Your very first flight

[Darren Wheeler]

Chatting at work last week we had a discussion about the very first time you ever flew. Mine are:

First ever flight - Back in 1984 in an De Haviland Chipmunk out of RAF Abingdon while in the CCF at school. The pilot decided to show off with aerobatics. Never been so green in my life.... [:$]

First commercial flight - 1993 to Jersey from LHR. I thought it was very glamorous at the time. All I remember from the week was how much it rained.

First longhaul flight - 1994 Gatwick to St Lucia, via Antigua. I upgraded to BA Club World and got the taste for the high life. I remember the flight back, walking to the plane with sunburnt feet. Ouch!

First VS flight - 1995 LHR-LAX in the old Mid Class. IIRC, you had access to the old Clubhouse then or it might have been because I had upgraded via VH. On the outbound flight, the guy next to me snored the whole 11 hours. On the return I had picked up a stinking cold nd was suffering. It did pick up when a very attractive young lady sat next to me and we spent most of the flight flirting. [y]

First time UCS - 2005 LHR-SFO. Loved every minute of it (except the credit card bill) and can't wait for my return to 8K [8D]

[mitchja]

My first commercial flight was a DanAir flight to Sicily when I was about 6 or 7 so that would have been around 1980. No idea what A/C it was though.

First VS flight was the VS75 to MCO back in 1998 on G-VGIN in economy.

Although I'd booked my first V Hols package to BGI the year before (May 1997) which should have been VS flights but they didn't get their licence to fly to BGI in time with it been a brand new route, so ended up flying on BA instead [:$]

First VS PE flight was on the VS047 to YYZ in Aug 2001 (G-VSSS)

First VS Upper flight was the VS048 back from YYZ Aug 2001 (G-VIBE with J2000 seats)

Regards

[Decker]

1979 - BA - LHR->SFO. Won a Lloyds Bank competition for 6th formers and got to travel with 9 others for two weeks in CA.

First VS flight was LGW-BGI in 1999. It was meant to be in Y, but VH screwed up with our connecting flights (tried to book us on a non-existent LBA-LGW flight) and we were upgraded to PE as part of the compensation.

On the return leg we were upgraded again to UC, back in the days when it was in the 'bubble'. Loved it, still remember the fillet steak they served us to this day (especially when I'm travelling UC nowadays and staring dolefully down into my chicken tika). The whole experience is what got is into VS really. Still haven't got round to trying Y out though...

Orion Airways to either Pisa or Naples around the mid 80's were to blame getting me hooked with this industry. I believe Orion got swallowed up my Britannia at some stage.

VS have a lot to answer for also...[:I] My 1st VS flight was on my 18th birthday to JFK on G-VLAX, we ended up getting diverted to EWR with 3 hours of circling NYC because of fog.

The return from JFK was aboard G-VIRG - Maiden Voyager which was quite fitting for my first return flight on VS...

[Neil]

My first ever flight was a Virgin flight LGW-MIA in 1990 when we went to Disney for the first time, I was only 6 so can't remember the a/c or too muhc detail, apart from the fact it was a Jumbo and our return flight was delayed by 24hrs due to technical problems.

First ever PE flight was LHR-NYC last March, has got me hooked ever since and I now refuse to fly LH in Y

First UCS flight - TBA, but very soon if I have anything to do with it.

Neil

BHX-EDI for a training day trip to BP Grangemouth. I blew my departments training budget for the whole year on that one (we had a small budget!)

It was a small 34 seat (I think) SAAB 340.... Bumpy as hell!

BHX-EDI later became a weekly commute for me when I became very blasŽ about the whole flying thing, and usually had the luxury of a BAC1-11.
But occasionally got an island hoping turbo prop that was even smaller than the SAAB and even more exciting on windy days.

I was about 6 months old on my first ever flight , flying with Syrian Airways in the 70's to India to visit family. Needless to say I don't remember the flight [|)].

First ever VS flight was LHR to LAX in 1995, on a 2 week holiday with my best friend. Loved the TV screens, ice creams etc. Felt so innovative back then.

First time in PE was LHR to NYC with Mr L2H in 2000, we were upgraded to PE on the day.
First UC flight was LGW to BGI in 2004, upgraded on the plane from PE.
So then I was hooked on going upstairs, or turning left. Have been lucky enough to fly only UC and PE since.

L2H

oooh gosh! right then.
First ever flight
1965 BEA (British European airways for you young 'uns) Vickers Viscount BHX to Jersey

First RAF flight DeHavilland Chipmunk 1972, loved it so much I joined the Company [:o)]

First medium haul RAF VC10 to Akrotiri 1978, followed by Shakletons, and Hercules

First long haul: BOAC 707? LHR to New York 1979

First Virgin flight; Club Orlando MAN-MCO 1989

First Stewardess girlfriend: Tina, Dan Air 1978 [y][y]

First flight: Northern Ireland (poss. