And this is how the whole thing started...

wsuffa

wsuffa

Touchdown! Greaser!
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Bill S.
So I was scanning some of the old slides that my father took over the years. I ran across these two - call 'em "Bill's first airplane ride". The one on National Airlines was taken at DCA, the other appears at first glance to be PVD (it was one of three airports: PVD, LGA, or IDL - yes, it was shortly before it became JFK) **edit** the airport may also have been DCA - the buildings in the distance may have been Bolling AFB. Need to research further***. The trip was DCA-PVD, and under the CAR at the time, we had to connect at either LGA or IDL/JFK). We made the trip sometimes on National to NYC thence AA to PVD, other times it was EA to NYC then AA to PVD. At least as best I recall. Later it was an Allegheny DC-9 non-stop DCA-PVD.

Yeah, I know it dates me, but the pictures were pretty good and I thought our aviation audience would enjoy. And it was the thing that gave me the bug.

Unfortunately, it was before the Frequent Flyer programs were launched, or I would have earned miles... ;)
 

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Do your legs still swell up like that every summer?

'dote=wsuffa;437831]So I was scanning some of the old slides that my father took over the years. I ran across these two - call 'em "Bill's first airplane ride". The one on National Airlines was taken at DCA, the other appears at first glance to be PVD (it was one of three airports: PVD, LGA, or IDL - yes, it was shortly before it became JFK. The trip was DCA-PVD, and under the CAR at the time, we had to connect at either LGA or IDL/JFK). We made the trip sometimes on National to NYC thence AA to PVD, other times it was EA to NYC then AA to PVD. At least as best I recall. Later it was an Allegheny DC-9 non-stop DCA-PVD.

Yeah, I know it dates me, but the pictures were pretty good and I thought our aviation audience would enjoy. And it was the thing that gave me the bug.

Unfortunately, it was before the Frequent Flyer programs were launched, or I would have earned miles... ;)
Click to expand...
[/QUOTE]
 
Bill:

You don't look so terribly different now.
 
rpadula said:
Ah, when people used to dress up to go flying...



LOL Spike. I just noticed the same "dress code" in Bill's avatar.
Click to expand...

Dress code? Hell, it's the same picture!

Ever youthful! :p
 
Very cool, Bill. Thanks for sharing those with us.
 
Neat pictures. I've flown on very few prop airliners except for the ATR-72, they're sadly being phased out with the bigger companies. I'm sure years down the road I'll get similar comments, "you mean you flew in a cessna, with STEAM gauges??!"
 
Bill, you were an adorable little boy! :yes: It looks like that prop blade was bigger than you in the second photo. What were you carrying in the first photo?
 
Diana said:
Bill, you were an adorable little boy! :yes: It looks like that prop blade was bigger than you in the second photo. What were you carrying in the first photo?
Click to expand...

Thanks for the flattery....

I don't really know what I was carrying. Looks like a bag of some kind.

I *do* remember that I got a pair of "wings" for each flight, even if they were plastic....
 
Wow! You wuz a menber of the pre-jet set! You musta been rich!
 
wsuffa said:
So I was scanning some of the old slides that my father took over the years. I ran across these two - call 'em "Bill's first airplane ride". The one on National Airlines was taken at DCA, the other appears at first glance to be PVD (it was one of three airports: PVD, LGA, or IDL - yes, it was shortly before it became JFK. The trip was DCA-PVD, and under the CAR at the time, we had to connect at either LGA or IDL/JFK). We made the trip sometimes on National to NYC thence AA to PVD, other times it was EA to NYC then AA to PVD. At least as best I recall. Later it was an Allegheny DC-9 non-stop DCA-PVD.

Yeah, I know it dates me, but the pictures were pretty good and I thought our aviation audience would enjoy. And it was the thing that gave me the bug.

Unfortunately, it was before the Frequent Flyer programs were launched, or I would have earned miles... ;)
Click to expand...

Maybe you'd have the rare "EXP for life" on your account! :rofl:

Cheers,

-Andrew
 
rpadula said:
Ah, when people used to dress up to go flying...



LOL Spike. I just noticed the same "dress code" in Bill's avatar.
Click to expand...

I can attest that Mr. Suffa does, indeed, wear pants (and even a tie!) from time to time. However, I do believe the Wild Suffa is most commonly found in shorts...

Cheers,

-Andrew
 
Great pics Bill! Must have been the sound of those radial engines.
 
mikea said:
Wow! You wuz a menber of the pre-jet set! You musta been rich!
Click to expand...

Nope, not at all. My dad worked hard and taught us about being fiscally responsible (for example, us kids - there were three of us - had to buy our own first cars. I bought mine from him, the family's Dodge station wagon. Ditto my middle brother - his wasn't the station wagon.). Likewise, we were each given some funds that had been invested for us for college - after that was done, we had to earn our own money (mine more than covered a good school...).

He was Navy officer reserves and worked civilian in the Pentagon.

We were very lucky to grow up learning how to manage our money....

<<<>>>>
Side note: the AA picture may have been taken at DCA after all. I forgot that for a while AA was running DCA-NYC-PVD with one plane service. The buildings in the distance MAY be Bolling AFB across the river. Not sure, but possible.
 
I am glad you posted those Bill, Those old planes were before my time. :D
 
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