Flying in the 60s: I was there. Memories prompted by "Pan Am".

[trof]

I originally posted this in the Lounge.
It was suggested that I post it in GD.
OK


I was a pilot for TWA, as many of you know.
I hired on in the fall of '68.
My first airplane (with TWA) was the Convair 880, a 4 engine jet similar to the venerable Boeing 707.
I later flew the 707, 727, Lockheed 1011, and finally the 747.

The food was generally good to great back then, even in coach.
They fed you all the time.
Free booze in first class and about a buck in coach, as I remember.
Maybe beer was half a buck.
And if there was any kind of a delay the captain would usually announce free drinks in coach.
They could do that back then.
Of course ALL the meals and snacks were free.

EVERY meal tray had a complimentary pack of 4 cigarettes.
Usually Winstons.
And a book of airline logo matches.
There were no non-smoking sections and it seemed almost every adult smoked.

Of course pillows and blankets were free and there were plenty, and of high quality.
TWA had Pendleton woolen blankets, down pillows, if you can believe it.

The FAA required that the cockpit door be locked only for take-off and landing.
The rest of the time the door was usually open and passengers were invited to visit the flight deck during flight.
I really got a kick out of that, all the 'oohs and ahs' and "Wow! How do you guys keep up with all these instruments?"


If someone was especially interested in aviation (or if it was an attractive woman ) we'd put them in the co-pilot's seat for a few minutes and let them 'fly'.
(The autopilot was usually on, but they'd have their hands on the yoke and think they were really flying the plane. "Hey, this isn't really that hard, is it?")

'Airport security' was normally limited to calling the local cops if there was some kind of disturbance (rare). No checkpoints, mangetometers, x-rays, etc.
God! How did we survive?
OK, I understand it's a very different world now.


We generally had good relationships with the cabin crews, ALL single females (by company policy) then.
And the flight deck was all male.
It ranged from just good natured friendship and back and forth jibes to sometimes a bit more,um, intense?
There was a fair amount of...ahem...'fraternization' and more than a few divorces as a result.
Many times, especially on international flights, the whole crew would gather in one hotel room (usually the captain's) for a 'debriefing'.
Beforehand, during the inbound flight, one of the stewardesses would come to the cockpit and ask what each of us drank.
They'd show up at the layover 'party' with barf bags full of miniatures from the galley.
FREE BOOZE! WOOHOO!

Afterwards we'd usually all go out to dinner at some quaint restaurant in Paris, or Rome, or London etc.

In most layover cities we'd establish an 'office', a local bar where we'd gather prior to dinner if no one had declared a debriefing room/post flight party. Many times, especially in European cities, we'd have 3 or 4 crews in town so we could all get together in one spot. We did like to hang out with our 'own'.

I remember the spot we picked in Paris even stayed open in August when many bistros and businesses closed for their summer vacation. That's also the place where I learned to cook pommes frites. After I'd complimented the proprietor on them, he took me back into the tiny kitchen and showed me the secret. Two fryers. One, at a bit lower temp, cooked them through. The other, at higher temp, crisped them off. Ambrosia.

Oh, the loo/restroom/pissoire was down a dark set of narrow spiral stairs, two brass footprints on either side of a hole in the floor with a grab-bar in front of you if you had to squat.
Not for the faint of heart, especially if you were in your cups.

OK, enough for now.
Like all geezers, I miss the old days.

p.s. Maybe tomorrow I'll tell you why I think it all changed.

[Blue_Tires]

1. Is the show kinda accurate? or is it just some Hollywood fantasyland unconcerned with details??

[trof]

5. Haven't seen it yet, but reviews mostly pan it.

One of the cabin attendants is CIA?
Well, I guess that was 'possible', but it's a stretch.
:shrug:

Maybe entertaining, but not like it really was.

[Xithras]

29. The CIA thing wasn't fictional.

There have already been a couple articles posted by news agencies since the episode aired that addressed this.

In a nutshell: Back then, there were no computerized records, passports could be faked easily, and airliners were a popular way to enter the country. The CIA placed agents on the airlines as a way to help identify spies and other foreign agents who might be entering the U.S. or travelling to other countries. They were trained to look for behaviors that suggested that passengers weren't quite being honest. Because they were trapped on the planes with the stewardesses for hours, there was time for each passenger to be checked out a bit. Two French honeymooners visiting New York may have seemed innocuous, but if the stewardess overheard them quietly chatting in Russian five hours into the flight, there's a pretty good indication that something else may be going on.

Here's a fact check, which briefly mentions the CIA thing: http://overheadbin.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/09/26/7969977-real-pan-am-flight-attendants-fact-check-pan-am

[Major Nikon]

54. Authentic or not, it seemed a bit much for the series premier

There was just too much going on and not enough time spent on character development. They tried to give you the life history of each one of the starts all in the first episode. I would have appreciated it if they would have spread that out over a few episodes and spent more time on one or two characters.

Overall it seemed not bad, though. I have the series set to record and I'll be watching more episodes. I just hope the writing improves a bit.

[Logical]

38. Many reviews have been good!

[Major Nikon]

53. The captain seems a bit young to be the captain of the fleet's flagship on it's maiden voyage

Mike Vogel is 32, and looks younger.

The sets do look pretty good, although I'm not entirely sure what the cockpit of a 707 would have looked like in the early 1960's, things do look pretty authentic to a layperson.

The relationship between the captain and the 1st officer seems a bit too familiar for the times. I've heard the atmosphere was much more militaristic, and the 1st officer listened to the captain as if it were the word of god.

[av8rdave]

69. I first made Captain just shyof my 40th birthday, so it's possible

Especially if the character was hired at a younger age (I was 29 when I got hired, thanks to years of military flying).

The cockpit atmosphere is usually up to the Captain, and can vary quite a bit.

Being out of country, I didn't get to see the show. I'm curious as well about how accurately things are portrayed.

[Major Nikon]

74. I can certailnly believe it

But I was referring to someone who is allowed to fly the flagship of the fleet on it's maiden voyage, which is what happened on the show. I would just imagine a gray-beard getting that honor, instead of someone newly minted as captain.

At least from my perspective there seems to be quite good attention to detail. I just had a few minor quibbles. In one scene a pilot and stewardess are at the aft door of what appears to be a DC-6 or 7 as the engines are running. The stewardess' blouse gets peppered with oil from the inboard engine. Lots of little things like that go on.

[av8rdave]

76. Sounds like typical aviation made for entertainment...

The story is more important than the details. I'm sure the creators of the show count on the fact that most viewers won't know or care about errors like that.

You're probably right about the age issue. However, at my airline we had an executive that came from the pilot ranks, who was younger (and less senior) than I. His position in management allowed him to check out on different airplanes when it suited him, and he was known for taking inaugural flights to new destinations from the pilots that originally bid them.

Thanks for the details on the program. Hoping I can find a friend that has it on TiVo.

[MindPilot]

77. If you are ever in Chicago...go to the museum of science & industry

They have a 707 you can go through. It is astonishing how wide the asile is and how uncramped and comfortable the cabin is.

