I was about 13, 1970, G-AVRN Britania 737-200 Luton to Spain, great flight went on flight deck on route back, holiday was cack tho
Sunday I get my first flight in a 747... Virgin Atlantic to Orlando, must admit to looking fwd to sitting in a747-400 even if it is cattle class
AMD Phenom II X4 BE 965 @ 3.80GHz
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Comet 4B from Hurn to Heathrow 196? the year before PEE pranged at Heathrow, because my second flight was in PEU the Sunday after. The Air Scouts did a yearly trip to Bournmouth and used to fly back in a BEA plane relocating to Heathrow empty. It used to stop at Hurn and pick us up.
Simon
'The trouble with the speed of light is it gets here too early in the morning!' Alfred. E. Neuman
Never forgot the first flight, sheer magic,
1971 East midlands-Jersey, Argosy G-APWW (double scotch), My first day on the job with Sagittair, we loaded 10 tons of Boots chemist freight and a few pallets of Grimsby fresh fish, then Captain Nick Carter grabs my shoulder and says "go get your lunch bag, your comming with me today"..he showed me the escape rope for the overhead hatch in the flight deck and said "make bloody sure it's attatched before you throw it out"
What a day, I've flown thousands of hours since then, but you never forget the first, sigh.
About 21 years ago, Southampton to Guernsey on an Air UK Fokker 27 (still in the blue livery I think). I wasn't very old, I do remember waiting for hours (literally) as the flight was delayed until visibility around the Channel Islands improved. It was the old Airport where the terminal was a converted WWI hangar and the smell of avtur hung in the air. I dont specifically remember the flight itself but the whole experience left a lasting impression and as a result of that I'm here on this forum making this post!
First flight for me was with the air cadets in what was the training plane for them at the time, the Scottish Aviation Bulldog. Remember it very well, sat in the ready room at RAF Woodvale near Liverpool in a flying suit, helmet and parachute. Couldn't believe how much the plane rattled, even when it was idling. Could barely see over the cockpit (I was only 14 or so at the time).
A year later I got a chance to fly in what was a new trainer at the time for them, the Grob Tutor, much nicer to fly and be a passenger in, around August 2000.
Oddly enough my first flight as just a passenger wasn't to be until years later, in 2007.
AFAIK my first flight ever was on a BEA Vanguard (951) between Heathrow and Glasgow with my parents around 1963/4, I also know one of those subsequent trips was done in a BEA Viscount. First passenger jet was a BUA 1-11 200 from Gatwick to Edinburgh. In later years notable firsts were British Airtours (first 707), SAM Italy (first Caravelle), Spantax (first and only CV990), Inex Adria (first DC6), Northwest (first and only 727-100), Aviogenex (first Tu134A), Pan Am (first 747). My first light was G-AYCT Cessna 150 at Turnhouse. Never managed a Comet, VC10, DC8 despite their widespread availability for holiday travels in the 70's.
1966. Piper Cherokee at Teesside. I was twelve years old and an avid aerospotter at Teesside. You had to be avid because not a lot happened.
The flying school did short pleasure flights so my mate and I saved up our pocket money for a quick circuit.
I can't remember how much it was but we didn't pay anyway because as soon as we pitched up at the flying club hut with the cash in our grubby mitts the owner said he'd seen us around the airport and seeing as we were regular aerospotters he'd give us a freebie.
I don't know if he wanted some ballast because the pleasure flight turned into a flight up to Newcastle and back. Apparently he had to go up there to pick something up. So I got front seat going up and my mate coming back.
I biked the five miles home and Mum asked if we had got our flight. I told her I'd been to Newcastle and back. After all I was now a well travelled aviator.
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