Plane Ride Anyone?

oldman

oldman

Well-known Member
Location
PA
Has anyone here never been on a plane ride? It’s hard to imagine that some may not have at least been on one plane ride or trip. For anyone that has never been on a plane ride, I think you should put it on your bucket list. Riding in an airplane does not compare to anything else that you have or haven’t done. Riding in a plane is an experience of its own.

I have known several people that have told me that they never wanted to ride in a plane for various reasons, but mostly the majority has been because it scares them just to think about it. Others have said that they like to drive, so that they can see the scenery, stop here and there and so on. I have also known some people that after they have taken their first ride have said that they want to go again or that they wish they hadn’t waited so long.

Plane crashes are seldom heard about anymore, at least not here in the U.S., except maybe for the smaller private type single engine planes. In Alaska, a lot of people have their own plane because it’s the easiest form of transportation. I had read one time in a magazine that Alaska averaged one plane crash per day. That seems really high, but very probable. It really doesn’t take much to get a private single engine pilot’s license.

For some of you that have never ridden in a big jet, once you try it, you will be doing it again. You just have to have some patience getting through the airport, which I think is the worse part of the whole ordeal.

Remember the old saying, "Come fly the friendly skies of United."
 

I've taken several "plane" rides, over the years, and it has always been a pleasant experience. Besides, at my age, the thought of getting in the car and driving 1500 miles is no longer appealing. The most fun I ever had in an airplane was many years ago when I was stationed in Germany. The base had an "Airman of the Month" contest, and the winner got a ride in the back seat of an F105F. So, for several months I kept well groomed and saluted everything that moved, and won a ride. I had to get a good physical, and strap on a G-suit...and I drew a test pilot named Capt. Cushenberry...I'll never forget that guy..his primary job was to take a planes first flight after an engine swap, and gain maximum speed and altitude quickly in case the new engine malfunctioned. The day of the flight, he had the F105 ready, with clean wings...no external fuel tanks, and configured for maximum performance. After a slow roll to the runway, he locked the wheels, went into full afterburner, release the brakes, and pinned me to the seat. We went airborne about halfway down the runway, and he retracted the gear, and kept the plane low until the end of the runway, then shot us almost straight up to an altitude of over 20K. He then commenced several rolls and tight turns, and put the plane through some really extreme maneuvers. It's a good thing that I had a light breakfast, and a good bowel movement that morning, or I would have probably made a mess in the cockpit. After about 30 minutes, he was down to the fuel limits, so he took us back to the base. When landing, he deployed the chute, and the exhaust air brakes, and I was pinned to the harness as the deceleration quickly occurred. What a Ride!!! After that experience, anything that happens in a jetliner flight...turbulence, etc., just brings back a fond memory of the F105 ride....but I DO keep my seatbelt fastened.
 
I was forever sold on flying after age 8 when I was given a ride in a Ford Trimotor airplane

around Washington, D.C. That sucker even had woven wicker seats.

That did it for me. I wound up a pilot in the USAF and now hold a Commercial single and multi engine pilots license.
 

Flying has never been my favorite form of transportation but I do it when necessary. My first plane ride was memorable. Take-off was fine but when we came in to land, my heart almost stopped. The airport in Charlestown WV was simply the top of a mountain that had been sheared off leaving it surrounded by sharp drop off on all sizes. No room for error.
 
I am always nervous and try to have a Dirty Martini before boarding. Once we've leveled off, I'm fine. It's nothing I look forward to, but I love the convenience.
 
Haven't flown for quite a while. One of these days I'm going to go to the airport and tell them I just want to fly somewhere and come right back. There are lots of planes servicing remote places. I just love being in the air.
 
helenbacque said:
Flying has never been my favorite form of transportation but I do it when necessary. My first plane ride was memorable. Take-off was fine but when we came in to land, my heart almost stopped. The airport in Charlestown WV was simply the top of a mountain that had been sheared off leaving it surrounded by sharp drop off on all sizes. No room for error.
Click to expand...

Holy Toledo, that is one scary airport. We flew into Charleston on some kind of rinky-dink little airline when I was about 12 and I was terrified. I remember thinking that if we overshot the runway, we'd be downtown in about 5 seconds.
 
jujube said:
Holy Toledo, that is one scary airport. We flew into Charleston on some kind of rinky-dink little airline when I was about 12 and I was terrified. I remember thinking that if we overshot the runway, we'd be downtown in about 5 seconds.
Click to expand...

That's funny.
 
