HollywoodBQ said:

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txags92 said:

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FAT SEXY said:

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Were flights more tense back then?

Was the fear of catastrophic failure on the back of your mind?

Do you feel safer flying today?

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I remember sitting at a little pub table and playing cards with my dad and brother and having some other passenger come by and show us card tricks on a flight to Alaska when I was 7. Don't remember being tense at all.

I do remember my dad talking about flying to Miami in the mid-70s and having checked a pistol at the ticket counter. As they were on final descent into Miami, the stewardess came down the aisle and handed him the holstered and loaded gun. Apparently, they gave the weapons to the flight crew to carry back then and my dad didn't look like he was likely to try to hijack the plane to Cuba.

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Did not know you were also an Alaska guy.

I lived in Valdez for 3 years while my father built the Marine Loading Terminal at the end of the pipeline.

Alaska Airlines used to fly a 727 into Valdez for their service to Anchorage.

I do remember the ashtrays being filthy.

One time we were flying from Anchorage to DFW on a Braniff 747 and my brother and I played the sit down table top version of Pong on the airplane.

And with respect to hijackings, in the mid-1980s, we narrowly missed being on an Alitalia flight out of Athens, Greece that got hijacked to Libya. Different times back then.

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I never lived there full time. We lived there for about 3 months each summer in 1977 and 1978. My dad was doing mining exploration projects all over but mostly in the Brooks Range. We lived in Anchorage in a rented house out on Campbell Lake, but we got to fly out to the mining camps a couple of times each summer and did a few long driving trips all over the place. Could make make a good argument that those were the two best summers of my childhood.

That Braniff 747 may be the plane I have the memory of sitting in the pub area. My only experience with Valdez was driving in on our way back from somewhere out east and taking the ferry to Whittier where we drove the car onto a train to get back over by Portage Glacier.

It was 1969 I think, my brother was stationed in Concord CA in the USN , Mom made me wear a suit on the plane we flew from Houston to San Francisco and then took a helicopter to Oakland which was all part of the ticket. I will never forget it and we were treated like royalty.

Flew D/FW to London in 1986 with my parents. I was 12. In a pre-TSA world, they let me go into the cockpit and say hi to the pilot/copilot while we were over the Atlantic. The pilot didn't ask if I've ever been to a Turkish prison or any such nonsense.

As for current day, last flight was D/FW - Reno and back. I can't stand flying for numerous reasons others have posted above.

When I was a kid, it was a fun experience. I know it's safer than going via ground transportation but knowing how how high up we are and how fast we are going just sketches me out.

The Brazos Kid said:

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Flew D/FW to London in 1986 with my parents. I was 12. In a pre-TSA world, they let me go into the cockpit and say hi to the pilot/copilot while we were over the Atlantic. The pilot didn't ask if I've ever been to a Turkish prison or any such nonsense.

As for current day, last flight was D/FW - Reno and back. I can't stand flying for numerous reasons others have posted above.

When I was a kid, it was a fun experience. I know it's safer than going via ground transportation but knowing how how high up we are and how fast we are going just sketches me out.

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did he ask if you liked movies about gladiators, though?

Doctor Rosenrosen said:

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The Brazos Kid said:

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Flew D/FW to London in 1986 with my parents. I was 12. In a pre-TSA world, they let me go into the cockpit and say hi to the pilot/copilot while we were over the Atlantic. The pilot didn't ask if I've ever been to a Turkish prison or any such nonsense.

As for current day, last flight was D/FW - Reno and back. I can't stand flying for numerous reasons others have posted above.

When I was a kid, it was a fun experience. I know it's safer than going via ground transportation but knowing how how high up we are and how fast we are going just sketches me out.

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did he ask if you liked movies about gladiators, though?

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I cannot confirm nor deny that that question was brought up.

