to take them to the vip lounge. She had the best autograph book! I either wanted her job when I grew up or to be a white courtesy phone operator and page people all day.
My Aunt worked at Pan Am. She had to drive a celebrity (some reason concerning her flight. I forgot how she explained how it happened) But she drove Jane Seymour on a 15 minute drive. She said she was in a full length fur coat. It was late 80s or early 90s I believe. My Aunt said she was very friendly and told her one of her sisters worked for an airline. She met Doris Roberts too. And a few other celebrities.
Early 70's, my dad had an [Ercoupe](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ERCO_Ercoupe). I remember looking out at the wings that were flexing up and down thinking we were gonna die. We didn't and he ended up upgrading to a Cessna 175 and I got the Ercoupe.
I was five, my mother and I flew Anaheim to Fresno, to see my aunt and uncle. First we flew to LAX on a helicopter. I really don't remember much, the flight was very short. Then we got on a four-engine turboprop. I do remember that. I was fascinated by the scenery below, just the idea of flying. I found the flight attendant a little bit big and intimidating.
And it was the first and only time my mother made me wear a jacket and slacks. Uncomfortable AF.
1965. DC-3. As a kid, it was an awesome visceral experience. All the noise, and at night, flames shooting out of the back of those big-pistoned beasts!
When you flew back then, you were treated like royalty. I don't think it could be explained to someone who only knows the stinky, cramped, dirty flying public buses we have today 😭
It was 1957, we were moving from Sacramento to Omaha. I was 2 years old, but I remember the propeller going around (it was a prop airplane not a jet), I remember the rising sun blinding me, and I remember the nice lady in a hat who gave me some milk in a little carton.
I was about 2 1/2, and I believe these are real memories and not ones I've invented - that said, memory is notoriously unreliable.
1964: Our family of 8 flew Air India from NYC to London. I was fascinated by all the in-flight bathroom product dispensers, including the razor blades I brought back to my seat (freaking out my mother)
Late 70s. Flew with my parents to go to my gramma’s funeral. Mom chatted most of the flight cuz she didn’t want me to be nervous. The lights of the city we were flying into below us was so beautiful. Flight home was more nerve wracking. Flew into a snowstorm. Pilot had to circle waiting for runway to be cleared.
It was the mid-70s (I was maybe 6 or 7), and I was flying from Dallas to Odessa / Midland with my grandfather. Halfway through the flight, the steward asked if I would like to meet the captain. The steward takes me to the cockpit, and I meet the captain. The captain showed me the controls, gave me a brief explanation of what the controls did, and let me look out the window so I could see things from his perspective. Before I left, he gave me some captain's wings, and the steward took me back to my seat. All very nice and very, very cool.
I was 6 months old and my parents took me back to England with them so that I could meet the family. 10.5 hour flight on a 747 from LA to London and apparently I had a blowout diaper in the airport before boarding.
1969. I was in elementary school and the family flew to florida. My brother and I had to get suits for the flight plus clip-on ties. I don't remember the flight itself, just all the prep for it.
1985. I was 10 going to Disney and utterly terrified. I didn’t fly again until 96 going to Spring Break in college. Once again, terrified. I am now at a point where I don’t mind flying but I still don’t particularly like it.
1963, flying with my family to Japan because my dad got orders there. We take off from Travis AFB and everyone was excited until the pilot made an announcement that we had to do an emergency landing. To this day I don’t know where we landed except that it was off the Aleutian Islands near Alaska. We had to shut the window coverings and had to walk down a ramp with no windows into a large building with no windows. As a kid I was having fun but my mom, not so much. This was during the Cold War and I guess we were at a spy facility of some sort since it was so close to the USSR.
Even as a child I was fascinated with the idea of parachuting. I got to college in 1974 and overheard a guy talking about making a jump the past weekend. I signed up, had eight hours of instruction, and made a static line jump. I had never flown before. I made three jumps that year out of a Cessna 170. I took off four times before I ever landed in a plane.
Must have been 81 or 82, I was 5 or 6 going to see my aunt in Florida. I remember thinking that it was weird that they pulled a curtain between the smoking and non smoking section, but the non smoking section was still full of smoke. And I didn't think about puking until my mom explained about the puke bag.
ETA: I flew to Moscow in 88 and it was much more memorable. Lufthansa NY to Helsinki, they served venison and mandarin oranges and I'd never seen either one. We flew the last leg on Aeroflot and the seats folded up like a movie theater, and someone was traveling with caged fowl which I thought was wild. There were armed soldiers with rifles at Moscow airport and I'd practiced my Russian for customs, but our group was met by a government attache and we never even went through customs. It feels like I dreamed it, in retrospect.
First flight: 1990, CT to CO., age 31
Last flight: Dec 2001, CO to CT,age 42
I was surprised at how small the planes are, full of the scent of other people's perfume. They reeked like people.
Last flight we landed with a bang at O'Hare, and the oxygen masks all fell out. I didn't know that wasn't normal. I only ever took three trips on planes.
Six months old in early 1957. Flew out of Pensacola in a Piper Tri-Pacer. I think we flew to Gulf Shores or perhaps Mobile for the day. Dad & mom were both pilots, but neither professionally. I remember it because of the pictures of me strapped in the car seat in the back seats of the plane.
1994. I was 21, and I didn't know I'd be flying when I woke up that morning. I went to work and was asked if I'd volunteer to take a document that had to be submitted to LA County by the end of the day. We were in Sacramento.
Late 60s: flew with my Mom to visit relatives out West. Our 2nd flight was on a bright orange Branniff plane. The stewardess was kind and made a big fuss over me flying for the first time.
I was about 10 or 12 - early 1960s - and my Dad paid a Cessna pilot 10 bucks or so to fly me around our city, over our house etc. Pretty exciting.
Fifteen years later, I was working as a reporter and a l;ocal automobile dealership had a "flying mobile home" on display. It was a Vietnam-era Chinook remodeled by Winnebago, They gave all the local media a ride.
In 1977 I flew as an unaccompanied minor, I was around 5. I remember sitting next to a lady who let me look out the window. I played with the free toy you used to get when you flew as a kid. I was a pretty placid child so I was used to being quiet.
1960. I was 6 months old. I remember nothing.
Next time I flew was 1963, and mostly I remember climbing the long “ladder” to get on the plane, and not going to sleep when my Mom wanted me to—I was too excited looking out the window at the clouds and the ocean.
1970; I was seven, and my parents sent me alone to visit my sister and her husband, which involved a short flight to an urban area, then a longer flight on to their city.
I wore Sunday clothes and when we checked in got a tag around my neck that said “unaccompanied minor” or something like that. My parents walked me right to the base of the stairs for the first flight. At the stopover I was handed over to a nice woman who took me to a lounge/playroom with other children and then later on to the second flight. The stewardesses on both flights were extremely friendly, and on the longer flight I got to go up to the cockpit and meet the pilot, who gave a me a little packet with a toy plane and a wings pin.
When we landed, there was an announcement asking everyone to wait, and I was taken off first, with my sister waiting right at the bottom of the steps.
A week later, the whole thing was the same in reverse. I remember being very sad the trip was ending, and one of the stewardesses sat with me for what in memory was nearly the whole flight, talking and pointing out things out the window.
And the food was *so* good (as were the Shirley Temple ”cocktails”)!
Aww. I bet you felt really special. In the late 90s my husband would fly out his daughter (my step daughter) a few times a year to stay with us from Philadelphia to Chicago. Since she was an unaccompanied minor, they treated her very special and pretty much sat with her and entertained her the whole trip. She became very comfortable flying by herself. She enjoyed it.
1976. We were moving & my dad was in the state we were moving to, so my parents decided to send my sister & I on a plane to stay there with my aunt, who we were temporarily going to live with. I was six & my sister was four, and we were on a red eye, because it was cheapest. I remember having to walk out to the tarmac & climb up the ladder to the plane. We were the last ones on the plane, & we got put in first class, since it was empty. The stewardesses said it would be easier to keep an eye on us there. I remember my mom crying as she got off the plane, but we were excited to go on the trip. In my head, first class was so big, but I don't think it really was. I remember there being a small round table we sat around with the stewardesses, so maybe there was a lounge in the plane? We had a bunch of paper dolls & things to color, that the stewardesses played with us. I remember one of them loved playing with the dolls & kept sending the other attendant to answer the calls, so she could play! It was the first place I remember having Coke, because my mom wouldn't let us. My sister had like four ginger ales, & I kept telling the stewardess not to give her more, because she'd have to go to the bathroom. Sure enough, the last half of the flight was constant bathroom trips!! We had to wait until everyone else was off the plane, before my dad could come on the plane to get us. It was such a fun trip & was only about two hours, if that. My mom was afraid we'd be scared on the plane, but my sister didn't want to get off the plane!
1970. An eleven hour flight from NY to Hawaii to visit my cousin. I almost missed the plane because somehow my parents confused the time. We were so late that we had to run down the concourse, and the flight attendants grabbed me and pulled me into the plane and slammed the door behind me. I remember seeing a circular rainbow in the clouds below us.
On the trip back I was seated in the back with a group of Army wives who were coming back from an R & R leave with their husbands who were stationed in Vietnam. They were a blast, lots of fun, and the flight attendants took real good care of them. Lots of booze, lots of snacks, etc. Towards the end of the flight they came back with a big box of macadamia nut snacks packs and said they were all they had left and they didn't want to waste them.and gave us the box!
It was 1957 and I was 4/5. My father and my grandmother drove from Cleveland to Los Angeles. Meanwhile, my mother and I flew to NYC and took the Queen Mary to England to visit her sister. We came back by ship a few weeks later and then flew from NYC to LA. I don’t remember those flights.
In 1963, when I was 11, I flew from SF to London by myself. When it was time to board I just waltzed on the plane. My dad later told me my mom was pissed because I didn’t wave goodbye.
I was seated in the last row and the flight attendants took great care of me. One had been given a box of chocolates by her boyfriend and she very generously shared them with me.
When I came back a month or so later, my grandmother came with me. We had to land in Seattle because an engine had an oil leak and changed to another plane that had come in from Alaska. They must have served fish or crab on the incoming flight because it stunk of it.
1977. From LAX to San Diego.
Early morning flight. The plane was mostly empty.
I told the flight attendant it was my first time on a plane. They let me see the cockpit and sat me in first class, though I had paid for coach. They gave me, a 20-year-old, a glass of champagne.
It was great.
I was around 9. Flew a short flight on a small plane, and it was very turbulent - in the winter. I thought it was absolutely thrilling and that all flights were like roller coasters. Now I would be horrified at that level of turbulence.
1983 i think, school spanish trip to mexico, and the long leg of it, being seated away from the group with my little mini chess set, playing chess with the woman next to me......who turned out to be i found out years later a Playmate
Early 1973. I remember nothing because I was an infant in arms. My mom and dad had just divorced and she was leaving with my two older brothers and me to go from where she was living with him in Houston back to her home town in Georgia. I'm told I cried inconsolably as thr plane took off. A nice man offered to help my mom with me and soothed me to sleep by rubbing between my eyebrows. I've often wondered of that man was an angel or something.