[Major Nikon]

78. Funny you should mention that

I plan on being in Chicago over Columbus day weekend for a sightseeing trip. I've been through there a couple of times, but never stayed for long. A guy I work with who is from Chicago told me to make sure I go to that museum, so I had already planned on being there anyway!

I've been through the cabin of one or two 707s, but I just don't remember what they looked like exactly.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

138. That's a 727 so it's even smaller than the 707.

[trof]

103. Senior captains were mostly WWII vets when I hired on.

Mid-to-late 40s and early 50s.
Some were pretty crusty and dictatorial, but most were easy going.

[roguevalley]

37. I still have my pan am card some place. I loved it.

[Lucinda]

2. Sounds like a great time in your life.

:)

[HereSince1628]

3. Why does it seem descriptions of a toilet are part of travel stories?

Is this a universal human trait or is this just an American thing?

:rofl:

I mean we don't get similar descriptions of seats on the avtobus or of french barber's chairs, or a description of locks on an English jail door.

[aquart]

Because it is IMPORTANT!!!!!

My envy immediately switches off when I hear about the hole in the floor.

[CTyankee]

31. I encountered one of those in spring of 2008 when we were all sick from a virus.

It was in northern Italy, but we were in a rural area looking into a barn factory that aged and sold Parmesan cheese. You can imagine people with the intestinal discomfort that accompanies a stomach virus. The smell of the cheese in the barn was pretty awful. The bathroom, with the hole in the floor, was worse. I got thru that trip with a great deal of Loperamide Hydrochloride.

[aquart]

172. If I sin very much, that's where I'll be in Hell.

[HereSince1628]

125. I suppose it is REALLY important for some traveling

if you're traveling on days long trips into undeveloped caves, or other pristine environments where you need advance planning for some heavy duty bags for poo transport. And I suppose it's important if you're visiting Earth's moon and need maximum storage diapers.

And of course, tourist life could be risky if you don't recognize the 'facilities.' At an Irish castle for example, could you REALLY be certain just what it is those playful locals want to help you kiss?

Still, I wonder if the people from the rest of world goes back home after visiting Orlando FL and talk about the porcelain thrones and urinals with the same enthusiasm that Americans have for the topic.

[aquart]

173. "Poo transport"??? POO TRANSPORT!!!!!!!????

Dear, sweet Lord, I never imagined. People pooper scoopers?

[trof]

14. Not everyone got a haircut or rode the bus or went to jail.

At least not everyone on a flight crew.
But EVERYONE visited the pisser, and French ones were 'unique'.
I especially like the sidewalk ones.

[dana_b]

22. for women too?? n/t

[trof]

25. The brass footprints place was unisex. I wasn't gonna tell this, but...

OK, it was the only head in the joint.
Remember that steep, dark spiral staircase?

One evening a flight attendant on our crew got pretty looped.
We were sitting at the bar.
She looked at me and said "I gotta go potty."
"OK."
"I think I need some help."
"OK."

I preceded her down the stairs, holding and guiding her.
They really were treacherous, drink or sober.
We reached the door to the 'chamber'.

"I don't know if I can do this."
Oh boy...
"Do you want some help?"
"Yes, please."
Modesty prevents me from going into all the gory details, but I did assist her.
It may be the nicest, most selfless thing I ever did for anyone.
:-)

[dana_b]

27. "selfless"??

Haha - yeah, you're a saint.. ;) I think I remember a pilot or two offering to help me or my friends with stuff like that.

[trof]

104. Believe me, lust was the farthest thing from my mind.

It was embarrassing for both of us.
I was just glad she didn't barf.
She sheepishly apologized the next day.
She was young and it was her first international trip and I guess she overdid it.
Situations like that (too much to drink) were rare.

[dana_b]

156. I take it back then, sorry

I know that there are good men in this world, it's just nice to hear about it. :)

[trof]

166. No need to apologize.

During my early days at TWA I did have kind of an eye for the ladies.
:-)
But as I got older, I felt more fatherly.
Especially after the birth of my daughter.
During the event described, I thought "OK, wouldn't you want someone to look after YOUR daughter if she was in this kind of fix?"
I sure wasn't a saint, but I usually tried to do the right thing.
Mostly.
:shrug:

[dana_b]

167. good for you

and yes, I know what you mean. Now that I'm in my forties I definitely feel more "motherly".

[formercia]

41. The Germans have public toilets down to a science.

Spotless, with an attendant to make sure alles in ordnung. Be sure to tip the attendant on the way out. My first exposure was back in the '60s when a couple of German Air Force snuffies were giving me a tour of Hamburg. All for a couple of cartons of Ship's Store cigarettes. Didn't cost me a cent. They paid for the smokes.

[Major Nikon]

93. Pretty fucked up science if you ask me

First, if you don't know whether you're an H or a D, you can very quickly find yourself in a very embarrassing situation. Next, once you do figure out which door is the right one, you go inside a stall and sit. About the time you're pinching one off in the pool, you realize there is no pool, but only a shelf. Then you realize what a great job the pool did on keeping the smell down to a manageable level as you frantically grasp for the lever that's not there. It seems like no two German toilets have the same flush activator design, and you spend what seems like an eternity trying to figure out what you have to push, pull, twist, squeeze, kick, or yank to get the damn thing to flush as the guy in the stall next to you is yelling out what you can only imagine is a request for a courtesy flush. So then you're left to ponder if you're just going to leave your little present there for the next guy to deal with, or you're going to ask the attendant (who is probably a woman and doesn't speak English) how to make your sewer snake go bye-bye.

Yes, they are quite clean, but I can't say many other good things about them other than they are better than the French toilets. At the French toilet you learn that privy is the only place you're going to get privacy, because if you use the urinal you'll find yourself taking a whiz next to a girl washing her hands at the sink not a foot from you with nothing in between. If you do use the privy you'd better hope you don't have to take a Bush because there ain't no bowl, only a hole in the floor. You quickly find yourself pondering how you're going to squat and aim so that your turd lands in the hole and not in your pants. And take my word for it, this would be a pretty good trick even if you were sober. The only good thing I can say about the French toilets are that they are better than the Egyptian toilets. In the Egyptian toilets the fun really begins once you find out (too late) they don't stock them with shit paper and those brown stripes on the wall aren't part of the decoration. Then you're left with the interesting decision of either going native, or taking your skivvies off and wiping your ass with those.

And don't even get me started on toilets in the Far East.

[KittyWampus]

116. When I went to Germany & discovered toilets were different, it was puzzling that fact escaped

all the many conversations I'd had w/my German friends and family.

Information that we don't usually talk about that is actually kind of interesting to note, you know what I mean

[KoKo]

4. Thanks Trof...Great Read..Please do a Part II!

:yourock: Ah those good old days... Now it's like a disaster for passengers...and crude. Sometimes like being on the "new Greyhound Bus." :scared:

[RaleighNCDUer]

6. Great narrative -

please, do continue.