Falcon said:
I was forever sold on flying after age 8 when I was given a ride in a Ford Trimotor airplane

around Washington, D.C. That sucker even had woven wicker seats.

That did it for me. I wound up a pilot in the USAF and now hold a Commercial single and multi engine pilots license.
Click to expand...

I had to give up my Airline Transport Pilot Certificate at age 65. The FAA is pretty clear on that matter. I had a pretty good career flying almost 34 years. Right now there is a real shortage of pilots that are able to fly multi engine and aisle planes. ALPA predicts that we will need an additional 20,000 new pilots in the next five years.
 
Don M. said:
I've taken several "plane" rides, over the years, and it has always been a pleasant experience. Besides, at my age, the thought of getting in the car and driving 1500 miles is no longer appealing. The most fun I ever had in an airplane was many years ago when I was stationed in Germany. The base had an "Airman of the Month" contest, and the winner got a ride in the back seat of an F105F. So, for several months I kept well groomed and saluted everything that moved, and won a ride. I had to get a good physical, and strap on a G-suit...and I drew a test pilot named Capt. Cushenberry...I'll never forget that guy..his primary job was to take a planes first flight after an engine swap, and gain maximum speed and altitude quickly in case the new engine malfunctioned. The day of the flight, he had the F105 ready, with clean wings...no external fuel tanks, and configured for maximum performance. After a slow roll to the runway, he locked the wheels, went into full afterburner, release the brakes, and pinned me to the seat. We went airborne about halfway down the runway, and he retracted the gear, and kept the plane low until the end of the runway, then shot us almost straight up to an altitude of over 20K. He then commenced several rolls and tight turns, and put the plane through some really extreme maneuvers. It's a good thing that I had a light breakfast, and a good bowel movement that morning, or I would have probably made a mess in the cockpit. After about 30 minutes, he was down to the fuel limits, so he took us back to the base. When landing, he deployed the chute, and the exhaust air brakes, and I was pinned to the harness as the deceleration quickly occurred. What a Ride!!! After that experience, anything that happens in a jetliner flight...turbulence, etc., just brings back a fond memory of the F105 ride....but I DO keep my seatbelt fastened.
Click to expand...


I was going to ask you if they made you clean the cockpit after the ride.
 
helenbacque said:
Flying has never been my favorite form of transportation but I do it when necessary. My first plane ride was memorable. Take-off was fine but when we came in to land, my heart almost stopped. The airport in Charlestown WV was simply the top of a mountain that had been sheared off leaving it surrounded by sharp drop off on all sizes. No room for error.
Click to expand...

I looked at one airport on Google Earth that I think may be the one that you are referring to. It's called Eastern West Virginia Regional Airport. If that's the same, my perspective of that airport is that it only has one runway, but it does have a fair amount of clearance around the airport for landing and take offs. I don't believe the runway is long enough for a B-767. The problem that I have experienced with landing at airports that are surrounded by mountains are the winds. Landing in Denver and Salt Lake City can be challenging at times. Taking off is usually no issue, unless we have cross winds.
 
Katybug said:
I am always nervous and try to have a Dirty Martini before boarding. Once we've leveled off, I'm fine. It's nothing I look forward to, but I love the convenience.
Click to expand...

It's like most people say, "Taking off and landing are the most critical parts of the flight." Q. Do you know why that is? A. Because there is a human operating the controls. Once the plane goes on autopilot, everything is fine. I guess this proves that computers are smarter than humans. Most pilots will tell you that as soon as the wheels leave the runway, they flip on the AP. And with all of the major airports and most smaller airports having ILS (Instrument Landing System) for landing, the pilot is of very little use, unless we get caught in bad weather situations or the plane is having a mechanical issue and then the pilots must fly the plane by hand. (There isn't much stick and rudder flying like Falcon did anymore.)
 
oldman said:
I was going to ask you if they made you clean the cockpit after the ride.
Click to expand...

Nope, I got lucky...but then, part of the prep was instructions to eat light, and spend some "quality" time in the boys room. As I recall, I did need a little assist to get out of the cockpit, and down the ladder, and I wobbled a bit before my equilibrium was fully restored...But What A Ride! I'm hoping to come back in the next life as either a fighter pilot or an astronaut.
 
I used to enjoy flying back east, to Georgia and North Carolina on Delta Airlines. Back in 1999 I was served a meal! It was good. Those days are gone.

In recent years, on a cross country flight, you can get a small beverage "free", and what...like a little bag of nuts or something.

Of course, you can buy something, one time I spent $7 on a turkey(I think) sandwich. No flavour, had the appearance and texture of a cadaver.
 