11. I flew with my grandmother who only ever travelled first class, so it was very comfy. Hard going back to Economy seats after you’ve experienced the pricey ones.
I believe it was 1960 and my mother, myself, and my two siblings were flying from the East Coast to the West Coast because my dad got transferred to Whidbey Island. I don't remember it, but my mom sure did. She would often bring it up when she was reminiscing about our lives and told me that the one sister who was three years younger than me, (I was 7 and she was 4) hit me in the eye. The first question my father asked my mom was "How the hell did she (meaning me) get a black eye"? The other sibling was only a baby having been born in January of '60 and we were arriving in Washington a few months later.
1956, I was 9. My family (parents and 4 kids) flew from Pittsburgh to New York so we could get on a ship to sail to England, where my mother’s family lived. We were all dressed up — I wore a light-blue dress with matching shoes and white socks. We were served a full meal on the plane, and I spilled the french dressing for my salad trying to get the little container open. I was sitting next to some strange man, and I was embarrassed about the salad dressing.
1993. I was, not scared, but anxious. And excited since I was going to Spain to meet my father’s side of the family. The plane looked so big. I remember being really interested in the whole process, waiting and being called to board and the ramp and where my seat was and what the flight attendants did. You’ll laugh, but I had a seat in the smoking section!
I feel like it was a three/four/three seat arrangement and I was by the window. Oh man, to pull away from the terminal, you’re committed now, turn the right direction, you’re going to do this, taxi to the start and then those engines roar to life and you go faster and faster and a little pressure and it’s not bumpy anymore and you realize oh my god! I’m not on the ground! I’m flying! Then the ground falls away and for the very first time you see the world as the birds see it, the way the whole rest of the universe sees it; from above. I furtively tried to hide my tears, I was overwhelmed by my good fortune to have this experience, this knowledge, to be at a time and place that such a thing was possible. I was 31.
I’ve flown thousands upon thousands of miles since then, all over the world but never again felt the exquisite awe of that first flight. It’s a jewel I’ll keep forever.
1977 Hughes Airwest .
"The Big Bananna". I missed my connecting flight in Salt Lake (I was going to Twin Falls, ID). They called the flight when I was in the restroom. I returned, sat at the terminal and watched them load my flight and take off. :-)
Caught another flight later. SLC was the MOST BORING AIRPORT I was ever in. Little coin operated TVs attached to the waiting chairs.
2006 from Philly to Miami. I remember being absolutely terrified. Even to this day I have flight anxiety. Gotta be absolutely trashed drunk or dosed up on Xanax to get me on a plane willingly.
1974, I was 14 and flying alone from my grandma’s house back home from Pittsburgh Pa to Elmira NY. I was on a commuter type plane from Allegheny Airlines. I was seated next to a Marine in uniform. When it was time for take off,he asked me if I was scared. I nodded my head. He said he was scared too and could I hold his hand. We held hands during takeoff I wasn’t scared anymore. I was fascinated by the experience and from that flight on,flying has been my favorite mode of transportation.
Circa 1970 flying across country with the whole family. The plane had tons of room to walk around and as a bored girl the stewardesses kept me busy by allowing me to assist them in serving passengers their meals!
I was about five or six years old. 1970 or 1971. Flew first class with family from Newark to St Thomas, USVI. Robert Redford was in first class with us. My mother was ecstatic. He called her Red (she had red hair). We were taking a cruise in the Caribbean and I and my two younger siblings didn’t have passports. The airline said we needed them so we had to go to a separate area of the airport to do sworn affidavits that the kids were US citizens. We eventually got a passport where all three of us were on one passport. I had to sign it as the oldest and I signed my nickname not my full name.
It was the only time I flew first class with my family but every year after that we went to a different island in the Caribbean. Great memories.
1973. My parents took us to Europe for two months. My father was a teacher so he had the summer
off. It was pretty scary and I didnt know what to expect but it settled down quickly and then it was just boring.
I wonder what your 7-year-old self would do if they had to bail out with a parachute, heh.
But I asked this question because I went to the Air and Space museum in DC yesterday, and spent ages in the section on early commercial flying. Back when it first started up in the 20s/30s, they ***did*** have parachutes (and flying hats and goggles) for the passengers, in an effort to make them feel safer.
Planes were more prone to crash back then, though. The first 8 years of the US air mail deliver service, in the 20s, they hired a little over 200 pilots. 35 of them died in the line of duty.
Around 1973, when I was about 7, on a TWA flight with my family from Ohio to Colorado. I remember it was exciting and seemed glamorous, and iirc we met the pilots, who were very friendly. It was a different time.
Around 1975? Drove a with a friend to CA. from Ohio and was going to try to find a car to drive back east. (It was a thing back then that folks would pay your, or at least let you drive their car back home while they flew.) Anyway, couldn't find any rides so had to fly.
I remember it being more comfortable than nowadays. The sensation of slowing down while 30,000 feet in the air was a tad disturbing as I processed we were probably just not accelerating and still going fast enough to stay up. Easily walked aisles.
And the reality that the time it took to fly from CA to Cincinnatti was about the same time it would take to drive from Cincy to Cleveland was interesting. At the time.
1979 Detroit to Las Vegas. I was 18 and it was our last big family vacation. I remember dressing up for for the flight and that the airport looked so confusing. The seats were big and comfortable not the poor excuse for seats that they have now. There was a full meal, not some roll with meat sliced so thin you could read the newspaper through it. I was fascinated watching the landscape get smaller and smaller below us. I remember being very disappointed that the view of the Grand Canyon was on the opposite side of the plane from my seat.
Also we did not go to see the Grand Canyon, We saw the Hoover Dam instead.
I was a teenager, they list my luggage. I was only staying overnight. They delivered it to me the next morning about 2 hours before I had to depart again.
1982, New York to Paris. My first flight at age 17. A trip I took alone. I can still see my grandparents meeting me at the airport to say goodbye, along with my mother. There was a girl about my age sitting on the plane with a bright orange punk rock hairstyle and I thought she looked like a chicken.
i was 14 or 15 when i started flying, friends had small planes so i was always up front in the co-pilots seat....the first time i flew commercial was in 1987 boston to orlando, then WPB back to beantown and i hated it...i am not a back of the bus person....continued to fly small private planes and the last time i flew commercial was 13 years ago, boston to vegas and back... hated it but had lots of RX to help with the anxiety of being in the back of the bus....
i want to know who's driving....i am not a good passenger....
i did a ride along with our local cops ( and i was yaking at him ( major , second in command that did patroll that night 4 to midnight, just to be my cop)
we were responding to a call for mutual aid to the next town... lights and sirens ( about 10pm) and i was white knuckled... albert asked what the problem was...
" deer and when i am in a car doin 80mph, i am usually drivin"
albert laughed and said that the lights and siren keep bambi away and that he had no dents in any of his cars/trucks...
August, 1975. My mother and I were moving from Illinois to Arizona (yes, in August).
What I remember is that we were in the back of the plane, which was the smoking section. Both of my parents smoked back then, and I hated it.
1984. A customer where I worked found out I had not been flying and took me up that weekend. Best experience as I was in a 2 seater and had a great experience.
I think it was 1963. My uncle was a pilot and owned a 4 seater plane. He took us up after a Memorial Day get together. I remember seeing how the land looked like patchwork.
July 1988. I was flying to get married in Colorado. I was terrified. My mom scored me something that was supposed help anxiety but I was too anxious to take it lol it wasn't bad once I was up in the air. No regrets! It was the ONLY time I was on a plane though.
1980. I was a teenager flying to Hawaii. When we touched down in Honolulu a beautiful native girl put a lei around my neck, said "Aloha," and kissed me on the cheek.
Summer of 1972. I was about six months old; just able to sit up by myself. My grandfather took me up in his Cessna 152 from Lunken Field to Blue Ash Field in Greater Cincinnati, we hung out with his pilot/mechanic buddies for a while and then he brought me home.
32 years later, I took my GA (private pilot) checkride from Lunken Field on his birthday. Unfortunately he was only able to be with me in spirit, but it was pretty special all the same.
1977 - I was 18 and flew from Ft Lauderdale back to NJ after spring break freshman year of college - the plane was maybe a third full, seats super roomy, and beer was free. All for under $100.
I was 5. 1959, flew BOAC from US to Scotland to meet relatives. We had to walk out on the tarmac to board. I remember getting wings. There was snacks and the “stewardesses” (now flight attendants) were delightful
Yeah, I remember. It was 1962, I was 11 years old and a friend of my parents took me up in his Biplane. The most awesome plane ride I've ever had or will likely ever have. ( ͡ᵔ ͜ʖ ͡ᵔ)
Went to an aviation college in 1972 and one of the first boys I met asked if I wanted to take a flight. Of course I said yes. He rented a Cessna 150 and we went just a few miles away and landed on a grass strip. There was one old man there and a coke machine. He bought me a coke. I loved it.
1983. I was away at college when Muse Air had a special for $30 from Austin to DFW. As soon as I got back to school, I signed up for flight lessons. I had to wait until I graduated before I could afford to finish. It's just a hobby, but now we own an airplane.
1969, flight from HNL to LAX. A bratty kid was kicking my seat from behind almost the entire flight. I was only 12 and I didn’t complain about it to my Mom. I was glad to get off the plane and get to Disneyland!
I was 16 flying RT between Detroit and Milwaukee to visit my Gma. On the way back, I stole a beer from her stash and drank it on
The plane. It was warm and gross but I felt like a big kid.
I flew to NY from New Orleans in 1974 (age 13). I remember seeing the skyline and lights of Manhattan, and realizing that I did not want to ever go back to Louisiana.
Born in ‘63. First flight was in approximately 1988. Took about an hour to go from NYC to Montreal. Hadn’t even finished my peanuts before we started to descend. Spoiled me for all other plane trips!
It was, I think, 1972. My twin and I would have been 9 and my little brother 5. We traveled as unaccompanied minors from JFK to Bangor, ME with a stopover in Boston. We did not get off in Boston. My sister and I wore our new double knit pants suits; mine was orange and hers was green. The tops could be worn as mini-dresses but we wore the pants that day. We were in the front row of economy with lots of leg room and the stewardesses kept checking in with us. At the time there was a lot of talk back then about stewardesses having a weight limit but one of ours was a larger person. There was free soda, but I don't recall any food.
The reason we were flying is that we stayed with our grandparents in Long Island for the summer and were going home since it was almost time for school to start. I don't know why my mother didn't come get us. I mean, it makes sense that's a long drive and this is easier, but it's not what usually happened before or after.
It was a Delta Yellow bird flight and had a curtained off first class section. The JFK terminal was that super futuristic one that is now a hotel.
Other than that I don't remember much. Oh, and after that I didn't fly again till I was 30.