Magneto said:

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You get on a plane now and everyone shuts the visor on the windows. Folks used to enjoy the scenery with the window seat. Now everyone either has to watch moves and shows or folks are afraid to offend someone with the sunlight on their iPad screen of their neighbor………

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This. I remember flying from Kansas City to Denver to El Paso on Continental back in summer, 1973 as I left ROTC summer camp and did a 2 week TDY with a HAWK battalion at Ft. Bliss. I was stunned at the visual difference flying over green plains to the Rockies and then into the desert southwest.

FAT SEXY said:

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Were flights more tense back then?

Was the fear of catastrophic failure on the back of your mind?

Do you feel safer flying today?

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I was born in late 1970 so was flying by the last few years of the decade

I was actually much less nervous back then than now

because when you are a kid you have no idea of what is happening around you and everything is fun.

Flying in the 1960's/-1970's was a luxury experience.
Now it is not much different from a subway experience. Everyone flies.

YokelRidesAgain said:

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Win At Life said:

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The sweet spot of enjoyable flight was after they banned cigarettes, but before deregulation.

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Uh, that period of time never existed.

Airline deregulation occurred in 1978. The first no-smoking airline, to my knowledge, was Muse in 1981. Smoking was not widely banned in the US until 1990.

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Can confirm. International carriers kept them for a long time. A KLM flight from Amsterdam to Houston had a big smoking section in the middle of the 747 that I was on. I get it from the way that air is circulated and filtered in the plane but still sucked if you were within a dozen rows of it.

If you want to experience what it was like just fly TACA anywhere in Central America. Free drinks once the wheels are up!

My private jet now is much nicer and has more amenities than the one I had back in the day, obviously.

chick79 said:

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I flew as a kid several times in the 1960s as my Dad worked overseas for a couple of years. Everyone got dressed up back them. My brother and I always wore a coat and tie. The "stewardesses" were always young, attractive and friendly. Compare that to today and it's totally different.

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Times change. People also use to wear a coat and tie to baseball and football games.

"When you got it, flaunt it" ~ Braniff

Magneto said:

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You get on a plane now and everyone shuts the visor on the windows. Folks used to enjoy the scenery with the window seat. Now everyone either has to watch moves and shows or folks are afraid to offend someone with the sunlight on their iPad screen of their neighbor………

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Truth

sodycracker said:

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- No TSA. You didn't have to arrive hours before your flight and get frisked like you were a felon. I've even had them roll the jetway back to the plane to let me on. It was actually enjoyable to fly. Not stressful.

- People took pride in how they dressed and acted.
- Food was served and usually decent.
- seating area had more room.
- stewardesses we're usually shiny

Downside - you felt like you had been flying in a giant ashtray.

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I was telling my 20 yr old son this the other day when traveling and blew his mind. He couldn't envision being able to walk straight up to the gate to greet someone coming off the plane when picking them up.

chick79 said:

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I flew as a kid several times in the 1960s as my Dad worked overseas for a couple of years. Everyone got dressed up back them. My brother and I always wore a coat and tie. The "stewardesses" were always young, attractive and friendly. Compare that to today and it's totally different.

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you had no other real options except to look at the window or listen to the "radio" with the air headphones. Not all flights had movies.

now you have options to bring you're own entertainment

StinkyPinky said:

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sodycracker said:

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- No TSA. You didn't have to arrive hours before your flight and get frisked like you were a felon. I've even had them roll the jetway back to the plane to let me on. It was actually enjoyable to fly. Not stressful.

- People took pride in how they dressed and acted.
- Food was served and usually decent.
- seating area had more room.
- stewardesses we're usually shiny

Downside - you felt like you had been flying in a giant ashtray.

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I was telling my 20 yr old son this the other day when traveling and blew his mind. He couldn't envision being able to walk straight up to the gate to greet someone coming off the plane when picking them up.

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as a kid my great grandmother would fly in from Chattanooga to Houston. We'd go early to look at the moon rocks they had on display in the arrival areas.