[MissDeeds]

131. +1 n/t

[ceile]

7. Great read.

Yes, please tell us more tomorrow!

[Liberal_in_LA]

8. good post. My memories from early 70s to 80s. Anyone could walk on the plane. everyone smoking

Friends or families would walk on the plane with the passenger, sit and chat. Stewardesses (as they were called then) would announce the destination of the flight so you knew you were on the right one. Not much checking of tickets and ID and such.

Massive amounts of smoking the whole flight.

[Howler]

9. I read this yesterday in the lounge.

It made me smile with the memories it brought up.
Glad you brought it out for GD Trof. ;)

[Brigid]

10. All right! Now I can rec this thread!

It is a great read. Yes, please tell us more. :)

[Liberal_in_LA]

11. it's a shame we can't rec lounge posts.

:-)

[awoke_in_2003]

137. is it really...

:)

[DesertFlower]

12. the first time i was ever on a plane

was 3/69. it was a flight from new york's kennedy airport to puerto rico. i was amazed looking down at the clouds.

flying was a pleasant experience back then.

[tanyev]

13. Flew for the first time in 1984.

It makes me envious when I see movies from the 50's or 60's with a flying scene where everyone gets dressed up to fly on the plane and passengers are treated so well.

Not that I want to bring back the idea that you need to dress up--that's really impractical. But I sure wish we could go back to airlines treating us like valued customers instead of barely tolerated annoyances. :(

[Brigid]

23. But let's look at the other side too.

People in this country simply do not know how to behave in public anymore. I do not know exactly when we lost that ability, but we have. We've all heard stories of the boorish behavior by passengers on airplanes, which flight attendants have to deal with. It works both ways. Courtesy really is contagious, as our mothers used to say. Why is it that so many people today behave as though they are auditioning for a spot on "Bridezillas?"

[Raine]

32. Incivility seems to be the "norm" now and when

you look at politicians like Christie (a rude obnoxious bully) you know who is setting the examples. It's a real shame. :-(

[bbinacan]

36. And Trumka does the same

It IS a two way street.

[Raine]

98. Yes, it certainly is from both sides. Christie just came to my mind first because

lately they have been showing clip after clip of his bullying rudeness to others but it's not limited to one side. x(

[Odin2005]

45. I think I am one of the few 20-somethings that knows how to be polite.

Old folks are always shocked when I open the door for them. :-)

[Brigid]

47. And you stay off our lawns too, right?

:rofl:

[Odin2005]

61. You bet, LOL!

:rofl:

[Major Nikon]

86. They don't fuck around these days

If you're an asshole on a plane, chances are you'll be doing the frog march just as soon as you deplane. And that's if you're lucky. If you're not lucky, they will zip tie your ass to your seat in mid-air and drop you off at the nearest airport. This happens on a daily basis all over the US.

[Selatius]

151. People become incivil when their life doesn't go their way.

I was told something along the lines of this from a bartender I work with. He said the reason people have gotten bitchier, at least in the last several months of work, is because people, when they reach a certain level of standard of living, don't like to give it back when tough times come, so they take out their frustration on the people serving them. I can't speak to economic mobility in the 1960s and 1970s, but from what I've seen of the Great Recession, it was probably a better time economically for most people.

[usrname]

115. Everyone all dressed up

I remember going to the airport as a kid in the 70s. Everyone was dressed up to the nines. Women were in dresses and heels. Men in suits and ties. Only the occasional hippie-ish traveler would be wearing something more, ah, comfortable. Ok, maybe not all men were in suits in ties, but they all had on some ensemble clothing. But the women were clearly all dressed as attractively as possible.

[DrunkenBoat]

15. "why I think it all changed." = that would be interesting, hope you do.

[Siwsan]

16. My very first flight was 1972, on Pan Am - Detroit to London

I was on my own, taking my dream trip to London to meet up with friends. I sat next to two German men who didn't speak a word of english, and smoked for almost the entire flight. I think I paid $264 for the round trip.

[Celebration]

17. People wore their Sunday best when they traveled

Women put on hose, heels, etc. There was a period of about two years back then when I didn't travel at all on a plane, and when I got back on a plane, the whole attire had changed.

[CTyankee]

33. Hey, trof. My mother worked for Braniff in Dallas for many years and we travelled

everywhere! We went to Europe and South America, since my mother had secured inter-airline passes! I went to London, Paris, Amsterdam and Brussels on KLM when I was 16. What a trip! This was in the late 1950s!

[slipslidingaway]

18. Great read ...

my first flight was on Viasa airlines in 1969 to spend the summer with my friend's family in Caracas from Catholic boarding school. I remember the food being wonderful, too young to drink though.

Looking forward to part two, thanks.

[trof]

19. Damn, guys?

I had no idea this post would go 'viral'.
Just reminiscences by an old pilot.
Thanks for the response.
Who knew?
:-)

[dana_b]

21. it's a good one!!

I flew for TWA too (flight attendant) but not until after Carl Icahn took over (1985). Lots of good memories and some not so good too. I'm glad that you can look back on it with fondness. I really wish that it still had some of that magic to it that you seemed to experience.

[trof]

30. I'm not sure if it's "fondness".

I had 3 furloughs.
It was a spotty 'career'.
Yeah, I remember Icahn.
putz

[auntpurl]

20. Don't think I would have enjoyed all the smoking...

But the rest sounds fun. Thanks for sharing! :)

[Odin2005]

46. But, FREE BOOZE!!!

:woohoo:

[CaliforniaPeggy]

24. What a great read, my dear trof!

I too am looking forward to reading Part Two!

And as I've said before, I hope you're keeping all these stories...someday, someone might want to read them...

[bluestateguy]

26. The old days of flying were not perfect

But I'd trade the olden days of flying for today in a second.

[Cleita]

28. I remember the days as a passenger, first on DC 3s and

on up the line up to the DC 10s and Boeing 747s flying across the continent and then to South America and then back again. I actually few on Pan Am and later Panagra as well as a variety of domestic airlines. As the planes got bigger and faster, the service and "luxuries" became less and less. I have to admit that the last trip I took in 2007 to Seattle, I felt like I was in a Greyhound bus. It was just as grungy. I also worked at Continental Airlines in the office in the mid sixties and a bar in Santa Monica that was used as an "office" by Air New Zealand and Quantas on their lay overs so I got to know some of the crews as well.

[MineralMan]

34. I only flew on Pan Am twice.

First, in 1967, from New York to Istanbul, via Rome and Yugoslavia. Then, the reverse trip in 1968, from Istanbul to New York, with one stop in Rome. Both were related to my service in the USAF. Both were legs of Pan Am's flights 1 and 2, which were around-the-world routes. I remember being treated very well on both flights, which were pretty long one. I was in Class A dress uniform for both flights. On the return flight, A couple in Rome came up to me with their 14 or 15-year old daughter and asked if I'd look after her and make sure she met her grandmother in NY. I was 22, I think. I did exactly as they asked, listening to the girl tell me what "an experience" everything was. It was fun.