Don M. said:
Nope, I got lucky...but then, part of the prep was instructions to eat light, and spend some "quality" time in the boys room. As I recall, I did need a little assist to get out of the cockpit, and down the ladder, and I wobbled a bit before my equilibrium was fully restored...But What A Ride! I'm hoping to come back in the next life as either a fighter pilot or an astronaut.
Click to expand...


You were very lucky to have gotten a rider in a fighter jet. When I enlisted in the Marines, I wanted to learn to fly, especially an F-4. I was told that because I am 6'4" that I would be too tall, which I found out later was a bunch of BS. Whenever it was possible, I would hang out with the pilots and listen to their stories while hanging on every word. Later when I was a pilot for Air Wisconsin, every once in awhile, I would be lucky enough to be paired with a former fighter pilot and again, I would get them to talking about their flying while in Vietnam. As you know, we had a lot of pilots shot down over there and held captive for years. We still don't have them all back.
 
tnthomas said:
I used to enjoy flying back east, to Georgia and North Carolina on Delta Airlines. Back in 1999 I was served a meal! It was good. Those days are gone.

In recent years, on a cross country flight, you can get a small beverage "free", and what...like a little bag of nuts or something.

Of course, you can buy something, one time I spent $7 on a turkey(I think) sandwich. No flavour, had the appearance and texture of a cadaver.
Click to expand...


Even though serving meals that were included in the price of the ticket and really cost the airlines a lot of money, I think this is the one thing that is really missed most by the passengers. The restaurants in the airports are grateful because their business has really done well. Over the years, I have heard a zillion complaints about not getting even a snack without having to pay. As the years have passed since that time when the food was discontinued, their barely missed. I always thought that the passengers felt privileged and a little special. Of course, if a person wants to fork out the extra money for any ticket above coach, then you would still be served a meal, snack or some type of nosh.
 
The most memorable flight we ever experienced was an "airplane ride" on a 1927 Ford Tri-motor. The pilot was an old guy, looked like he flew it when it was new.
 
Manatee said:
The most memorable flight we ever experienced was an "airplane ride" on a 1927 Ford Tri-motor. The pilot was an old guy, looked like he flew it when it was new.
Click to expand...

Falcon flew one of these similar planes. The planes have quite a history. Henry Ford wanted to get into the aviation business for some reason.
 
My first plane ride was in a crop duster in 1971. We always vacationed in the New England states just riding around enjoying the coolness and scenery. We came upon an old sign by a farm that offered plane rides. My Dad and Grandpa thought it would be fun. I remember a lot of banging going on as we flew around which seemed like flying in an over sized tin can. We flew for quite awhile. I have a vivid memory of seeing black and white cows heading back to the barn two by two. Their backs were so wide and almost square looking and I thought they looked like dominoes. It wasn't until 8 years ago that I flew again to Texas to see my first Grandson after he was just born. I really enjoyed it. Loved all the fluffy clouds. Very relaxing. I saved the receipt from that first plane ride. Quite a bargainplane ride 1 (522x800).jpg for $10.00.
 
UH1 pilot in Service here, I have been in several types and several airplanes, it never bothered me and was enjoyable. Most memorable was flying into Pensacola Fl to Monsanto Chemical and getting 2 barrels on a pallet with 2 armed guards with it going to Colorado we would not take off until they gave us the weight all was classified, finally an hour later they told us, they were very light not much at all, we never did know what was in them just hauled them and the guards.
 
When your family lives 4,000 miles away in the 'lower 48' long plane rides are the rule unless you want to spend 5-6 days driving one way to see them. For years I traveled back and forth from Alaska to Philadelphia and was never worried about the flight, just tired and worn out after 10 hours in the air. However when I retired and was living only on my social security check my son's wife who travels all the time for her employer used the free miles she earned to start buying me a tickets to visit every Christmas and I never complained again. Though it was the same long flights I now reveled in the comfort of being in first class... but I am afraid I could never travel in coach again.
 
Yes I fly by plane about 6 times a year on average... in fact if all goes well I'll be taking a 3 hour flight in the next couple of weeks.. again..


I like flying...i detest all the airport hoohah !!
 
I have been flying since I was a kid. Never a fan of it, mainly due to motion sickness. I will live if I never fly again. When I was a kid, even went on a helicopter ride. THAT was fun. My sister in law in Florida wants me to visit some time. I am in New York. I would love to take a train down. I took a train from Rochester to Albany once, to visit my brother and loved the experience.
 

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