Mathguy64 said:

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People dressed nicer but you couldn't see them because of the fog of cigarette smoke.

Food and drinks were free but the food tasted like a cigarette.

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We flew to Australia many times when I was young the the entire back of the plane was a cloud. My mom used to smoke but we would sit in the non-smoking section and she would walk back and stand in the aisle with everyone else standing and socializing.

StinkyPinky said:

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Magneto said:

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You get on a plane now and everyone shuts the visor on the windows. Folks used to enjoy the scenery with the window seat. Now everyone either has to watch moves and shows or folks are afraid to offend someone with the sunlight on their iPad screen of their neighbor………

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Truth

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Alot of times shutting the window shade is to keep the heat out since the new "more efficient planes" don't have AC that can keep the plane cool when the temp is over about 85F.

BrazosBendHorn said:

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I count myself as being fortunate to have flown on Continental and TWA in 1966 and 1969, respectively. Yeah, even coach was luxury back then compared to what it is now.


BBH and Dad at Love Field, Spring 1966


BBH suitably attired for soaring through the heavens.

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727 in the background, and then a DC-6? in the bottom pic? Great pics!

Looks pretty chill...

GreasenUSA said:

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BrazosBendHorn said:

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I count myself as being fortunate to have flown on Continental and TWA in 1966 and 1969, respectively. Yeah, even coach was luxury back then compared to what it is now.


BBH and Dad at Love Field, Spring 1966


BBH suitably attired for soaring through the heavens.

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727 in the background, and then a DC-6? in the bottom pic? Great pics!

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Not sure but what it was a DC-6 or a Vickers Viscount.

Were smokers a minority or majority of the population in the 70s? Seems odd that a small percentage of people would expect the entire population to bend to their will.

In time, they were overcome.

No pics from the 1969 TWA flights, but I recall being on a Boeing 727 for the outbound flight and a Convair 880 for the return (the 880 was a 4-engine jetliner similar to the Boeing 707 and the Douglas DC-8, the latter of which I flew on in 1975)

In 4th or 5th grade (late 70's), we took a field trip to DFW. We got to ride the Tram, let us get on the plane, and let us see the cockpit.

BrazosBendHorn said:

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GreasenUSA said:

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BrazosBendHorn said:

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I count myself as being fortunate to have flown on Continental and TWA in 1966 and 1969, respectively. Yeah, even coach was luxury back then compared to what it is now.


BBH and Dad at Love Field, Spring 1966


BBH suitably attired for soaring through the heavens.

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727 in the background, and then a DC-6? in the bottom pic? Great pics!

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Not sure but what it was a DC-6 or a Vickers Viscount.

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Vickers Viscount 800, Wiki says they were retired in 1967

I'm petty sure the background of the top picture is a 707 variant from the wing and visible pylon, and the HF antenna is just lost in the background.
edit: or it was one of the weird types that never had one

The Fife said:

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BrazosBendHorn said:

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GreasenUSA said:

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BrazosBendHorn said:

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I count myself as being fortunate to have flown on Continental and TWA in 1966 and 1969, respectively. Yeah, even coach was luxury back then compared to what it is now.


BBH and Dad at Love Field, Spring 1966


BBH suitably attired for soaring through the heavens.

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727 in the background, and then a DC-6? in the bottom pic? Great pics!

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Not sure but what it was a DC-6 or a Vickers Viscount.

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Vickers Viscount 800, Wiki says they were retired in 1967

I'm petty sure the background of the top picture is a 707 variant from the wing and visible pylon, and the HF antenna is just lost in the background.
edit: or it was one of the weird types that never had one

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With the tail assembly and shorter length, I was leaning towards DC-8 instead of 707. Didn't realize they had variants of the 707 without the antenna, though.

Pylons are wrong for the DC-8, the top of those are pretty much a straight line. Also I remember these from back when I had to deal with KC-135Es. They're the same.