I flew a lot in those days. If you were in uniform, you could just show up at the airport and fly stand-by at half fare, so I traveled all around the country in those days, visiting many cities. It was great, and everyone was always very nice to the young AF Sgt. I got to eat a number of free meals in airports, and met some very nice young women on those flights.

It was a different deal in those days.

[Raine]

35. THANKS this is VERY interesting and great

to hear first hand how things were. :hi:

[bbinacan]

39. I really miss being able to smoke. n/t

[Cali_Democrat]

40. As a younger person, I find this absolutely fascinating

I look forward to your next post.

[Gin]

42. what does this mean? especially if you were in your cups.

[Brigid]

43. Translation:

"If you had been drinking.". I believe it's an Irish expression. :)

[hootinholler]

59. Asked by Gin no less..

You got a good answer, I just wanted to point out the irony.
:rofl:
In your cups, is generally more than tipsy but not quite shit faced.

[trof]

102. intoxicated

[WilliamPitt]

147. That's a funny question from someone named Gin

;)

[Gin]

154. a little yoke for you egg lovers.... :) seriously....I never heard

that phrase and I've been around a long time.

[Odin2005]

44. Awesome post, old fart!

:yourock:

[LWolf]

48. My first flight was in 1965 with TWA.

It certainly wasn't common then, but I was traveling on my own. I was 5 years old.

My mom put me on a plane from Atlanta to KC to meet my grandparents so that she could deal with the abusive shambles her second marriage had become. It became essential to get me out of the picture.

So I chatted to my seat mate, and the stewardess checked on me constantly. I remember that she fed me, but I don't know what. I know I brought a coloring book and some crayons. Everyone was kind, I felt secure and enjoyed the flight.

Until weather issues grounded the plane in Wichita.

Did I mention that neither of my grandparents had a driver's license or a car?

TWA put me, and everyone else, on a bus to KC. They sent an employee along to personally hand me over to my grandparents. It was late, and dark, and I slept most of the way. It was my grandparents, waiting at the airport in KC, worried sick, that lost sleep. I arrived safe, sound, sleepy, and content, and spent the taxi ride home telling them all about my adventure.

[SoCalDem]

49. I still have the beautiful wool blanket given to my (then) fiance

on his flight home from Viet Nam.. and I also have a playing card collection compliments of the airlines of the day.. Braniff, Eastern, National, Piedmont, Mohawk. Northwest Orient (bongggg.Ariliiiiiines), and too many more to recall right now:)

[supernova]

50. Thanks Trof

I love reading your flying stories. I was too little to fly back then. But I remember my parents went to a medical conference in New Orleans in the late 60s. I still remember that Momma bought a new outfit: skirt, blouse, and jacket with matching pill box hat and a purse and shoes to match, just to fly on the plane.

She remembers that they got on the plane and she loved the little tea sandwiches so much, my parents at all that the plane had! :-)

I wish I could have flown back then.

[RB TexLa]

51. All people want is to get on the plane in one city and get off in another.

[dana_b]

63. NOW maybe, but not

in the earlier times. I always loved to fly in the 70s/80s. Now, not so much.

[Liberal In Texas]

52. Ah, those were the days.

Back when flying in an airliner was actually fun.

I remember the comp cigarettes in mini-packs. My dad smoked a pipe and pipe and cigar smoking wasn't allowed, so they passed out a generous supply of the free cigarettes. I liked the free chewing gum they gave out to help your ears "pop" when the altitude changed.

Also, as I remember it, the utensils were made out of metal and the drinks were in glassware. The food was generally pretty good.

There were no jetways, you walked out to the plane on the tarmac and climbed the stairs. If you were flying a tail dragging DC-3 you entered at the rear and walked uphill to get to your seat.

It was all still pretty good through the '80s and then the bottom fell out after 9/11.

I now avoid flying commercially like the plague.

[KoKo]

127. Ahhh...those claustraphobia inducing Jet Ways...

The first time I flew after they had introduced those things I almost had a panic attack after having to walk through it to get onto the plane. I hadn't flown in awhile and was used to walking across tarmac and going up the stair where the Flight Attendant (called Stewardess, then) would greet you with a smile...so the jetway enclosed corridor was a big surprise. I felt like cattle must feel on the way to slaughter being herded with other passengers all at the same time going through that thing. :-(

There was a sense of freedom and control being able to walk up the stairs of plane on your own...Adventure! It's just not the same now with the security screening...having to leave family and friends at the door of the airport and then the long wait before being herded through the box to your seat.

[trof]

162. Yep, jetways remind me of cattle chutes.

Bovines on the way to be branded or slaughtered.

[shanti]

55. and people dressed up to fly/travel

back then....now - not so much. but that's ok, you should be comfortable when you travel, imo! i sure do remember pan am. our family flew to japan on pan am when dad was in the air force. took us about 24 hours, i remember the pancakes for breakfast!

[Liberal In Texas]

56. Oh yeah! We all had coats and ties, even the kids. Mom had a nice dress.

And it was a relatively expensive thing to do back then, so it was a special event.

[MindPilot]

57. Great story trof...here's a couple of pix that will jar your memory

These are actually from this year's Comic-con, but somewhere I think I still have one of those bags...and my tin wings.

[demtenjeep]

60. I want one of those bags

so cool

[Blue_Tires]

178. There are a couple of sites that sell them and Pan Am logo'd stuff

[woo me with science]

58. Really enjoyed this post. K&R

Please do post Part II.

[Carolina]

62. K&R Love, love, love

this post. Wow, it transported me back down memory lane. Please keep installments coming.

[Snarkoleptic]

64. I grew up "on the wing" as my dad was a Continental Airlines maintenance supervisor.

We flew everywhere as non-revs during the days when a non-rev could easily fly anywhere (stuck 5 hours in Denver at worst).
This was during the late 60's through late 80's but today's higher load factors make non-revenue travel difficult, if not impossible.
One one Chicago to Oahu flight we got bumped up to 747 first class, which was WAY cooler than regulary first class. We got to play tabletop pong for 25-cents, ate fried pineaple (kinda nasty looking back), and rice steamed in banana leaves (YUM). On arrival we got lei'd and later had pancakes with Mendonca's coconut syrup. Later ran into a kid on the beach who lived 5-6 blocks from our house...small world. We stayed at the Royal Hawaiian (and down the block next year), visited the usual touris spots.

That's why I'm a progressive...much of the fun in our current situation has been sucked out by corporations.
Leisure time is underrated and much of it has been skimmed off the top and denied to us in the name of narrow profit.

[spooky3]

65. Passengers also paid a lot more for tickets back then (inflation adjusted). This is interesting:

http://mysite.verizon.net/vze6l53f/whatflyingwaslikeinthe1960s/

[WillyT]

66. And Don't Forget PSA (Pacific Southwest Airlines)

:D

:yoiks:

[Brigid]

71. I think I remember seeing those ads back then!

Groovy. :hippie:

[MindPilot]

75. PSA -- "The Poor Sailor's Airline"

The stews treated us swabbies like royalty! Free drinks, extra food and they would even come sit and chat when they had some downtime. It was like having a girlfriend for the next hour and 40 minutes. Travel in-uniform and the discounts were great IIRC, it was about 60 bucks round trip San Diego to Denver....that was early 70s.