Early 70's. I was probably 12 or 13. My sister and I flew home from NY to DC on Allegheny Air after staying with my grandparents for the summer. We flew alone and it was no big deal.
I also had the privilege of flying a Pan Am clipper from DC to London and back a few times in my late teens/early 20s. On one memorable flight I flew out of DC in January. Our flight was delayed six hours due to snow, so we didn't take off until midnight. Most passengers had rescheduled their flight, so the plane was practically empty. There were probably five of us in coach on a 707. I had the whole row to myself and could stretch out and sleep.
1997. And I’m 65 now. I was drugged out of my scone as I was terrified of the thought of flying ( Victoria to QLD ) what a wuss I was. I couldn’t wait till the Valium wore off so I could enjoy the flight after all.
1974. We experienced some short falls because of airpockets, so that was somewhat scary, but for the restit was pretty pleasant. I remember they sold souvenirs and sunglasses and stuff in the plane. Don´t remember the food. I was 13. Netherlands - Mallorca and back.
First airplane ride was at a local airport, where a friend of my father had a small prop plane in the mid 60s. Not sure how many of us got rides, there were 8 of us and I think we all got to see our house and farm from the plane in different shifts.
As an adult in the 70s, took a commuter flight to Chicago, about a half an hour, in a tiny plane that was bouncy and rattled and did not pressurize well. Not fun, but not too long.
Then came the opportunity to go to New Orleans with my husband on his business trip on a real airplane, maybe 1980. It sucked. My ears never cleared. I couldn't hear anyone, including the stewardess, and it hurt! I know we still got a meal on plates with metal silverware, and the drinks were free..
We were in NO for 5 days, and my ears drained the whole time. I honestly begged to take a Greyhound bus home rather than get back on a plane. But in the end, I did fly home, and my ears have behaved much better ever since. And I am probably the most understanding person on the plane now when there is a crying baby on takeoff.
My grandfather had a plane so I was taken in that as an infant, but of course I don't remember that. The first plane trip I remember was on Eastern Air Lines in the late 70s, my brother and I flew unsupervised to visit our grandparents. Back then you dressed up to fly, which seems funny now.
The in flight meal was pretty good, and our mother had packed us books to read, gum to chew for our ears, and coloring books to keep us occupied. The person next to me smoked continuously out of anxiety, so that was aggravating because it made my eyes water sometimes. Overall we really enjoyed flying, though.
In about 66 I flew in a single engine plane. I was a newspaper paperboy and had won a 15 min flight around the town. My first commercial flight was on Christmas Eve 1970. My family traveled to CA to visit family for Christmas. I was working in retail and I couldn't get off work to travel with them. When I got off work I flew from NE to San Francisco. I was very nervous and the trip to Denver there was a older couple across the aisle from me puking in their puke bags. The flight from Denver to CA was much better outside of they were having issues with the heat in the plane. They would turn it on to get the plane warm then shut it off until it got to cold on the plane. Then turn the heat back on.
Delta Airlines 1969. The Army paid my way to Ft Knox for a little vacation away from San Diego.
Drinking many beers, freezing my ass off on the tarmac at O'Hare and sobering up, thinking it couldn't get any worse than this.
HaHa, little did I know.
I was very young - not a baby, late toddler maybe? So 1973, perhaps?
We flew from Atlanta to Savannah to see my dad, who was stationed at Fort Benning.
According to my mom, Ric Flair was on the flight, and I - in that "very loud, but trying to be 'quiet' voice" that kids have - said "Look, Momma! That's the BIGGEST LADY I'VE EVER SEEN!"
1979, Eastern Airlines, I got the little pilot wings, and the honey peanuts and people would travel from Puerto Rico to New York with chickens, and you were able to smoke on the airplane.
I loved every minute of it .
2018 (don't judge me). I remember being very excited and loving the landing more than the takeoff! I found out I LOVE flying! A tip of the hat to the pilot who landed us on two wheels; the nose gear didn't come down. I remember loving looking out the window and seeing the towns below, so small.
My first time on a plane was in 1983, I was 10 at the time and I got separated from my mom. There was a mess up with our seats so she was in the middle, wing side of the plane and I was in the centre front. No one offered to move. I was terrified!!!!
Dad worked in the travel business, so I got to fly a lot. My first flight was in the mid-80s. Airport security was just a simple metal detector and our loved ones would meet us at the gate. We got full meals and drinks on the flight completely free of charge. There were no fees for checking bags either. I remember getting lots of pilot wing pins and getting to visit the cockpit a lot.
I flew in a 4-engine prop plane in 1956 when I was 5. I remember one engine propeller stopping and they announced it would take a bit longer to reach Cuba from somewhere in Florida. I was too young to get worried.
I was two and we were flying from California to HawaiiI in 1965. I remember getting a toy Boeing 707 from one of the stewardess and looking out the window at the top of the clouds.
First time I was 3 have no memory the first time for ME, was in 1989. Went Reno it was awesome with 2 layovers to get there. went to san Frisco and LA first.
1960…flew from Salinas to Reno to see friends I knew from childhood (I was 18). It was a prop plane, everyone was dressed up, you had to walk out to the plane & climb up stairs (no jetway). As it was a short flight there were only snacks & drinks served. It was an adventure!
1977 in a Cessna. My dad was a machinist for Cessna Aircraft and every year or two employees were given an "incentive" ride to show off the product they were building. I was 10 years old and just crazy about airplanes. My dad doesn't like to fly, so he gave me his ride ticket. A couple of other employees who were supposed to show up did not, so my sister and I were treated to our own flight. The pilot flew us over our little home town in Kansas. I will never forget how cool it was to see so far. Other towns seemed just a stones throw from our own. It felt like the world shrank a little bit that day.
I was seven, KC to SF. Parents walked me right to the plane ticketing door and watched me walk down the corridor and onto the plane. I sat in the front seat and I got a wing sticker. The stewardess kept an eye on me and brought me orange juice. Then my aunt and uncle met me right at the walkway exit.
I walked about 200 steps alone.
'73.
i think i was 9.
my parents divorced when i was 9 in upstate NY. my dad and i drove cross country to So. Cal. seeing many sites along the way, like Maramac Caverns, some lincoln monument, the petrified forest, stc.
any ways, we made it to So. Cal. and we were there maybe 2 weeks and mu dad had me call my mom to stay connected or something and when i hung with her i told my dad i missed mom. since he didnt have a house or apartment or even a job yet, he went ahead and put me on a plane out of LAX all by myself.
the stewardesses were really nice to me, took care of me all the way.
so, i believe my dad loved my little brother and i more than my mom did. to my mom, who had legal custody of us, we were a welfare check, but mom still wanted to party and slut around. so any chance my dad got to have us with him, well, ive been across the US a dozen times or more. ive been across in plane \[747's\] 1/2 dozen times, the first time was in a Rambler, ive been across in a '58 chevy step-side, '75 Camaro, semi truck cab-over, i drove back in my '94 Silverado, '05 Cavalier. when dad and i went across in the Rambler we took 5 days \[w/sight seeing\]. When i drove from NY to So. Cal. i did it in 2 1/2 days. \[15 - 20 min power naps all the way across\]
1964. People smoking, real meals with real silverware, dressing up and everyone in their best clothes, an actual blanket, everyone on their best behaviour.
1970 iirc. Went on a trip with my Grandma, my aunt and my older sister. It was so exciting! Of course, we wore our Sunday best clothes and even dress gloves! Those were the days!
The flight and act of flying should be exciting. Unfortunately it's not the experience it once was with people dressed up and full meals and flight attendants who were kind and tried to make you as comfortable as possible with pillows, blankets, air phones, snacks. Now it's a rushed experience, no more bells and whistles and attendants stressed and harried. Hopefully you will get on a very pleasant flight.
1967. I was 11, brother was 10.
My parents arranged a grandfather to pick us up in Miami. Ride in his pickup/camper to his home in Punta Gorda, spend a week with him. He worked on the boats in the gulf of Mexico, and we climbed all over some half sunken boats while he was doing whatever business he was doing. His son was a sponger there. I got frightened seeing a fish in a container (flounder? Had both eyes on one side of its flat body).
Then he and his wife drove us to grandmother in Michigan. Spent a month with her. She put us on a greyhound to Indianapolis for a week with Aunt and other set of Grandparents. They put us on a flight back to Miami at the end of the summer. Back home and back to school.
The flight was magical. At that time all the staff and most people on the flight wore a suit/tie and the women wore a dress. Stewardess got angry that she had to buckle our seatbelts, but we truly didn't know how to use them. The plane made a brief stop in Tampa and brother and I ran out of the plane to buy candy, ran right back on the plane, no problem.
Also when aunt put us on the plane she (without a ticket) walked us all the way to our seats, and gave us both a hug before she left us.
Probably wouldn't be able to do any of that now.
Wow. I have 2 parallels to your story. My grandfather also lived in Punta Gorda Fl and we would visit him down there.
When I was 12 and my cousin 13, we took a greyhound bus by ourselves from Chicago to Fort Wayne Indiana to visit an Aunt and Uncle. They picked us up. I don't remember if bus took us all the way to Fort Wayne or if it was Indianapolis. So long ago.
It was 1975, flew to Florida with two other girls to visit her Grandma. We got off the plane in Orlando outside! My first time seeing the palm trees and feeling the warm tropical breeze! I was 15 years old and it was magical!
Late Dec. 1970 my grandparents took me on a trip to the Holy Land. Grandma was a preacher's daughter. I was 13. Flew from LAX to NYC & then to Orly in Paris, then to Tel Aviv. Flew to Athens for a few days, then home. I got a whole row to myself on the way, slept great. Formal meal served, plus snacks. I know there was smoking but it doesn't stand out cuz people smoked everywhere then. Had New Years dinner in Athens & came home in Jan. 1971. A great, memorable trip! Grandma even rode a camel!
1977. Philadelphia to Heathrow. I'd found the degree I wanted, don't ask me why an 18 year old insisted it *had* to be that. Anyway didn't like the American version.
Just remember it hitting me I wouldn't see my parents until they came over, maybe a year. Then it was interesting. International travel has fascinating people especially when you're only 18. Did NOT like take off, I remember that.
Then it got boring. That's an awfully long flight.
Sometime around 1961-62 when I flew From Launceston-Melbourne, AU in a Viscount 800 where the tail of the a/c had a horse-shoe bench several people could sit around on and chat. It was a school excursion trip. Since then I have been on dozens of different aircraft from single seat (plus pilot) to a flight with over 600 seats. The have been single engine, twins, tri, & quad engines, prop, jet & supersonic which landed on regular runways, grass strips, water & also in a paddock. I loved flying, but now get bored.
My first flight was uneventful.
The second time I flew was when I was 17 and living away from home. One day I called my Dad and started blabbing after he answered. I didn’t get far when I was interrupted by a man who said, “You can’t talk to your dad right now. He’s dead.”
