Only until TMOliver chimes in!

FT makes me feel very old

1965, Sacramento to San Diego, to visit grandparents. I was 6 and my brother was 5. My parents took us to the gate and then the stewardesses treated us like princes. We got wings from the pilot and other treats.

In later years we often flew on PSA to SoCal. PSA was always late taking off. One time, we headed to the runway on schedule-to our surprise. But when we got to the ready area somebody decided the door wasn't closed properly. By the time they got it sorted out...we were late, as usual.

Summer of 1952. Mid-Continent Airlines Convair 340 from TUL to the old downtown Kansas City airport. I was 10 and got to travel by myself. Pillow on my lap with a sandwich served by the nicest lady you would ever meet and milk. Awesome. I still have my ticket (I saw it last year somewhere in my drawers) and I think the fare was $12 and change.

I spent the summer mowing yards at .50 cents or some such a yard to finance my trip and visit my Aunts, Uncles and Cousins.

EA BOS-TPA at some point in the early to mid-1970s. The first one I remember would have probably been the same airline and routing circa 1978. I do recall visiting the cockpit and getting wings.

I only started tracking my flights in the past 10 years or so.

On some puddle jumper between Burlington, Vermont and Albany when I was 12 with my grand parents. They were worried for me because the turbulence was so bad, but I loved it.

My first few flights were hopping back and forth between the U.S. and Asia in a C-5 in the early 80's. I don't remember a thing, but my mom says that she got first-class treatment.

June 1970. LAX to Pittsburgh to visit family in Ohio. My mom traveled with three kids who all wanted the window seat and I remember having to trade seats every hour.

Sometime in 1967, Mohawk Airlines from EWR to ALB and return. One of the flights was a BAC-111 and the other was a loud Fokker F-227 (I think those were the planes, I was young and it was a long time ago.) :p

Cheers,
Pogopossum

ps. I liked the jet.

actually a Fairchild Hiller FH-227B ... both that and the BAC 1-11 were among my favorites in the early 1970s when Mohawk (aka "Slow-hawk" and occasionally "No-hawk") was the only way into and out of my college town. (Ithaca NY)

It wasn't until my mid 20s in July 2006 I flew DSM-PHX on a US CRJ900. The flight wasn't bad at all (had exit row) except for right after take off we took what felt like a hard left and I felt a little queasy. After getting a couple more flights under my belt that rarely happens now though a couple years later on a flight from OMA to PHX that had constant turbulence from climb out to landing was the closest I've ever come to losing it. Another 20 or so minutes and things wouldn't have ended well.

NW JFK to TYO via ANC in 1960, I was 3.

Just talked about it with my Mom last weekend. We lost 3 of 4 engines on ANC-TYO. She had me in the restroom when the plane dropped. We came out to everybody wearing life vests. Escorted to US airbase in Northern Japan where NW sent planes to bring everyone to TYO.