I used to think the old guys back then who talked about how good things used be were full of shit. Now I realize they were right.

[FarCenter]

67. First flight was from Minneapolis to Churchill, Manitoba

Actually, it was an afternoon flight in a Lockheed Electra from Minneapolis to Winnipeg, with a stop in Grand Forks.

The next morning it was a DC-4 from Winnipeg to Churchill. We were supposed to stop at The Pas, but after making about three passes attempting to see trees instead of low clouds, the pilot thought the better of it, and we went on.

I'd eaten a poor breakfast that morning. The flight was pretty bumpy, and a large, lumberjack-looking guy in the seat behind me resorted to the barf bag. Luckily, I was able to make it OK by steadfastly looking out the window and watching the stream of oil from the inboard engine run off the trailing edge of the wing.

[SheilaT]

68. Hey Trof! I didn't realize you were ex-pilot!

I was a ticket agent at DCA from January 1969 to August 1979. Ahhh, the memories.

I kind of want to dispute one thing, which is the free cigarettes. By the time I started I never saw them on only airline I non-revved on.

To share with those reading this, back during that time the travel benefits were amazing, and most flights were not full. In ten years of traveling non-rev (meaning non-revenue passenger because we didn't pay anything more than a trivial service charge for our flights, and at times they were totally free) I only didn't get on a flight twice. And I travelled so much that my fellow employees couldn't understand how I did it.

I worked for Mohawk Airlines originally, one that anyone under the age of about 40 has probably never heard of. I actually got better travel benefits working for them than I would have with one of the big guys (TWA, United, American, Eastern, you get the picture). In 1970 Pan Am came out with a deal that gave us one free pass(free, no service charge at all) anywhere in the world on them. I promptly used it to fly to Australia. I was boarded first class the entire way.

In 1979 I went to Iran, stayed at the Intercontinental Hotel there, which was owned by Pan Am, and wound up hanging out with the Pan Am crews. One flight attendant knew how to get to the bazaar there, and about five of us crammed into a taxi and went shopping. That evening the crews from two different flights all went off to a Mexican restaurant, yes a Mexican restaurant in Teheran, and had a glorious time.

There was a sense of community among all airline employees, regardless of what airline you worked for or what job category you were in. That was absolutely true among us who worked at DCA. Indeed, we all commonly said, when asked what we did for a living, "I work for the airlines." Plural, even though obviously we only worked for one specific one.

I was only twenty when I started, and looked maybe fifteen. But when I flew, the stewardesses (as the were all called back then) knew that I was a non-rev. I was never refused a drink, even though one time as I'm being handed a gin and tonic I'm also being asked, "Does your father fly for us?"

Oh, the memories, the memories. I keep on thinking I need to write a memoir.

[Brigid]

73. You were in Tehran in 1979?

Yikes! :scared:

[SheilaT]

97. Oops. It was 1977. Sometimes I lose track

of the years.

What was so interesting was that it wasn't all that long before the revolution there, and it seemed that I was being very well treated as an American.

I went out to the Shayad Monument with a guy I'd met at baggage claim upon arrival, who was staying at the same hotel and I'd see him every day in the lobby. On Saturday he suggested the excursion, so we took a taxi out there and walked all the way back to the hotel, probably about five miles. All along the way people were very friendly and seemed genuinely pleased to see us. So the extreme anti-American feelings a couple of years later just didn't make sense to me.

[Major Nikon]

80. You can't be an ex-pilot unless the FAA permanently revokes your ticket!

You're either current or you aren't!

Sorry, just had to add that.

Carry on.

[GrannyGeek]

111. Mohawk

My first flight ever was on Mohawk Airlines in June of 1963. I flew from Pittsburgh to Ithaca, New York, as I was going to Cornell University for 3 months of training as a Peace Corps Volunteer for Sierra Leone.

Everyone on the flight got a free drink that afternoon: it was a special day for Mohawk. They were going INTERNATIONAL! Yes. A Mohawk flight that day was going to....Canada!

AFter training, we flew to Africa from Idlewild (now JFK) on Pan-Am.

Pan-Am service was stellar. I remember that we were out of booze my the time we landed in the Azores to refuel.

What memories.

[JHB]

146. Welcome to DU

:hi:

[Remember Me]

70. Yes, I am definitely interested in your thoughts on why it all changed

PM me with the link, if you wouldn't mind? I don't get to spend near as much time here as I'd like and I'd hate to miss it.

Great post. Thanks. I took my first flight in 1968 from St. Louis to Hawaii to meet my Army husband on his R&R. United.

[MrMickeysMom]

72. I loved it, trof...

I'm glad you posted it here... I don't always get to the lounge.

Staying tuned...

[WildEyedLiberal]

79. I would trade just about anything for a week in your shoes back in the day

What a fascinating life you've led, and I bet you have some tales. As a young'un who's never flown pre-9/11, color me envious.

[BillyJack]

81. Yes, I miss the 'old' days.....I really do. *sigh*. Thanks for this accurate recount.

It really WAS like this ~ back in the day.

[Hissyspit]

82. "Coffee, Tea, or Me?"

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Coffee/5439714/story.html

[A Physicist]

157. Showing your age

[Matariki]

83. Do you know why the flight deck crew could be married

but the cabin crew couldn't?

I don't miss much about those days. On the other hand, I think I won't miss much about the present either.

[Lorien]

89. You and me both. No nostalgia here for institutionalized misogyny. nt

[October]

84. Former "stew" here... a little later than you... but married to a pilot.

We loved PanAm... for the nostalgia and romance it reminded us of -- BACK IN THE DAY!

Thanks for sharing... and do share your thoughts on why you think it all changed.

[Atman]

85. I fondly remember Eastern Airlines.

as a child of divorce, I called both Boston and Cocoa Beach home, and made frequent trips between the two as an "unescorted minor." I was assigned to a "stewardess" (I guess that term is hasn't been in favor for quite a while) who would take me up to visit the cockpit and meet the pilots. They'd give me a JR Pilot pin -- made out of real metal. Like the op said, there was plenty of food, and it was served with real cutlery.

Beyond the in-flight experience, the plane ticket was good at any airline. If there was a delay or cancellation, any airline would honor it. The whole flying thing was so amazing, you'd dress up for a flight almost as you would for church.

Different time, indeed.

[flamingdem]

87. Pan Am to Europe

real silverware in coach... delicious food ahh

[tridim]

88. Did they filter the air back then, or did the cigarette smoke just linger?

I can't imagine what the seats must have smelled like.

[Name removed]

92. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[trof]

110. Here's how that works:

In flight, air for cabin pressurization and heating/cooling is bled off of engine compressors.
Outlet vents are usually in ceiling, floor, and sidewalls.
And of course the 'eyeball' vents.
All that air exits from outflow valves about the size of dinner plates in the rear bottom of the plane.
So you're constantly exchanging, fresh air in - stale air out.
In the 'smoking days' there would be a large dark brown streak of tobacco tar aft of the valves.