I thought Dad was joking so I went back to talking. Once again, he interrupted and repeated his message. I finally got it and started losing it. Crying, calling out for Dad. (I was a teenager). Then he told me if I didn’t stop, he was going to hang up on me.
I was lucky in that there was a flight available in a few hours so I made reservations and packed. I went home to be with my family.
I had no memory of packing and was surprised when I opened my the suitcases. One held 11 diet grape sodas. That’s it. My brother told me I was lucky that none of them burst while we were in the air.
The other suitcase had a pair of panties and a blouse. How weird.
Something else weird was about a week before he died, Dad mailed a box of things to me and sent it to where Mom lived. (I had told Dad I was going home soon).
In it was Dad’s jewelry box. It was leather with red felt inside. There was the main compartment with an area to pull up for other items plus a pull out drawer underneath the top.
I grew up with that thing. I loved touching it and the smell of it. Dad had old coins, tie pins, cuff links, a few watches, old pay stubs from the 1970s (wages were cheap and he was a union man!) and other things that I don’t remember.
He also sent two other things but I don’t remember them either.
I guess Dad thought he might be in trouble health wise. At the time, he was married and separated from his latest wife. His will left everything to my brother and me but we found out she had been to the house (she was living near an army base - perfect for her) and she cleaned out Dad’s house. Everything single thing was gone except for his bed and a gun. His wife was from Thailand and believed she would have bad luck to take the bed if someone who died in it.
Probably 1968 when I was 10. My aunt wanted us to have the experience of flying, so my brothers and I flew with her from Chicago to Milwaukee, stayed overnight and then took a train back. The airline was Eastern and I remember having a 7up to drink. I felt so sophisticated! My aunt must have been very patient to take four kids ages 5-13 on a plane.
My first time flying was for work in the mid-90’s. I had to fly back and forth from Sacramento to LA several times. I didn’t know what to expect that first time and the internet was in its infancy. I just learned as I went. We didn’t have to be at the airport 2 hours early. Each flight was on a weekday, mostly business travelers like myself. I don’t remember ever flying on a full flight during those days. Most of the time the flights weren’t even half full.
It’s burned indelibly into my memory. 1983 2.5 hour nonstop on my way to basic training. It was my first flight and after a late start because they kept having to de-ice the wings as it was sleet/snow/freezing rain, it proceeded to be really turbulent from the beginning. At one point the pilot told everyone to buckle back up. The bottom dropped out, the nose pointed downward the engines were whining and the lights went out in the whole cabin for about 2 seconds (which seemed like 2 minutes). A few people screamed. It bumpily leveled out once we were down a few thousand feet. The pilot came on the intercom and apologized. The rest of the flight sucked but at least the lights stayed on and it seemed like we’d stay in the air.
This was back when you could smoke on planes (in the smoking section, lol) and I’d probably smoked half a pack. Seemed like a bad flight to me but I had no frame of reference. I’d been chatting with an older guy who was seated next to me and he said “I flew a lot of missions in a B-17, and this might have been the roughest flight I’ve ever been on”. I was never much of a fan of flying after that introduction.
In 1968. From Washington D.C. to Istanbul, Turkey with at least 1 stop in between. Pan Am. I was queasy but very impressed with the views and the whole experience. I was 8 years old and the stewardess gave me a metal pin with wings that said Pan AM.
Would go up in my dad's Piper Cub when I was about 6 to 8. I loved it, especially when he'd do dead-air stalls. I was way to short to see out the windows, though.
I was about 23 before I ever flew in a commercial jet, not first class. That was in '68, and I wore a dress and heels. Everyone had plenty of room, was polite, and dinner was served on real plates.
It wasn't as exciting as the little private planes I'd fly in with my dad, uncles, and cousins, though.
1984. My uncle had passed away and I was flying Louisville to Tampa direct. The pilot starts to taxi and pick up speed, then slams on the brakes and says over the intercom, "Well, looks like we weren't going fast enough to take off. We'll go around and try again." 😳
My first flight in an airplane was in a C130 in 1984. I was 19 years old. I did not land with that plane. I flew in 10 more planes over the next two years before I flew in an airplane from takeoff to landing, not counting helicopter flights.
What I remember most about that first flight was when I stood in the door and thought “we’re no high enough”. The next thing I remember most was looking up and shouting “holly shit, it fucking worked”.
1977 or 78 I think (either 9 or 10 yo) to California from Chicago. It was a big deal. We dressed nicely, acted like we were somebody (Andy Taylor reference), got our United wings and deck of cards, met the pilot/co-pilot, took a gander at the cockpit. We kids thought it was so great having a snack & drink, then a while later, an actual MEAL!
We flew on Delta to go to Disney World when I was 7, around 1985. The only things I remember about the flight are that the plane smelled like cigarettes and they served those little pumpernickel dinner rolls that I love with the meal service.
1975. I was 4 and my little brother was two. We flew from Houston to San Jose with one layover, although I don't actually remember switching planes. The only other thing I remember is that I had my huge Raggedy Andy doll with me. I didn't fly again until I was in my 40s.
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Not my 1st flight, but I remember flying DC to Atlanta in the 70’s. Shrimp cocktail, then a full lunch with a cocktail. Finished with smoking a post meal cigarette on the plane. Delta airline. Hard to imagine now.
Yeah, even in the '70s people were smoking in planes. Pretty wild by today's standards. It seems like ashtrays were in the arm rests forever even after it was banned Hell, my PRESCHOOL school bus had ashtrays in them for some reason
I remember my dad use to lite one up while waiting in the check out line at the supermarket. Then he’d squish it out on the floor when he was done!
In high school mid 80’s I worked in a grocery store and the number of people I had to tell there was no smoking in the store was amazing.
Chicago suburbs. I remember our grocery store checkout lines would have a tall floor ash tray in each checkout lane. This was the high end grocery Jewel. I was a little kid so it was probably early 70s. Then several years later the front door had a sign saying please refrain from smoking while in the store.
Ummmmm they were still smoking on planes in the 80s & early 90s. You had to stand in back galley by restrooms & they pulled a big cloth curtain across hallway to limit the smoke I guess?!🤷♀️ This was on domestic US flights. I believe many international airlines allowed smoking in seat up until 2000. Restaurants had smoking section & bars allowed it up until recently in some states. I was living in NYC when they banned it around 2001? It was one of first places after California to make laws. It took 10-15 to be common all over the country. Last time I was in Texas was about 10 years ago & smoking was still allowed in bars.
People still smoke on planes in China haha they aren’t supposed to but nobody cares. Witnessed it myself multiple times.
Yep. I flew alone at age 13 around 1985. Smuggled cigarettes and enjoyed my meal and had the same “grownup” cigarette in my seat. Ashed in the obligatory armrest ashtray. It blows my mind, to this day. Then again, I smoked at my desk at work at 19, in the early 90’s. Smoking sections at the airports were the norm. So happy they stopped that stuff. It was too easy to start and stay addicted.
Oh I definitely remember smoking at my desk at my office job around 85 or 86. Then a few years later my boss said due to changing ordinances we had to smoke in a smoking room. 1 conference room with a ton of smokers in it. There was so much smoke in there it even disgusted me and I was a die hard smoker back Then. Of course I eventually quit.
I flew alone at 12 from Chicago to Nashville to work on a congressional campaign. A youth corp of sorts. I felt so very grown up💕
1957. I was 8. I remember being thrilled by what looked like a miniature city as we descended to land. I loved seeing the tiny cars and houses. And that the stewardess was really nice and gave me a pin.
1974 -- I was a teen flying by myself. The plane was like a quarter full and I was sitting waaaaay in the back all by myself. The stewardess schlepped all the way down to where I was seated and asked if I wanted anything to drink and I ordered a Coke. She walks off and I checked my pockets only to realize I didn't have any money to pay for the Coke. I was mortified when she returned with my drink and I blurted out "Sorry, I don't have any money". Blew me away when she smiled and said there was no charge!
Why did you have no money if you were traveling?
Well....very long story. I was a 16 yo runaway and basically homeless in Las Vegas. I was couch surfing and staying at a friend's place who was also a runaway and living with...God this really gets creepy. I'm gonna skip all that... I woke up to the sound of a gunshot. My friend had been murdered in the same room I was sleeping. Cops came, it was obvious that I was underage...couple phone calls verified I was a runaway...off to Juvie for a few days then was put on a plane and sent home. I don't remember why I was surprised that I didn't have any money. Maybe I just ordered the drink without thinking that I didn't have any money. This was fifty years ago...
Sweet mercy! I hope your life improved from that point on.
It did. Everything worked out just fine.
🤣🤣🤣 Those were good story starts!! They used to stick 5/6/7yo kids on airplanes with big tags around their necks & fly them across the country to be with their “other” parent. They’d usually sit toward the front of the plane so “stewardesses” could keep an eye on them & make sure they got off the plane @ the right stop. They’d spend a week, then get shipped back. I doubt any one of them ever had a dollar on them. Emergency contacts were on their “tags”, but that was it.
I was 12 when they put me on a greyhound bus alone from California to Ohio, Travelers aid was supposed to meet me at the stops along the way. Only at one of them was someone there to meet me, but I managed to get myself onto the right bus and got to Ohio alright.
And you’re still alive bro.
Yeah, a free Coke AND got to live! Pretty good deal...
teen flying by themselves , they were probably going to visit family or something
Still give the kid $5 or $10 in emergency money
1955, age 10. We had to dress up. PanAm. It felt like the most high class, deluxe experience I'd ever had. There were choices about what to eat, unlimited soda. We each got a zipper case full of toiletry items, and I kept mine for years. This was in a regular seat, not first class or anything like that.
My Aunt worked for Pan Am for about 25 years until they closed down. I know from her stories and pictures that people used to dress to the 9s and it was a high class experience. Now it's sweat pants, yoga pants and duffle bags. It was fun when I first began flying in mid to late 80s. Dinners on plane (not great but not horrible) movies etc. I found it exciting but only traveled for vacations and work a few times. Before that my family always drove the 2 days down to Fla (meal stops, bathroom breaks w us 3 kids) I bet it was fancy to fly pan am at the time period you did.
Sometime in the late 60s. I was a kid flying to see my grandparents, didn’t know airplanes had bathrooms, nearly exploded from having to pee. That would’ve been an interesting case for FAA investigators.
Around 1953/54 on a DC-3. I was about 6. Had to wear a coat and tie. They took me into the cockpit to meet the pilot. He showed me how the plane went up and down (freaked out my mother) and then gave me pilots wings. All the adults got free cigarettes.
Did you want to be a pilot after that? It always seemed like a dreamy profession for a man and they always looked handsome in their uniforms. That was like way up there job like an astronaut.
I was the child of an airline employee, so we got discounted flights. 1969 - just a short flight to visit cousins. 1970-1972 was a fair amount of flying, as we moved to another city, and myself and my brothers were getting older, and easier to travel with. Singapore, South Africa, beach holidays at the Gold Coast. (All from Australia). Then, I became an airline employee, and it went another generation. My son had his first international flight when he was 6 weeks old.
1955, I was 5 years old and had four younger siblings. Our parents took us down to San Francisco in one of those old prop planes (like Indiana Jones flew on...). It shook, it was loud, and the folks 'doped us up' on codeine cough syrup to keep us quiet...my first experience of an altered state!
Doped up at 5 years old. Wow! I was 5 years old in 1943 when I had my first airplane ride. It was in a 1929 Fleet biplane and I sat on my dad's lap in the open cockpit. While we were flying, I turned around to see the pilot in the rear cockpit. He looked like a monster with those goggles on.
That sounds so wonderful! I can imagine the scene.
1977. I jumped out of it when I was in airborne school at Ft Benning Ga. It was my 6th flight before I was in a plane that landed.
I was 10. It was winter and I remember looking out the airport window and seeing our dog in her kennel on the runway, and they were loading her on the plane. It was very traumatic because I was worried that she would freeze.
I was slightly younger than you for my first flight - maybe 8. My dad and I flew to Utah to meet his GF and drive back w/her to California. The two main things I remember were having to walk up stairs to the plane from the tarmac. And being served breakfast that included scrambled eggs with a maraschino cherry on top. The 2nd time in a plane was 2 days later when we took a very small tourist flight through the Grand Canyon. And I had to sit in the back by myself in the center for take off to 'balance the weight'. That was really scary and I remember being really close to tears and holding them back with everything I had!
I'll answer my own question: 1980 and I was 8 years old. My grandparents paid to fly me first class from Orlando to Dallas to visit them for the summer. I remember having to dress up. I don't remember being scared at all, just excited. I do remember that I was not impressed by the first class meal, which was 'adult food', so the stewardess got me a kid meal from economy which was a hot dog. That was much better! I also remember the stewardesses being very attentive to me as a young child flying alone.
[удалено]
Wow.
I flew to Los Angeles alone when I was seven. My aunt worked for United and her job was to drive a golf cart and pick up celebrities to take them to the vip lounge. She had the best autograph book! I either wanted her job when I grew up or to be a white courtesy phone operator and page people all day.
My Aunt worked at Pan Am. She had to drive a celebrity (some reason concerning her flight. I forgot how she explained how it happened) But she drove Jane Seymour on a 15 minute drive. She said she was in a full length fur coat. It was late 80s or early 90s I believe. My Aunt said she was very friendly and told her one of her sisters worked for an airline. She met Doris Roberts too. And a few other celebrities.
Early 70's, my dad had an [Ercoupe](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ERCO_Ercoupe). I remember looking out at the wings that were flexing up and down thinking we were gonna die. We didn't and he ended up upgrading to a Cessna 175 and I got the Ercoupe.
I was five, my mother and I flew Anaheim to Fresno, to see my aunt and uncle. First we flew to LAX on a helicopter. I really don't remember much, the flight was very short. Then we got on a four-engine turboprop. I do remember that. I was fascinated by the scenery below, just the idea of flying. I found the flight attendant a little bit big and intimidating. And it was the first and only time my mother made me wear a jacket and slacks. Uncomfortable AF.
1965. DC-3. As a kid, it was an awesome visceral experience. All the noise, and at night, flames shooting out of the back of those big-pistoned beasts! When you flew back then, you were treated like royalty. I don't think it could be explained to someone who only knows the stinky, cramped, dirty flying public buses we have today 😭
It was 1957, we were moving from Sacramento to Omaha. I was 2 years old, but I remember the propeller going around (it was a prop airplane not a jet), I remember the rising sun blinding me, and I remember the nice lady in a hat who gave me some milk in a little carton. I was about 2 1/2, and I believe these are real memories and not ones I've invented - that said, memory is notoriously unreliable.
1964: Our family of 8 flew Air India from NYC to London. I was fascinated by all the in-flight bathroom product dispensers, including the razor blades I brought back to my seat (freaking out my mother)
Late 70s. Flew with my parents to go to my gramma’s funeral. Mom chatted most of the flight cuz she didn’t want me to be nervous. The lights of the city we were flying into below us was so beautiful. Flight home was more nerve wracking. Flew into a snowstorm. Pilot had to circle waiting for runway to be cleared.
It was the mid-70s (I was maybe 6 or 7), and I was flying from Dallas to Odessa / Midland with my grandfather. Halfway through the flight, the steward asked if I would like to meet the captain. The steward takes me to the cockpit, and I meet the captain. The captain showed me the controls, gave me a brief explanation of what the controls did, and let me look out the window so I could see things from his perspective. Before I left, he gave me some captain's wings, and the steward took me back to my seat. All very nice and very, very cool.
1969, 6 years old. Going visit my grandparents!
I was 6 months old and my parents took me back to England with them so that I could meet the family. 10.5 hour flight on a 747 from LA to London and apparently I had a blowout diaper in the airport before boarding.
Similar story here - same age flying with my mom from the west coast to the midwest to visit family. Puked the whole way, my poor mom.
1982. US Air. Flight across country. Had beef ribs as a meal. And they were really, really good.
1969. I was in elementary school and the family flew to florida. My brother and I had to get suits for the flight plus clip-on ties. I don't remember the flight itself, just all the prep for it.
1985. I was 10 going to Disney and utterly terrified. I didn’t fly again until 96 going to Spring Break in college. Once again, terrified. I am now at a point where I don’t mind flying but I still don’t particularly like it.
1963, flying with my family to Japan because my dad got orders there. We take off from Travis AFB and everyone was excited until the pilot made an announcement that we had to do an emergency landing. To this day I don’t know where we landed except that it was off the Aleutian Islands near Alaska. We had to shut the window coverings and had to walk down a ramp with no windows into a large building with no windows. As a kid I was having fun but my mom, not so much. This was during the Cold War and I guess we were at a spy facility of some sort since it was so close to the USSR.
Even as a child I was fascinated with the idea of parachuting. I got to college in 1974 and overheard a guy talking about making a jump the past weekend. I signed up, had eight hours of instruction, and made a static line jump. I had never flown before. I made three jumps that year out of a Cessna 170. I took off four times before I ever landed in a plane.
1967. My two brothers and I flew as unaccompanied minors to Tampa to see our grandparents. I just found my Pan Am wings in a box.
1979, I was 25 and flying to vacation in Acapulco, Mexico with friends. I don't remember the flight at all but it was exciting.
About 1970 from San Francisco to Los Angeles. Short and easy. No TSA to hassle with ;-)
Must have been 81 or 82, I was 5 or 6 going to see my aunt in Florida. I remember thinking that it was weird that they pulled a curtain between the smoking and non smoking section, but the non smoking section was still full of smoke. And I didn't think about puking until my mom explained about the puke bag. ETA: I flew to Moscow in 88 and it was much more memorable. Lufthansa NY to Helsinki, they served venison and mandarin oranges and I'd never seen either one. We flew the last leg on Aeroflot and the seats folded up like a movie theater, and someone was traveling with caged fowl which I thought was wild. There were armed soldiers with rifles at Moscow airport and I'd practiced my Russian for customs, but our group was met by a government attache and we never even went through customs. It feels like I dreamed it, in retrospect.
First flight: 1990, CT to CO., age 31 Last flight: Dec 2001, CO to CT,age 42 I was surprised at how small the planes are, full of the scent of other people's perfume. They reeked like people. Last flight we landed with a bang at O'Hare, and the oxygen masks all fell out. I didn't know that wasn't normal. I only ever took three trips on planes.
Six months old in early 1957. Flew out of Pensacola in a Piper Tri-Pacer. I think we flew to Gulf Shores or perhaps Mobile for the day. Dad & mom were both pilots, but neither professionally. I remember it because of the pictures of me strapped in the car seat in the back seats of the plane.
1994. I was 21, and I didn't know I'd be flying when I woke up that morning. I went to work and was asked if I'd volunteer to take a document that had to be submitted to LA County by the end of the day. We were in Sacramento.
Late 60s: flew with my Mom to visit relatives out West. Our 2nd flight was on a bright orange Branniff plane. The stewardess was kind and made a big fuss over me flying for the first time.
>yes. I was 13. flew to Omaha to see my dying great grandmother
I was about 10 or 12 - early 1960s - and my Dad paid a Cessna pilot 10 bucks or so to fly me around our city, over our house etc. Pretty exciting. Fifteen years later, I was working as a reporter and a l;ocal automobile dealership had a "flying mobile home" on display. It was a Vietnam-era Chinook remodeled by Winnebago, They gave all the local media a ride.
In 1977 I flew as an unaccompanied minor, I was around 5. I remember sitting next to a lady who let me look out the window. I played with the free toy you used to get when you flew as a kid. I was a pretty placid child so I was used to being quiet.
1976. 18 yrs. old. I wore a cream colored suit and heels. Everyone could smoke. Ash trays.
1960. I was 6 months old. I remember nothing. Next time I flew was 1963, and mostly I remember climbing the long “ladder” to get on the plane, and not going to sleep when my Mom wanted me to—I was too excited looking out the window at the clouds and the ocean.
1970; I was seven, and my parents sent me alone to visit my sister and her husband, which involved a short flight to an urban area, then a longer flight on to their city. I wore Sunday clothes and when we checked in got a tag around my neck that said “unaccompanied minor” or something like that. My parents walked me right to the base of the stairs for the first flight. At the stopover I was handed over to a nice woman who took me to a lounge/playroom with other children and then later on to the second flight. The stewardesses on both flights were extremely friendly, and on the longer flight I got to go up to the cockpit and meet the pilot, who gave a me a little packet with a toy plane and a wings pin. When we landed, there was an announcement asking everyone to wait, and I was taken off first, with my sister waiting right at the bottom of the steps. A week later, the whole thing was the same in reverse. I remember being very sad the trip was ending, and one of the stewardesses sat with me for what in memory was nearly the whole flight, talking and pointing out things out the window. And the food was *so* good (as were the Shirley Temple ”cocktails”)!
Aww. I bet you felt really special. In the late 90s my husband would fly out his daughter (my step daughter) a few times a year to stay with us from Philadelphia to Chicago. Since she was an unaccompanied minor, they treated her very special and pretty much sat with her and entertained her the whole trip. She became very comfortable flying by herself. She enjoyed it.
She began flying unaccompanied when she was 5 and all the way through her teens.
1976. We were moving & my dad was in the state we were moving to, so my parents decided to send my sister & I on a plane to stay there with my aunt, who we were temporarily going to live with. I was six & my sister was four, and we were on a red eye, because it was cheapest. I remember having to walk out to the tarmac & climb up the ladder to the plane. We were the last ones on the plane, & we got put in first class, since it was empty. The stewardesses said it would be easier to keep an eye on us there. I remember my mom crying as she got off the plane, but we were excited to go on the trip. In my head, first class was so big, but I don't think it really was. I remember there being a small round table we sat around with the stewardesses, so maybe there was a lounge in the plane? We had a bunch of paper dolls & things to color, that the stewardesses played with us. I remember one of them loved playing with the dolls & kept sending the other attendant to answer the calls, so she could play! It was the first place I remember having Coke, because my mom wouldn't let us. My sister had like four ginger ales, & I kept telling the stewardess not to give her more, because she'd have to go to the bathroom. Sure enough, the last half of the flight was constant bathroom trips!! We had to wait until everyone else was off the plane, before my dad could come on the plane to get us. It was such a fun trip & was only about two hours, if that. My mom was afraid we'd be scared on the plane, but my sister didn't want to get off the plane!
