Where Did you Go ?

I flew from the airport of the world, Springfield, Mass. to O'Hare for US Navy Basic training at Great Lakes, Ill. It was a big jet.
After basic, I flew back home on a tiny airlines, (It was like flying on "Wings"). There were multiple stops on the flight. I think we delivered newspapers and milk.
Much later, I was stationed at GTMO, Cuba. Guess what airlines we flew down on- ALASKA AIRLINES.
 

My first flight was from Baltimore to Seattle when I was 11 years old. At first, I was very nervous, but once we had reached our cruising altitude and the Stewardesses (that’s what they were called back then) served us a drink and a meal, I was able to relax. We had to change planes in Chicago.

I was hooked on flying after that trip.
 

My first flight I ever took wasn’t until I was in my 30’s ,I flew from Adelaide to the town where I grew up , which is normally just over an hours flight ✈.

The trip up was smooth however coming back to SA the flight was delayed due a huge thunder storm ,so the flight that was due to leave at 9 Pm but didn’t leave until 10.30 pm.

it was in the old Fokker friendship plane days it rattled and banged all the way to Adelaide due to
the storm it was rather frightening experience .

It had been a extremely hot day in BH and still quite warm when I left ...however when we landed it was about 14c and I was only wearing a lightweight summer dress , I was alone so I had to then find my way to my booked accommodation ....
so my first experience of flying wasn’t a good one ...and I still don’t like flying ...

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My first flight I ever took wasn’t until I was in my 30’s ,I flew from Adelaide to the town where I grew up , which is normally just over an hours flight ✈.

The trip up was smooth however coming back to SA the flight was delayed due a huge thunder storm ,so the flight that was due to leave at 9 Pm but didn’t leave until 10.30 pm.

it was in the old Fokker friendship plane days it rattled and banged all the way to Adelaide due to
the storm it was rather frightening experience .

It had been a extremely hot day in BH and still quite warm when I left ...however when we landed it was about 14c and I was only wearing a lightweight summer dress , I was alone so I had to then find my way to my booked accommodation ....
so my first experience of flying wasn’t a good one ...and I still don’t like flying ...

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You should give up flying on those puddle jumpers and fly in one of the newer jets. The difference is like day and night. Weather is almost a non issue now. With the technology on the ground and in the planes, planes very seldom fly through bad weather. Every big jet here in the U.S. has Doppler radar onboard. I’m sure they do in Europe also. Most jets also have microburst, wind shear and crosswind detection onboard. They also receive continuous weather reports (about once every hour) while in the air using a program called METARS and reported through the plane’s ACARS system.
 
You should give up flying on those puddle jumpers and fly in one of the newer jets. The difference is like day and night. Weather is almost a non issue now. With the technology on the ground and in the planes, planes very seldom fly through bad weather. Every big jet here in the U.S. has Doppler radar onboard. I’m sure they do in Europe also. Most jets also have microburst, wind shear and crosswind detection onboard. They also receive continuous weather reports (about once every hour) while in the air using a program called METARS and reported through the plane’s ACARS system.
Yep allot has changed in almost 40 years since that scary flight ......however I still dont like flying ..but I do fly to Queensland each winter ( July / Aug ) for a month @oldman that’s about a 2.5 hour flight up and longer coming back , I’ve been told it’s a longer flight coming home to South Aust because of the southerly winds .
 
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Yep allot has changed in almost 40 years since that scary flight ......however I still dont like flying ..but I do fly to Queensland each winter ( July / Aug ) for a month @oldman that’s about a 2.5 hour flight up and longer coming back , I’ve been told it’s a longer flight coming home to South Aust because of the southerly winds .
Absolutely. A good tailwind will move you along, while a strong headwind will slow you down. I generally flew East to West and vice versa, so I would follow the jet stream. The jet stream flows West to East, so coming back from the the west coast would allow us to be moved along by the westerly winds.
 
about 1960)i was about 12-13 and sister about 6-7. my grandmother had inherited a SMALL amount of money after death of an elderly maiden aunt. she gave most of it to her 3 kids. my dad bought a dishwasher with part of his share. at that time (about 1960) my grandparents would spend a month or so in Florida during PA winter. dad put sis & i on a plane (delta, i believe) out of Philly to Tampa/St Pete area. i remember changing planes in Atlanta and being terrified we'd be lost forever. i also remember getting a meal... teeny little pack of 2-3 CIGARETTES on each of our trays!
 
1966 going around in circles in Kentucky. 101st Airborne Division training exercise.

1975 first civilian flight from Baltimore with my wife to Sea-Tac in Wash. state to visit her parents who lived near Mt. Rainier.
 
First flight, age 2, Germany to USA. Dad was in the USAF.

Best flight, age 6, USA to Germany. Lots of USAF moms and little kids on the plane. My mom talked to one of the guys in charge of enlisted men, and he assigned one guy to each child. This left the moms only having to take care of one child -- babies or toddlers.

My 4 year old sister and I each had an enlisted guy. They were 18 years old, my mom said later. Well, we thought they were super heroes. They made sure we had blankets and pillows, cut up our meat, entertained us. They were two really cool guys.
 
about 1960)i was about 12-13 and sister about 6-7. my grandmother had inherited a SMALL amount of money after death of an elderly maiden aunt. she gave most of it to her 3 kids. my dad bought a dishwasher with part of his share. at that time (about 1960) my grandparents would spend a month or so in Florida during PA winter. dad put sis & i on a plane (delta, i believe) out of Philly to Tampa/St Pete area. i remember changing planes in Atlanta and being terrified we'd be lost forever. i also remember getting a meal... teeny little pack of 2-3 CIGARETTES on each of our trays!
Quite a trip, just your sister and you at those ages. I assume the hostesses took good care of you. Odd, giving cigarettes to children :unsure:
 
1961, wife and I flew NY to Bermuda for our first anniversary. It was a propeller airliner. There were some jets then, but you had to pay more.

Loved Bermuda. The following year we had a new son, didn't go anywhere. Longest trip, Tampa to Melbourne Australia, many years later.
 


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