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First Flight

First Flight

Old Jan 14, 2003 | 9:47 pm
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First Flight

Just out of curosity... does anyone remember their first airline flight?

I was about 10 or so, and flew AA from BNA to CLE on a Lockheed Electra, stopping in Louisville, CVG, CMH and CLE, visiting my grandparents....

I remember it well, because we were flying along a warm front and never flew very high.. in the clouds the whole time. Very turbulent.... "man I had a dreadful flight... the paper sack was on my knee..." (apoligies to the Beatles - Paul McCartney's back-up band before he started Wings.....)
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Old Jan 14, 2003 | 10:03 pm
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I'm not sure if this one was my first or not, but I only remember it because I have pictures. I was 7 and flew to grandma and grandpa's new home in Florida for the summer by myself.
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Old Jan 15, 2003 | 3:09 pm
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I was less than a year old, but apparently it was a South African Airways flight from Chicago to Johannesburg.


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Old Jan 15, 2003 | 3:36 pm
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My first flight was aa171 (i think that was the number) a md80 flying lga-ord.This occured on march 15th,2001 when i was 17.Amazing how many miles ive flown to make up for my yrs of not flying
-howie
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Old Jan 15, 2003 | 4:05 pm
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Right after I graduated from high school. I flew to Palm Beach to go stay with my aunt for a couple weeks in Jupiter. I am pretty sure I flew out of DCA ... well, it had to be DCA because I know it wasn't IAD and BWI wasn't very popular at the time

It believe the flights were on Eastern Airlines but I don't recall anything about either flight.

[This message has been edited by tazi (edited 01-15-2003).]
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Old Jan 15, 2003 | 4:05 pm
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I was ?18 and flew on Eastern Airlines (remember them?) into Orlando. The jet landing strip was at the McCoy AFB, hence the code for Orlando continues as MCO. All I remember was that it smelled of jet fuel.

BTW I've also flown on Ozark, North Central, Midway and several others who have gone.

Recently, in addition to an NWA Gold schedule for many years, I've flown on United, Delta, American & Continental. I wonder how many of the latter 4 will see 2004? As the Enya song ends, Who knows - only time!
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Old Jan 15, 2003 | 4:10 pm
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I dont know which age I was(3-4 years) when I took my first flight on a Lockhead Tristar from DUS-Las Palmas with LTU
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Old Jan 15, 2003 | 4:49 pm
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I was 20 and boarded a BA 747 LAX-London (don't remember if it was LHR or GTW.) Travelling with our college Concert Choir. We were allowed to see the cockpit, during the flight, after serenading the flight crew and passengers.

The funny thing I remember is that there was a group of high school students on the plane. Since alcohol was free (and free-flowing) they were all drunk to the point of passing out on the floor. The funny part was watching them wake up!


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<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2"> You only live once -- but if you work it right, once is enough.

Joe E. Lewis
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Old Jan 15, 2003 | 6:16 pm
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I was 14 and flew a National Airlines DC-6B from PHL to MIA with my parents. (We also flew back.)
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Old Jan 15, 2003 | 6:31 pm
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My first flight was in 1980 looking at the Univ. of TX & it was too far to drive. My first flight segment was MBS-DTW on Republic. (absorbed by NW). My life has not been the same ever since! Now I enjoy flying & seeing new places!
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Old Jan 15, 2003 | 8:23 pm
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I sure as hell don't remember my first flight, but it was TXL-XXX-LAX, and I must have been about 4 1/2 weeks old, as there are pictures of me sitting in LA at about 5 weeks.
Any FTer younger on his/her first flight?

[This message has been edited by Pacha (edited 01-15-2003).]
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Old Jan 15, 2003 | 9:41 pm
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Not too clear on the flight details, but dinner
was fried chicken (leg, thigh, wing), mashed
taters and gravy, peas, and fruit cocktail
for afters. I had milk, probably the only time
I actually asked for milk on an airplane.
It was also my first fried chicken and my
first mashed taters and gravy.

Major turbulence (or so it seemed to me), and
it was the first and only time I actually urped
on a plane. The first thing to come up was the
maraschino cherry from the fruit cup. For decades
after I was afraid not of airplanes nor of
turbulence but of maraschino cherries.

This was on a DC-6 from Cincy (before it became
CVG) to Washington (before it became Ronrico and
possibly before it became National).

I was in the last row, left side window.
My mother and my infant sister were next
to me. I was 3 at the time.
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Old Jan 16, 2003 | 2:59 pm
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I was 19 years old (1965) and flew ORF-DCA. When I made the reservation they asked if it was for Y or F. I asked how much F was and it was only 25% more (I think) so I took F. Spoiled me for life.

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Old Jan 16, 2003 | 5:56 pm
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The first flight that I remember was around age 7 from Spokane to PDX. I traveled by myself as a UM. I think it was a United or Western flight. I remember getting groovy wings and all the ginger ale I could stand.

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Old Jan 16, 2003 | 11:08 pm
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My first flight was a business trip 3 years ago. Fortunately, I was with a coworker that introduced me to activities such as airport parking, checking in luggage, etc. Otherwise, I would have been lost and may have never made it on the plane.

Another coworker who had a Red Carpet Club membership flew with us on the return trip, so I got to hang out in the lounge during a layover.

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