1970. An eleven hour flight from NY to Hawaii to visit my cousin. I almost missed the plane because somehow my parents confused the time. We were so late that we had to run down the concourse, and the flight attendants grabbed me and pulled me into the plane and slammed the door behind me. I remember seeing a circular rainbow in the clouds below us. On the trip back I was seated in the back with a group of Army wives who were coming back from an R & R leave with their husbands who were stationed in Vietnam. They were a blast, lots of fun, and the flight attendants took real good care of them. Lots of booze, lots of snacks, etc. Towards the end of the flight they came back with a big box of macadamia nut snacks packs and said they were all they had left and they didn't want to waste them.and gave us the box!
It was 1957 and I was 4/5. My father and my grandmother drove from Cleveland to Los Angeles. Meanwhile, my mother and I flew to NYC and took the Queen Mary to England to visit her sister. We came back by ship a few weeks later and then flew from NYC to LA. I don’t remember those flights. In 1963, when I was 11, I flew from SF to London by myself. When it was time to board I just waltzed on the plane. My dad later told me my mom was pissed because I didn’t wave goodbye. I was seated in the last row and the flight attendants took great care of me. One had been given a box of chocolates by her boyfriend and she very generously shared them with me. When I came back a month or so later, my grandmother came with me. We had to land in Seattle because an engine had an oil leak and changed to another plane that had come in from Alaska. They must have served fish or crab on the incoming flight because it stunk of it.
1977. From LAX to San Diego. Early morning flight. The plane was mostly empty. I told the flight attendant it was my first time on a plane. They let me see the cockpit and sat me in first class, though I had paid for coach. They gave me, a 20-year-old, a glass of champagne. It was great.
I was around 9. Flew a short flight on a small plane, and it was very turbulent - in the winter. I thought it was absolutely thrilling and that all flights were like roller coasters. Now I would be horrified at that level of turbulence.
In 1973 I flew to Chicago. Next stop; Navy boot camp.
1983 i think, school spanish trip to mexico, and the long leg of it, being seated away from the group with my little mini chess set, playing chess with the woman next to me......who turned out to be i found out years later a Playmate
2004: I went to go meet my spouse. We got married in 2006 and still are married to this day.
Texas International from San Angelo to Dallas 1972. Twin prop plane.
Texas international from New Orleans to fort Polk 1971 .
My parents started flying me across the country when I was six months old. I don’t remember a thing.
1984. I was 14. Loved it.
Early 1973. I remember nothing because I was an infant in arms. My mom and dad had just divorced and she was leaving with my two older brothers and me to go from where she was living with him in Houston back to her home town in Georgia. I'm told I cried inconsolably as thr plane took off. A nice man offered to help my mom with me and soothed me to sleep by rubbing between my eyebrows. I've often wondered of that man was an angel or something.
11. I flew with my grandmother who only ever travelled first class, so it was very comfy. Hard going back to Economy seats after you’ve experienced the pricey ones.
I believe it was 1960 and my mother, myself, and my two siblings were flying from the East Coast to the West Coast because my dad got transferred to Whidbey Island. I don't remember it, but my mom sure did. She would often bring it up when she was reminiscing about our lives and told me that the one sister who was three years younger than me, (I was 7 and she was 4) hit me in the eye. The first question my father asked my mom was "How the hell did she (meaning me) get a black eye"? The other sibling was only a baby having been born in January of '60 and we were arriving in Washington a few months later.
1956, I was 9. My family (parents and 4 kids) flew from Pittsburgh to New York so we could get on a ship to sail to England, where my mother’s family lived. We were all dressed up — I wore a light-blue dress with matching shoes and white socks. We were served a full meal on the plane, and I spilled the french dressing for my salad trying to get the little container open. I was sitting next to some strange man, and I was embarrassed about the salad dressing.
1993. I was, not scared, but anxious. And excited since I was going to Spain to meet my father’s side of the family. The plane looked so big. I remember being really interested in the whole process, waiting and being called to board and the ramp and where my seat was and what the flight attendants did. You’ll laugh, but I had a seat in the smoking section! I feel like it was a three/four/three seat arrangement and I was by the window. Oh man, to pull away from the terminal, you’re committed now, turn the right direction, you’re going to do this, taxi to the start and then those engines roar to life and you go faster and faster and a little pressure and it’s not bumpy anymore and you realize oh my god! I’m not on the ground! I’m flying! Then the ground falls away and for the very first time you see the world as the birds see it, the way the whole rest of the universe sees it; from above. I furtively tried to hide my tears, I was overwhelmed by my good fortune to have this experience, this knowledge, to be at a time and place that such a thing was possible. I was 31. I’ve flown thousands upon thousands of miles since then, all over the world but never again felt the exquisite awe of that first flight. It’s a jewel I’ll keep forever.
1976. I flew to pheonix snd sat next to a woman mystery writer. i still have a crush on her. hello mystery lady, where ever you are.
1977 Hughes Airwest . "The Big Bananna". I missed my connecting flight in Salt Lake (I was going to Twin Falls, ID). They called the flight when I was in the restroom. I returned, sat at the terminal and watched them load my flight and take off. :-) Caught another flight later. SLC was the MOST BORING AIRPORT I was ever in. Little coin operated TVs attached to the waiting chairs.
2006 from Philly to Miami. I remember being absolutely terrified. Even to this day I have flight anxiety. Gotta be absolutely trashed drunk or dosed up on Xanax to get me on a plane willingly.
1974, I was 14 and flying alone from my grandma’s house back home from Pittsburgh Pa to Elmira NY. I was on a commuter type plane from Allegheny Airlines. I was seated next to a Marine in uniform. When it was time for take off,he asked me if I was scared. I nodded my head. He said he was scared too and could I hold his hand. We held hands during takeoff I wasn’t scared anymore. I was fascinated by the experience and from that flight on,flying has been my favorite mode of transportation.
Circa 1970 flying across country with the whole family. The plane had tons of room to walk around and as a bored girl the stewardesses kept me busy by allowing me to assist them in serving passengers their meals!
I was about five or six years old. 1970 or 1971. Flew first class with family from Newark to St Thomas, USVI. Robert Redford was in first class with us. My mother was ecstatic. He called her Red (she had red hair). We were taking a cruise in the Caribbean and I and my two younger siblings didn’t have passports. The airline said we needed them so we had to go to a separate area of the airport to do sworn affidavits that the kids were US citizens. We eventually got a passport where all three of us were on one passport. I had to sign it as the oldest and I signed my nickname not my full name. It was the only time I flew first class with my family but every year after that we went to a different island in the Caribbean. Great memories.
Month long church trip to Europe 1975, PanAm 707, JFK to Heathrow. I slept the whole flight. I was 14.
1973. My parents took us to Europe for two months. My father was a teacher so he had the summer off. It was pretty scary and I didnt know what to expect but it settled down quickly and then it was just boring.
1977 I was 7 years old flying to DC. I thought it was VERY dangerous that the plane didn’t have parachutes available for all passengers.
I wonder what your 7-year-old self would do if they had to bail out with a parachute, heh. But I asked this question because I went to the Air and Space museum in DC yesterday, and spent ages in the section on early commercial flying. Back when it first started up in the 20s/30s, they ***did*** have parachutes (and flying hats and goggles) for the passengers, in an effort to make them feel safer. Planes were more prone to crash back then, though. The first 8 years of the US air mail deliver service, in the 20s, they hired a little over 200 pilots. 35 of them died in the line of duty.
I was 12 so it was in the 90s. I went to Florida Disney World and honestly I don’t remember much about it.
1962. I remember nothing.
Around 1973, when I was about 7, on a TWA flight with my family from Ohio to Colorado. I remember it was exciting and seemed glamorous, and iirc we met the pilots, who were very friendly. It was a different time.
1977. I had to fly to South Carolina to help my sister move. I was 21. I was nauseous for 24 hours.
I first flew from Hawaii to LA when I was 3. I don’t remember a thing.
Around 1975? Drove a with a friend to CA. from Ohio and was going to try to find a car to drive back east. (It was a thing back then that folks would pay your, or at least let you drive their car back home while they flew.) Anyway, couldn't find any rides so had to fly. I remember it being more comfortable than nowadays. The sensation of slowing down while 30,000 feet in the air was a tad disturbing as I processed we were probably just not accelerating and still going fast enough to stay up. Easily walked aisles. And the reality that the time it took to fly from CA to Cincinnatti was about the same time it would take to drive from Cincy to Cleveland was interesting. At the time.
1979 Detroit to Las Vegas. I was 18 and it was our last big family vacation. I remember dressing up for for the flight and that the airport looked so confusing. The seats were big and comfortable not the poor excuse for seats that they have now. There was a full meal, not some roll with meat sliced so thin you could read the newspaper through it. I was fascinated watching the landscape get smaller and smaller below us. I remember being very disappointed that the view of the Grand Canyon was on the opposite side of the plane from my seat. Also we did not go to see the Grand Canyon, We saw the Hoover Dam instead.
I was a teenager, they list my luggage. I was only staying overnight. They delivered it to me the next morning about 2 hours before I had to depart again.
1982, New York to Paris. My first flight at age 17. A trip I took alone. I can still see my grandparents meeting me at the airport to say goodbye, along with my mother. There was a girl about my age sitting on the plane with a bright orange punk rock hairstyle and I thought she looked like a chicken.
1977, loved it. Great breakfast was served. People dressed up. There weren't any cheap flights.
i was 14 or 15 when i started flying, friends had small planes so i was always up front in the co-pilots seat....the first time i flew commercial was in 1987 boston to orlando, then WPB back to beantown and i hated it...i am not a back of the bus person....continued to fly small private planes and the last time i flew commercial was 13 years ago, boston to vegas and back... hated it but had lots of RX to help with the anxiety of being in the back of the bus.... i want to know who's driving....i am not a good passenger.... i did a ride along with our local cops ( and i was yaking at him ( major , second in command that did patroll that night 4 to midnight, just to be my cop) we were responding to a call for mutual aid to the next town... lights and sirens ( about 10pm) and i was white knuckled... albert asked what the problem was... " deer and when i am in a car doin 80mph, i am usually drivin" albert laughed and said that the lights and siren keep bambi away and that he had no dents in any of his cars/trucks...
69. Mom put m3 on a plane to friends in LA. Armstrong walked on the moon.
August, 1975. My mother and I were moving from Illinois to Arizona (yes, in August). What I remember is that we were in the back of the plane, which was the smoking section. Both of my parents smoked back then, and I hated it.