[LibDemAlways]

90. My dad travelled for business all the time in the 60s. He frequently

flew first class and would bring home packs of cigarettes with his name embossed on them. I came along on a couple of his trips when we had family in the city he was visiting and recall that airline travel was a dress-up occasion. No one would think of wearing shorts and a t-shirt or jeans. And the food was plentiful and reasonably good. The meal gave passengers something to do.

I think it's criminal that airline travel has been reduced to the status of a bus ride or worse.

I hope you do post your observations on why it's changed, but I suspect it has a lot to do with corporate greed.

By the way, TWA was dad's favorite airline and he avoided flying any other carrier unless it was an absolute necessity.

[Fire Walk With Me]

91. "Ever been to a Turkish prison, Billy? Scraps is a boy dog." I kid! I kid!

What a wonderful story. That was definitely a different day. Cheers!

:hi::toast:

[BillyJack]

94. No. WTF?

[Fire Walk With Me]

96. Link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaXvFT_UyI8

[VWolf]

122. "Billy, do you like movies about Gladiators?"

My favorite movie, growing up.

:rofl:

[flygal]

95. former fa here

I wanted to be a FA since I was a little girl. We lived overseas and I tell people I was raised by fa's because my folks always flew first class and put us kids in coach. Always the first row, and we ALWAYS had matching outfits! The fa's were just expected to watch us I guess LOL. It was a dream come true to finally work as one, gotta say though, the thing I don't miss are some of the cranky fa's - I know there's more an emphasis on security but there are too many that get away with being ornery.

[TuxedoKat]

114. Me too

best job I ever had, most fun too. Wish I had never quit.

[JohnnyRingo]

99. Pure nostalgia... When they were "stewardesses"

Sexism included, the high cost of airline tickets caused the companies to do anything they could to sell seats. Even though, they were heady times and the stewardess was an envied job back then as I recall. I'm sure it beat waiting tables:




Many many more glimpses into that era here:

http://www.darkroastedblend.com/2007/02/glamour-of-flight.html

[eowyn_of_rohan]

150. my grandmother called them glorified waitresses ;) -nt

[JohnnyRingo]

177. And I agree with your grandma

The glory came from an aluminum greasy spoon diner that flew them around the world. For a young woman to see the sights in countries they'd only dreamt of must have been quite a draw.

It's unfortunate that sexism was a prerequisite tool for employment back then. No one wanted old overweight (or married) attendants, and discrimination ran wild in the industry. For those "qualified", I'm sure it was a dream job of a lifetime, but like any modeling career it could quickly come to an early end. I imagine many shunned stewardesses ended up hopping tables, and I would think that looming potential would be great incentive to marry rich at the peak of their career.

I have a friend who was a stew at the end of that era, and she retains that job today for Southwestern. She was (and still is) gorgeous, but had the industry not been forced to change she would have been out of a job decades ago. For what it's worth, she's been married four times.

[quarbis]

100. I flew what seemed a lot from 1968 - 1972.

My first flight was was on a a DC-9 from Indianapolis to St. Louis.
I was head to Fort Leonard Wood, Mo for basic.
Ended up flying back and forth to Vietnam twice.
Once from Saigon to Sydney and back.
Various trips in the USA.
I was much better then they truly appreciated you.

I loved American Airlines they tended to bump soldiers to first class
when they could.


I later , 1974, learned to hate TWA. Look up TWA Flight 514 and its untimely demise
and you'll understand.

Flying now really sucks --- it's hard work.

[shireen]

101. please keep writing ... i'd love to hear more about your flying days.

:hi:

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

105. I will never forget my ride in the cockpit of a CP Air DC-8

San Fransisco to Vancouver, I was flying with my grandparents - my grandfather asked if I could visit the cockpit for a minute and I spent most of the flight up there.

I have had a couple of opportunities to jump-seat as an adult but it just wasn't the same in an A330 or 737-800.

[Vinca]

106. I loved flying back then. It was a special event.

When I was in high school I wanted to be a "stewardess." For some reason I latched on to Eastern Airlines as the one I wanted to work for. But, alas, I never met the minimum height requirement of 5'2". It would have been fun. By the way, in the early 70's I met a man who was a pilot for TWA and he described his job as long hours of boredom with moments of sheer terror.

[Brigid]

123. I had to scrap the idea of becoming a stewardess for the same reason.

I am only 4'9". Most of the other requirements involved education or skills the airlines wanted applicants to possess. But the height requirement, of course, was outside anyone's control. I still think it would have been fun.

[HappyMe]

107. K&R

What an enjoyable read.

Thanks.

[malthaussen]

108. When Flying Was Glamorous

You have the skeleton of a really good book going there, you know.

-- Mal

[CrispyQ]

109. "EVERY meal tray had a complimentary pack of 4 cigarettes.

Usually Winstons."

That made me :rofl: considering the price of cigs these days!

When I was about 10, my mother got royally pissed off when an older cousin gave me her copy of "Coffee Tea or Me" to read. The fact that it was illicit made it special, & I thought being a 'stew' would be the most glamorous job. For years that's what I wanted to be. After a waitress job in high school, I came to my senses.

[mainer]

112. PanAm introduced me to caviar!

I was a teen flying overseas with my mom for the very first time, and they served a lunch that included a deviled egg sprinkled with caviar. That was in coach!

[n2doc]

113. I remember the days when people could meet you at the gate.

My parents were divorced and living in separate states, so I had to fly to visit my dad. Some of my strongest memories of that time were of my mom or my dad walking me to the airplane door and handing me off to a stewardess. Quite often I'd get moved up to first class is there was an empty seat, and I'd get to come up to the flight cabin like you describe and get my 'wings'. Then seeing my other parent right outside the gate waiting for me when I got off the plane.

Don't remember the smoking, but then my mom smoked a lot, so I wouldn't have thought things were different.

[xchrom]

117. pan am was my fav -- then twa -- the experience

was just wonderful.

[Puglover]

118. We used to get free passes on TWA at NWA.

I remember flying BOS to CDG in 1980 and having Lobster Thermadore up in 1st with Caviar and Iced Vodka shots. <sigh> What lovely memories.

On edit:I flew JFK to FRA in 1982 on PA. It was a horrid flight back in steerage. We had a nasty dinner slapped down after take off and that was (I'm not kidding) the last time we saw the cabin attendants. No coffee,oj or anything else close to arrival in FRA. I can only surmise that something wasn't boarded by catering in JFK. But it was bad.

[Cruzan]

119. A few ads from then

[KansDem]

124. "I'm ______. Fly Me!"

I remember when that ad campaign came out! It was criticized as suggesting sex!

:rofl:

[PlanetBev]

130. I remember the National Organization of Women's respsonse to that ad

"Go Fly Yourself, National!"

