[Video] What was it like during the Golden Age of Flying

AggieMike88

AggieMike88

Touchdown! Greaser!
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The original "I don't know it all" of aviation.

You young studs have no idea how cool it was to get prime rib sliced next to your seat on the international flights. Or how simple/easy it was to go from land side to air side.

What really got me solidly hooked on piloting was when my Braniff Airlines Pilot dad took me one one of his two night trips when I was 12, and rode in the jump seat on all the flights.
 
Good One!

I think the ‘Golden Age’ lies almost wholly in the 60’s.

The smoking is unimaginable to anyone who never experienced it and I don’t recall it being prohibited in the terminals as was implied by the video.

The golden age of private flying would seem to be right now. Private pilots can enjoy significant parts of that luxury no matter what equipment we fly.


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The golden age of flying is the 1920's and 1930's, biplanes, air racing and such. I think you're talking about the golden age of riding.
 
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First time I remember going through a metal detector was in HNL around 1969. My dad flew for Continental and I flew this airplane a few times in first class. One trip I was around 6 years old, it was an overnight flight, I spent it upstairs with the hostess eating popcorn and playing crazy 8.

CONTINENTAL747-vi.jpg

Dad started with Continental in 56 as co-pilot on DC-3's. Flew engineer on DC-6, 7 and the 707 when it first came out. He later flew the Viscount, DC-9, 727, and DC-10 as captain, and FO.
 
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Not so Golden, Flight in a DC-7 California to Hawaii 12+ hours and they did not fly that high so you go through the weather instead of over it. All goes well till something past the half way point goes bad like loss of a engine that gets everyone attention and makes for a fun trip will you make Hawaii or swim. The old Golden days might have had their day but I like flying on today's jets even with the tight seating and real tasty food they now serve.
 
champ driver said:
The golden age of flying is the 1920's and 1930's, biplanes, air racing and such. I think you're talking about the golden age of riding.
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I’m thinking the airplanes, engines and avionics we have today mean the golden age of flying, or perhaps piloting, is today.

Even if you want to go back and fly a classic, the experience is made better with a reliable engine or a handheld GPS.


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The golden age ,is what you believe it to be. I did like the 747s with the lounge on the upper deck.
 
I’m sure I would have enjoyed the lounge but missed it.

I certainly enjoyed flying empty Pan Am 747s on select domestic routes back in the day. Good food, great seats and plenty of distance from the smoking section. Didn’t last long but it was golden for a few.


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brien23 said:
Not so Golden, Flight in a DC-7 California to Hawaii 12+ hours and they did not fly that high so you go through the weather instead of over it.
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In 1968 I went on a five-week student tour of Europe. All air transportation was on chartered DC-7s and DC-7Cs. They were slow (8 hours LGB-JFK, 12 hours JFK-LGW), noisy, unreliable ... and as a student pilot I loved every minute of it. :D



 
AggieMike88 said:

You young studs have no idea how cool it was to get prime rib sliced next to your seat on the international flights. Or how simple/easy it was to go from land side to air side.

What really got me solidly hooked on piloting was when my Braniff Airlines Pilot dad took me one one of his two night trips when I was 12, and rode in the jump seat on all the flights.
Click to expand...
I remember in 1965 the family dressed up in our Sunday Best to go to the Love Field in Dallas to see my brother fly off to collage. It was a very big deal to visit the airport.
 
Who was it that had the "Deli Buffet in the Sky" in their L-1011s back in the late 1970s? TWA? I remember those from when I worked for the Navy. You'd go up and fix whatever you wanted.

Then there was a flight on Swiss back in 1983 (I was supposed to ride Pan Am from Zurich to JFK, but the plane was broken that day and the next US carrier flight was the same one the next day) that would have been the ideal flight to get poured off of if you were in the mood. After serving a beer from the cart the FA said to ring the call button if I wanted another, or "Here's where we keep the cart. Help yourself!" You sure don't see that anymore.

Now you're lucky to have room in your seat.
 
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