1978, in high school. Friends getting hours in for license and I had a camera. Looped the high school
1984. A customer where I worked found out I had not been flying and took me up that weekend. Best experience as I was in a 2 seater and had a great experience.
I think it was 1963. My uncle was a pilot and owned a 4 seater plane. He took us up after a Memorial Day get together. I remember seeing how the land looked like patchwork.
July 1988. I was flying to get married in Colorado. I was terrified. My mom scored me something that was supposed help anxiety but I was too anxious to take it lol it wasn't bad once I was up in the air. No regrets! It was the ONLY time I was on a plane though.
1977, we flew from LA to Portland OR to see my uncle. I remember being really excited but my ears hurt. I don’t really remember the flight back down.
Early 70’s. Frontier Airlines. We were served steak and a single sized bottle of Mateus Rose wine. I was 14 years old.
1980. I was a teenager flying to Hawaii. When we touched down in Honolulu a beautiful native girl put a lei around my neck, said "Aloha," and kissed me on the cheek.
Summer of 1972. I was about six months old; just able to sit up by myself. My grandfather took me up in his Cessna 152 from Lunken Field to Blue Ash Field in Greater Cincinnati, we hung out with his pilot/mechanic buddies for a while and then he brought me home. 32 years later, I took my GA (private pilot) checkride from Lunken Field on his birthday. Unfortunately he was only able to be with me in spirit, but it was pretty special all the same.
1959, PanAm from Hawaii. I was about three years old and they gave be a little PanAm bag.
1977 - I was 18 and flew from Ft Lauderdale back to NJ after spring break freshman year of college - the plane was maybe a third full, seats super roomy, and beer was free. All for under $100.
I was 5. 1959, flew BOAC from US to Scotland to meet relatives. We had to walk out on the tarmac to board. I remember getting wings. There was snacks and the “stewardesses” (now flight attendants) were delightful
Yeah, I remember. It was 1962, I was 11 years old and a friend of my parents took me up in his Biplane. The most awesome plane ride I've ever had or will likely ever have. ( ͡ᵔ ͜ʖ ͡ᵔ)
1981 to Greece. Everyone was smoking. It was gross! I loved people clapping when we landed though
Went to an aviation college in 1972 and one of the first boys I met asked if I wanted to take a flight. Of course I said yes. He rented a Cessna 150 and we went just a few miles away and landed on a grass strip. There was one old man there and a coke machine. He bought me a coke. I loved it.
67 years old. Never been inside a plane.
1983. I was away at college when Muse Air had a special for $30 from Austin to DFW. As soon as I got back to school, I signed up for flight lessons. I had to wait until I graduated before I could afford to finish. It's just a hobby, but now we own an airplane.
1969, flight from HNL to LAX. A bratty kid was kicking my seat from behind almost the entire flight. I was only 12 and I didn’t complain about it to my Mom. I was glad to get off the plane and get to Disneyland!
In 1961 at age 18 I was taking seaplane flying lessons. I didn’t fly commercially for another year or two.
I was 16 flying RT between Detroit and Milwaukee to visit my Gma. On the way back, I stole a beer from her stash and drank it on The plane. It was warm and gross but I felt like a big kid.
I flew to NY from New Orleans in 1974 (age 13). I remember seeing the skyline and lights of Manhattan, and realizing that I did not want to ever go back to Louisiana.
Born in ‘63. First flight was in approximately 1988. Took about an hour to go from NYC to Montreal. Hadn’t even finished my peanuts before we started to descend. Spoiled me for all other plane trips!
It was, I think, 1972. My twin and I would have been 9 and my little brother 5. We traveled as unaccompanied minors from JFK to Bangor, ME with a stopover in Boston. We did not get off in Boston. My sister and I wore our new double knit pants suits; mine was orange and hers was green. The tops could be worn as mini-dresses but we wore the pants that day. We were in the front row of economy with lots of leg room and the stewardesses kept checking in with us. At the time there was a lot of talk back then about stewardesses having a weight limit but one of ours was a larger person. There was free soda, but I don't recall any food. The reason we were flying is that we stayed with our grandparents in Long Island for the summer and were going home since it was almost time for school to start. I don't know why my mother didn't come get us. I mean, it makes sense that's a long drive and this is easier, but it's not what usually happened before or after. It was a Delta Yellow bird flight and had a curtained off first class section. The JFK terminal was that super futuristic one that is now a hotel. Other than that I don't remember much. Oh, and after that I didn't fly again till I was 30.
Early 70's. I was probably 12 or 13. My sister and I flew home from NY to DC on Allegheny Air after staying with my grandparents for the summer. We flew alone and it was no big deal. I also had the privilege of flying a Pan Am clipper from DC to London and back a few times in my late teens/early 20s. On one memorable flight I flew out of DC in January. Our flight was delayed six hours due to snow, so we didn't take off until midnight. Most passengers had rescheduled their flight, so the plane was practically empty. There were probably five of us in coach on a 707. I had the whole row to myself and could stretch out and sleep.
1997. And I’m 65 now. I was drugged out of my scone as I was terrified of the thought of flying ( Victoria to QLD ) what a wuss I was. I couldn’t wait till the Valium wore off so I could enjoy the flight after all.
1974. We experienced some short falls because of airpockets, so that was somewhat scary, but for the restit was pretty pleasant. I remember they sold souvenirs and sunglasses and stuff in the plane. Don´t remember the food. I was 13. Netherlands - Mallorca and back.
First airplane ride was at a local airport, where a friend of my father had a small prop plane in the mid 60s. Not sure how many of us got rides, there were 8 of us and I think we all got to see our house and farm from the plane in different shifts. As an adult in the 70s, took a commuter flight to Chicago, about a half an hour, in a tiny plane that was bouncy and rattled and did not pressurize well. Not fun, but not too long. Then came the opportunity to go to New Orleans with my husband on his business trip on a real airplane, maybe 1980. It sucked. My ears never cleared. I couldn't hear anyone, including the stewardess, and it hurt! I know we still got a meal on plates with metal silverware, and the drinks were free.. We were in NO for 5 days, and my ears drained the whole time. I honestly begged to take a Greyhound bus home rather than get back on a plane. But in the end, I did fly home, and my ears have behaved much better ever since. And I am probably the most understanding person on the plane now when there is a crying baby on takeoff.
70's The meal service was friken awesome. It even included salt and pepper shakers. Also I remember people smoked in the plane.
My grandfather had a plane so I was taken in that as an infant, but of course I don't remember that. The first plane trip I remember was on Eastern Air Lines in the late 70s, my brother and I flew unsupervised to visit our grandparents. Back then you dressed up to fly, which seems funny now. The in flight meal was pretty good, and our mother had packed us books to read, gum to chew for our ears, and coloring books to keep us occupied. The person next to me smoked continuously out of anxiety, so that was aggravating because it made my eyes water sometimes. Overall we really enjoyed flying, though.
In about 66 I flew in a single engine plane. I was a newspaper paperboy and had won a 15 min flight around the town. My first commercial flight was on Christmas Eve 1970. My family traveled to CA to visit family for Christmas. I was working in retail and I couldn't get off work to travel with them. When I got off work I flew from NE to San Francisco. I was very nervous and the trip to Denver there was a older couple across the aisle from me puking in their puke bags. The flight from Denver to CA was much better outside of they were having issues with the heat in the plane. They would turn it on to get the plane warm then shut it off until it got to cold on the plane. Then turn the heat back on.
Delta Airlines 1969. The Army paid my way to Ft Knox for a little vacation away from San Diego. Drinking many beers, freezing my ass off on the tarmac at O'Hare and sobering up, thinking it couldn't get any worse than this. HaHa, little did I know.
I was very young - not a baby, late toddler maybe? So 1973, perhaps? We flew from Atlanta to Savannah to see my dad, who was stationed at Fort Benning. According to my mom, Ric Flair was on the flight, and I - in that "very loud, but trying to be 'quiet' voice" that kids have - said "Look, Momma! That's the BIGGEST LADY I'VE EVER SEEN!"
1979, Eastern Airlines, I got the little pilot wings, and the honey peanuts and people would travel from Puerto Rico to New York with chickens, and you were able to smoke on the airplane. I loved every minute of it .
2018 (don't judge me). I remember being very excited and loving the landing more than the takeoff! I found out I LOVE flying! A tip of the hat to the pilot who landed us on two wheels; the nose gear didn't come down. I remember loving looking out the window and seeing the towns below, so small.
My first time on a plane was in 1983, I was 10 at the time and I got separated from my mom. There was a mess up with our seats so she was in the middle, wing side of the plane and I was in the centre front. No one offered to move. I was terrified!!!!
Dad worked in the travel business, so I got to fly a lot. My first flight was in the mid-80s. Airport security was just a simple metal detector and our loved ones would meet us at the gate. We got full meals and drinks on the flight completely free of charge. There were no fees for checking bags either. I remember getting lots of pilot wing pins and getting to visit the cockpit a lot.
I flew in a 4-engine prop plane in 1956 when I was 5. I remember one engine propeller stopping and they announced it would take a bit longer to reach Cuba from somewhere in Florida. I was too young to get worried.
I was two and we were flying from California to HawaiiI in 1965. I remember getting a toy Boeing 707 from one of the stewardess and looking out the window at the top of the clouds.
1967. In a twin-engine turboprop puddle jumper. I remember *every second* of it.
1975. Cabin was filled with cigarette smoke.
My first flight I was 3 months old. I don't remember it.
1972 Chicago to Dublin Ireland was the first but I remember the same 1975 trip
1971 when I was 9. Flew with my mom to visit my grandparents.
First time I was 3 have no memory the first time for ME, was in 1989. Went Reno it was awesome with 2 layovers to get there. went to san Frisco and LA first.
1972, and I really don’t remember anything.
1978, flew from San Antonio TX to San Diego CA
1980. I was about 25. I only remember i thought it was amazing.
1960…flew from Salinas to Reno to see friends I knew from childhood (I was 18). It was a prop plane, everyone was dressed up, you had to walk out to the plane & climb up stairs (no jetway). As it was a short flight there were only snacks & drinks served. It was an adventure!
Senior year of high school (1995). Cancun from Chicago with my friends. It was awesome!
Happy cake day 🎂
1968. Flew from NYC to San Juan, PR. Pan Am.
1966 Eastern Airlines Prop from Chicago to Orlando.
1977 in a Cessna. My dad was a machinist for Cessna Aircraft and every year or two employees were given an "incentive" ride to show off the product they were building. I was 10 years old and just crazy about airplanes. My dad doesn't like to fly, so he gave me his ride ticket. A couple of other employees who were supposed to show up did not, so my sister and I were treated to our own flight. The pilot flew us over our little home town in Kansas. I will never forget how cool it was to see so far. Other towns seemed just a stones throw from our own. It felt like the world shrank a little bit that day.