[KoKo]

134. +1.....Yep...now we know why "Flight Attendants" is a better term..

and we now have male and female. It looks funny today...but, I remember that "Fly Me" and yeah..at the time it was seen as really offensive. :D Today ....I wonder. Some of our current ad campaigns are starting to creep over a line here and there.

[riverbendviewgal]

120. My first flight was from Miami to Newark

I was 21 and was also taking my cat with me..He was in a cat cardboard travel box that I put under my seat It was Eastern Airlines.
I had a choice of fillet mignon or lobster for the meal.

It was awesome flying out at dusk from Miami. I could see Miami Beach starting to light up. Coming into Newark the NYC skyline was awesome.

It was my first and best flight ever. I have flown since but nothing matches that flight.

[riverbendviewgal]

121. Oops, I forgot to put the year that was

1969.

[Lions_fan]

126. Forget the TV show

trof should give us a weekly account of his memories :evilgrin:

[MissDeeds]

128. Wonderful post

Thanks for the walk down memory lane. My first airplane flight was on TWA. I was five. I still remember the fuss the stewardesses (as they were called at the time) made over my brother and me; I think he still has the TWA wings that were pinned to his shirt. I also remember the Chickletts that were distributed prior to landing to alleviate popping ears as we descended. Flying was so glamorous, and I felt like a princess. From childhood onward, I made many, many flights over the years between the Midwest, where my mom lived, and the East Coast, where Daddy lived. The pilots seemed like demigods, and the stewardesses were like models, so polished and demure. It made such an impression that after I graduated college, I applied to become a TWA flight attendant. I was thrilled that they contacted me and arranged for an interview. My dear grandma could not bear the thought of me leaving home and being away from her, so I declined the interview. Although "Pan Am" may be considered a prime-time soap, I'm hooked and will not miss an episode. It's great to see the glory days of flight, and for me, as a would be flight attendant, to see what might have been.

K&R

[amborin]

129. my 1st flight was on Pan Am

Upon deplaning (was with my mother), some "lads" on the flight said something flippant to the captain, who was exiting nearby, something along the lines of "nice flight, Jack." The captain corrected them and said, "that's Captain Jack." I always thought that was cool of the captain.

My fourth and last flight on Pan Am was Rio de Janeiro to Miami. A full flight, leaving in the evening. I'll always remember it. Sitting in economy, the cabin smelled intensely of insecticide (I realize this is routinely sprayed on many flights). Then, starting on the take-off roll, droplets of brown liquid began raining down on everyone, from the overhead air vents. People put the little pillows on their heads and these were soon soaked with brown liquid. That was toward the end of Pan Am's reign.

Also always liked looking up Park Ave at the Pan Am building in Manhattan.

[grantcart]

132. Working in the UN I contracted with Air Vietnam to bring out some of the

people who qualified for our new "Orderly Departure Program".

Those flights in 79 were similar to what you describe.

While we were processing the refugee/migrants we would see the pilots and crew sprint about 200 yards to go to the main terminal and after about an hour come back laden down like pack mules with cigarettes.

The Vietnamese currency had collapsed and cigarettes and US dollars became the accepted currency. Cigarette packs could be passed for years and the inside cigarettes complete disintegrated but as long as the seal was unbroken still have value. Those pilots were, at the time among the richest people in Vietnam because they could sell a pack of cigarettes for about 20 times the purchase value. Still it was incredibly funny watching the pilots and crew spring across the runway to get to the terminal

One time the Vietnamese came in with a 'new' 707 but hit the angle wrong on landing and blew out all of the tires.

We were also using Air France (the only international carrier going to Vietnam). I learned later that refugees inside Vietnam were paying large bribes to get seats on the Air France flight, which was determined by our office in Bangkok. The person taking the bribe had nothing to do with the selection but since about half of the time he was right he had enough credibility to take the money in. If they ended up on the Air Vietnam flight he refunded the bribe and told them AF was full. It was the perfect scam.

At the time there was no interline agreement between AV and Thai Airways on handling the baggage so they wouldn't come out on the carousels. So I would get 20 of the young men in the group in two lines each with a cart and told them to follow me and I marched up to the doors going into the interior part of the airport and the Thai guards would see this official group coming and open the doors. We would walk around for a couple of hours until we found where they dumped the bags, load them up and march out. Our security pass was a very determined facial expression.

[sandyj999]

133. And I was on some of those flights

and they were just as you say. People dressed up and it was an "event". Passengers were not treated like cattle. Champagne was served in first class and everything was complementary. I can remember one trip from Minneapolis/St. Paul to Detroit with my young daughter on a Stratocruiser. It was full and they put us in the lounge in the belly of the plane. It was quite a trip and those men in suits couldn't have been nicer. I wouldn't even want to fly anywhere anymore. And yes I am a geezer and feel that I lived in the best of times.

[LibertyLover]

135. I still remember my first flight - 1964

on Eastern Airlines 707 down to Mexico. I was 10. The only seats my mom could get were in first class. Gods, did that flight ruin me for flying in coach. The food was served on real china and did have the cigarettes and matches Trof mentioned. All they did was feed you. Coffee or tea and danish when we boarded. Followed by a full breakfast, followed by drinks and appetizers, followed by a hot lunch, followed by snacks. I was invited by the stewardess to see the cockpit. The captain gave me a pair of wings which I probably have someplace around at home in a box. The crew were friendly, helpful and interested in making sure the passengers were well taken care of. Good times.

[BumRushDaShow]

136. Great story! First flight for me was 1970

as a kid. Philly --> London on a Caledonian Airways Boeing 707. I STILL have my complimentary flight bag (remember those?)!! Since that was an era of some notable hijacks (or later dubbed "skyjacks"), I do remember pat-downs at Gatwick.

Later flew to Montego Bay (1972 on Air Jamaica), and Disney World/Nassau (1975 on Eastern). Still have some stuff from those flights...

Yeah, times have surely changed. :banghead:

[Manifestor_of_Light]

139. Southwest Airlines, orange hot pants and white go-go boots.

I flew home from college, San Antonio to Houston. It took 40 minutes.
This was about 1973. It cost $15 one way, and the student fare (remember those?) was $13.

My mom bitched about how "you kids don't know what a bus is for!!"
I replied that that's why they invented jets. Forty minutes on a jet versus 4 hours on a bus. No contest there.

My first flight was Houston to Kansas City to go to music camp in Lawrence in 1971.
Real food, real china, big plastic coffee mugs, on Braniff.

[mainer]

153. WAsn't that the old Pacific Southwest Airlines?

known as PSA? I remember those orange hotpants.

[iandhr]

140. Not complaining...

,,, about the no-smoking rule. But a nice cold beer would be great to have on a flight.

[Jack Sprat]

141. Fantastic post and memories.

Will you come back tomorrow with your thoughts on how and why it all changed?

[trof]

142. "Why it all changed" is posted here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x2014048

In one word...'deregulation'.

[swilton]

143. They also had student/military stand-by

Where if there were available seats, and you waited, you could get a ticket for half price....

The reasons for the change? Airline deregulation - quantity over quality.