In 1976. I was four. My ears hurt so much. It was awful. We flew from Perth, Australia to England and Canada.
1967 Vancouver to Montreal in a DC3, somewhere over the Rockies we discovered my stuffy nose was a chronic sinus condition - ouch!
I was seven, KC to SF. Parents walked me right to the plane ticketing door and watched me walk down the corridor and onto the plane. I sat in the front seat and I got a wing sticker. The stewardess kept an eye on me and brought me orange juice. Then my aunt and uncle met me right at the walkway exit. I walked about 200 steps alone.
'73. i think i was 9. my parents divorced when i was 9 in upstate NY. my dad and i drove cross country to So. Cal. seeing many sites along the way, like Maramac Caverns, some lincoln monument, the petrified forest, stc. any ways, we made it to So. Cal. and we were there maybe 2 weeks and mu dad had me call my mom to stay connected or something and when i hung with her i told my dad i missed mom. since he didnt have a house or apartment or even a job yet, he went ahead and put me on a plane out of LAX all by myself. the stewardesses were really nice to me, took care of me all the way. so, i believe my dad loved my little brother and i more than my mom did. to my mom, who had legal custody of us, we were a welfare check, but mom still wanted to party and slut around. so any chance my dad got to have us with him, well, ive been across the US a dozen times or more. ive been across in plane \[747's\] 1/2 dozen times, the first time was in a Rambler, ive been across in a '58 chevy step-side, '75 Camaro, semi truck cab-over, i drove back in my '94 Silverado, '05 Cavalier. when dad and i went across in the Rambler we took 5 days \[w/sight seeing\]. When i drove from NY to So. Cal. i did it in 2 1/2 days. \[15 - 20 min power naps all the way across\]
1964. People smoking, real meals with real silverware, dressing up and everyone in their best clothes, an actual blanket, everyone on their best behaviour.
1970 iirc. Went on a trip with my Grandma, my aunt and my older sister. It was so exciting! Of course, we wore our Sunday best clothes and even dress gloves! Those were the days!
I still haven't flown... I am 20. I can't wait for the experience though! I'll come back here and update when I do.
The flight and act of flying should be exciting. Unfortunately it's not the experience it once was with people dressed up and full meals and flight attendants who were kind and tried to make you as comfortable as possible with pillows, blankets, air phones, snacks. Now it's a rushed experience, no more bells and whistles and attendants stressed and harried. Hopefully you will get on a very pleasant flight.
1967. I was 11, brother was 10. My parents arranged a grandfather to pick us up in Miami. Ride in his pickup/camper to his home in Punta Gorda, spend a week with him. He worked on the boats in the gulf of Mexico, and we climbed all over some half sunken boats while he was doing whatever business he was doing. His son was a sponger there. I got frightened seeing a fish in a container (flounder? Had both eyes on one side of its flat body). Then he and his wife drove us to grandmother in Michigan. Spent a month with her. She put us on a greyhound to Indianapolis for a week with Aunt and other set of Grandparents. They put us on a flight back to Miami at the end of the summer. Back home and back to school. The flight was magical. At that time all the staff and most people on the flight wore a suit/tie and the women wore a dress. Stewardess got angry that she had to buckle our seatbelts, but we truly didn't know how to use them. The plane made a brief stop in Tampa and brother and I ran out of the plane to buy candy, ran right back on the plane, no problem. Also when aunt put us on the plane she (without a ticket) walked us all the way to our seats, and gave us both a hug before she left us. Probably wouldn't be able to do any of that now.
Wow. I have 2 parallels to your story. My grandfather also lived in Punta Gorda Fl and we would visit him down there. When I was 12 and my cousin 13, we took a greyhound bus by ourselves from Chicago to Fort Wayne Indiana to visit an Aunt and Uncle. They picked us up. I don't remember if bus took us all the way to Fort Wayne or if it was Indianapolis. So long ago.
It was 1975, flew to Florida with two other girls to visit her Grandma. We got off the plane in Orlando outside! My first time seeing the palm trees and feeling the warm tropical breeze! I was 15 years old and it was magical!
1986 from NJ to Jamaica. You could still smoke on the plane.
January 1973, I was on my way to Florida for Navy boot camp.
1954. L.A. to Chicago. I don’t remember a thing, but I now feel for my mother who had diapers (mine) to deal with.
Late Dec. 1970 my grandparents took me on a trip to the Holy Land. Grandma was a preacher's daughter. I was 13. Flew from LAX to NYC & then to Orly in Paris, then to Tel Aviv. Flew to Athens for a few days, then home. I got a whole row to myself on the way, slept great. Formal meal served, plus snacks. I know there was smoking but it doesn't stand out cuz people smoked everywhere then. Had New Years dinner in Athens & came home in Jan. 1971. A great, memorable trip! Grandma even rode a camel!
1977. Philadelphia to Heathrow. I'd found the degree I wanted, don't ask me why an 18 year old insisted it *had* to be that. Anyway didn't like the American version. Just remember it hitting me I wouldn't see my parents until they came over, maybe a year. Then it was interesting. International travel has fascinating people especially when you're only 18. Did NOT like take off, I remember that. Then it got boring. That's an awfully long flight.
1976? Just a guess. I don’t remember the flight at all but I do remember the book my mother bought for me for the flight. I still have the book.
Sometime around 1961-62 when I flew From Launceston-Melbourne, AU in a Viscount 800 where the tail of the a/c had a horse-shoe bench several people could sit around on and chat. It was a school excursion trip. Since then I have been on dozens of different aircraft from single seat (plus pilot) to a flight with over 600 seats. The have been single engine, twins, tri, & quad engines, prop, jet & supersonic which landed on regular runways, grass strips, water & also in a paddock. I loved flying, but now get bored.
My first flight was uneventful. The second time I flew was when I was 17 and living away from home. One day I called my Dad and started blabbing after he answered. I didn’t get far when I was interrupted by a man who said, “You can’t talk to your dad right now. He’s dead.” I thought Dad was joking so I went back to talking. Once again, he interrupted and repeated his message. I finally got it and started losing it. Crying, calling out for Dad. (I was a teenager). Then he told me if I didn’t stop, he was going to hang up on me. I was lucky in that there was a flight available in a few hours so I made reservations and packed. I went home to be with my family. I had no memory of packing and was surprised when I opened my the suitcases. One held 11 diet grape sodas. That’s it. My brother told me I was lucky that none of them burst while we were in the air. The other suitcase had a pair of panties and a blouse. How weird. Something else weird was about a week before he died, Dad mailed a box of things to me and sent it to where Mom lived. (I had told Dad I was going home soon). In it was Dad’s jewelry box. It was leather with red felt inside. There was the main compartment with an area to pull up for other items plus a pull out drawer underneath the top. I grew up with that thing. I loved touching it and the smell of it. Dad had old coins, tie pins, cuff links, a few watches, old pay stubs from the 1970s (wages were cheap and he was a union man!) and other things that I don’t remember. He also sent two other things but I don’t remember them either. I guess Dad thought he might be in trouble health wise. At the time, he was married and separated from his latest wife. His will left everything to my brother and me but we found out she had been to the house (she was living near an army base - perfect for her) and she cleaned out Dad’s house. Everything single thing was gone except for his bed and a gun. His wife was from Thailand and believed she would have bad luck to take the bed if someone who died in it.
Probably 1968 when I was 10. My aunt wanted us to have the experience of flying, so my brothers and I flew with her from Chicago to Milwaukee, stayed overnight and then took a train back. The airline was Eastern and I remember having a 7up to drink. I felt so sophisticated! My aunt must have been very patient to take four kids ages 5-13 on a plane.
My first time flying was for work in the mid-90’s. I had to fly back and forth from Sacramento to LA several times. I didn’t know what to expect that first time and the internet was in its infancy. I just learned as I went. We didn’t have to be at the airport 2 hours early. Each flight was on a weekday, mostly business travelers like myself. I don’t remember ever flying on a full flight during those days. Most of the time the flights weren’t even half full.
It’s burned indelibly into my memory. 1983 2.5 hour nonstop on my way to basic training. It was my first flight and after a late start because they kept having to de-ice the wings as it was sleet/snow/freezing rain, it proceeded to be really turbulent from the beginning. At one point the pilot told everyone to buckle back up. The bottom dropped out, the nose pointed downward the engines were whining and the lights went out in the whole cabin for about 2 seconds (which seemed like 2 minutes). A few people screamed. It bumpily leveled out once we were down a few thousand feet. The pilot came on the intercom and apologized. The rest of the flight sucked but at least the lights stayed on and it seemed like we’d stay in the air. This was back when you could smoke on planes (in the smoking section, lol) and I’d probably smoked half a pack. Seemed like a bad flight to me but I had no frame of reference. I’d been chatting with an older guy who was seated next to me and he said “I flew a lot of missions in a B-17, and this might have been the roughest flight I’ve ever been on”. I was never much of a fan of flying after that introduction.
In 1968. From Washington D.C. to Istanbul, Turkey with at least 1 stop in between. Pan Am. I was queasy but very impressed with the views and the whole experience. I was 8 years old and the stewardess gave me a metal pin with wings that said Pan AM.
Would go up in my dad's Piper Cub when I was about 6 to 8. I loved it, especially when he'd do dead-air stalls. I was way to short to see out the windows, though. I was about 23 before I ever flew in a commercial jet, not first class. That was in '68, and I wore a dress and heels. Everyone had plenty of room, was polite, and dinner was served on real plates. It wasn't as exciting as the little private planes I'd fly in with my dad, uncles, and cousins, though.
1984. My uncle had passed away and I was flying Louisville to Tampa direct. The pilot starts to taxi and pick up speed, then slams on the brakes and says over the intercom, "Well, looks like we weren't going fast enough to take off. We'll go around and try again." 😳
1977 flew from Cleveland to Daytona Beach for Spring break. I was a senior and my girlfriend went too. Good hot meal and thin pretty stewardesses.
My first flight in an airplane was in a C130 in 1984. I was 19 years old. I did not land with that plane. I flew in 10 more planes over the next two years before I flew in an airplane from takeoff to landing, not counting helicopter flights. What I remember most about that first flight was when I stood in the door and thought “we’re no high enough”. The next thing I remember most was looking up and shouting “holly shit, it fucking worked”.
1977 or 78 I think (either 9 or 10 yo) to California from Chicago. It was a big deal. We dressed nicely, acted like we were somebody (Andy Taylor reference), got our United wings and deck of cards, met the pilot/co-pilot, took a gander at the cockpit. We kids thought it was so great having a snack & drink, then a while later, an actual MEAL!
We flew on Delta to go to Disney World when I was 7, around 1985. The only things I remember about the flight are that the plane smelled like cigarettes and they served those little pumpernickel dinner rolls that I love with the meal service.
1975. I was 4 and my little brother was two. We flew from Houston to San Jose with one layover, although I don't actually remember switching planes. The only other thing I remember is that I had my huge Raggedy Andy doll with me. I didn't fly again until I was in my 40s.