[HughBeaumont]

144. Sounds like a good experience, save for the inescapable chamber of emphysema.

[gtar100]

145. When the whole purpose of a business is to make money,

any way to cut costs is used and that always means replacing quality with something that is just adequate... or just a show of it. Really sad. And all those "savings" have not translated to better service or lower prices for the customers. We've really lost a sense of culture with this narrow focus on business that took hold of the US in the 80's. Thanks for sharing something of that time.

[WilliamPitt]

148. Great read!

:toast:

[eowyn_of_rohan]

149. Air France 747 in 1973

I had just graduated from high school and we flew to Paris. Huge & comfortable seats that really reclined with lots of leg room. Extraprdinary service and gourmet French food - we were served 3 full meals & I still have the menu and unopened salt and pepper packets :) Complimentary toiletry samples in the "WC" -- perhaps best of all, the cocktail lounge "upstairs"...

[trof]

160. I confess. I 'collected' the little salt and pepper shakers.

Don't remember if they were crystal, but they were at least nice glass with silver screw-on tops.
We'd use them at home at dinner parties.
Each guest had a set at their place at our table.
Tres chic!
;-)

[Peregrine Took]

152. My friend was a "stew" for TWA and she said they used to have to go into

the bar/lounge to get the pilots out before take off.

True? These were international flights.

[trof]

158. Hardly.

There was a fair amount of imbibing, sometimes more, sometimes less, depending on the situation.
Probably more on the international flights with long layovers and exotic locations.
Domestic layovers were usually shorter, sometimes just enough time to grab some supper and 6 or 7 hours of sleep.

I confess to having flown a bit hungover a few times, especially in my younger 'bulletproof' years.
I think she's pulling your leg.

[GliderGuider]

155. First flight I remember was in 1963, Toronto-LA on a Vickers Vanguard.

I remember looking out the window being absolutely stunned by the experience. I've been a window-seater ever since, and the smaller the aircraft the better I like it. Propellers are the shizzle, and modern heavies are just flying buses. Give me a Saunders ST-27 bouncing along at 8,000 feet any day.


Or a sailplane...

[fiberlady]

159. Started work for United in 1969

I started work for United in 1969 after just having graduated high school. I worked in the main offices and was thrilled to have my first full time job and traveling privileges. I was able to travel in first class to Honolulu at age 19. No security checks. I had friends who would get on to flights just to go have dinner in Denver or go to Hawaii for the weekend. A couple of the women I worked with ended up becoming Flight Attendants in the 70's and they loved it! I do remember the uniforms and the great service. The program "Pan Am" was close to the service I remember in the late 60's on United.

[trof]

163. Welcome to DU and thanks for your comments.

:hi:

[Dr Fate]

161. The show sounds like a Mad Men knock off, but I am glad they are showing things like this...

It is important for people born in the 70's and beyond to know that we used to have a great economy and a high standard of living back during peak years of "the era of Big Government".

You know the same "Era of Big Government" Clinton promised to end forever, and then did so.


This was when we had liberal economic policies (Extremely liberal compared to anythuing under Obama, whether we mean 90% tax rates, regulations on Wall Street, tariffs to encourage US manufacturing, laws to discourage off shoring, pro- Union laws, etc)

[Flatulo]

164. LOL - my sister was a stew for American in in the late sixties. The

stories she tells are amazing. She was on the Boston to San Francisco run.

Lots of partying, screwing and pot smoking on their layovers.

Good times.

[trof]

168. Pot smoking came MUCH later during my career.

I tried it once, at home, with some friends.
I got incredibly paranoid about other guys at the party trying to get my wife in bed.
My only experience with the devil weed.
:shrug:

On one domestic flight in the late 70s the crew had planned to meet for dinner.
At the time (still?) 2 cabin attendants shared a hotel room.
(Cockpit crew had single rooms. Double standard?)
Anyway...when two of the 'roomies' came down for the meet-up in the lobby, they were laughing and giggling.
You could say the ABCs and they would bust out laughing.
I jokingly said "Jesus! What are you guys ON?"
"OH MY GOD! COULD YOU SMELL IT IN THE HALL? WE STUFFED A TOWEL UNDER THE DOOR!"
(This was LONG before the no-notice drug testing of flight crews.)
I was both dumbfounded and felt incredibly naive.

Later on it dawned on me what could have happened to them and the entire crew if they'd been discovered.
whew

[Flatulo]

171. Tragically, weed never had the desired effect on me. I tried it

more times than I can remember, and each time I couldn't wait for the effects to pass. I guess I'm just wound too tight or something.

It's odd, because both my siblings and even my dad quite enjoyed it.

[GSLevel9]

165. post of the day... LOVE IT!! nt

[Ikonoklast]

169. I still remenber the first time I flew by myself as a kid, back in the Sixties.

After takeoff, one of the stewardesses came by and said the captain asked if I wanted to see the flight deck, and of course I said yes.







Been traumatized by it ever since.

[trof]

170. That got a chuckle. AIRLINE was a great spoof.

[trumad]

174. The first five times I flew in a plane---I did not land in them.

Before 1977 I never flew in a plane.

Took a bus from Miami to Ft. Jackson, South Carolina for Boot camp---from there I bussed to Ft. Benning, Georgia for Infantry training---stayed at Ft. Benning for Airborne Jump school.

Jan.19th 1977

5 flights---5 jumps.

The 6th time I flew was to Miami for leave--- and I landed.

Side note: The day of my first jump was also the first day I saw snow and the day it snowed in Miami.

[trof]

175. I always managed to have takeoffs = landings.

But that's a good story.
:-)

[tpsbmam]

176. Brings back so many memories....I used to hop the Eastern shuttle for $25 to

fly home from Boston to NYC for the weekend when I was in school in the Boston area. And flying Pan Am was a JOY! Of course it didn't hurt that Dad & Najeeb Halaby were friends. :rofl: I had a small dog and traveling with him on Pan Am was so wonderful. The "had to fit under the seat" wasn't a problem at all since there was so much room under the Pan Am seats (WAY more than today and more than most airlines). They even told me point blank to put him in his carrier for takeoffs & landings but otherwise I could let him sit in my lap unless someone objected (no one ever did). And it was all that you describe. I used to LOVE traveling & flying. I grew to loathe flying & haven't done much of it at all for the last 10+ years as a result -- I've mostly stuck to the US and traveled by car. Too bad.....it did used to be such a joy!

[Blue_Tires]

179. Thanks again for this thread...bookmarked

I've taken a recent interest in airline history and aviation the past two years, as I started to wonder why I didn't enjoy flying nearly as much as I did as a kid in the early 1980s (at that time my family always took Eastern out of ORF and my dad had one of those lounge passes)...

It was the end of an era for my family when Eastern closed and we switched to Delta/USAir...Although I never personally flew Pan Am or TWA, my parents did regularly and hated it when they both had to close...

One of the things I miss the most is leaving our house at 12 noon for a 12:30 flight from ORF and STILL being at the gate with time to kill...

You may have already answered this before -- Did you have a favorite airplane type to fly?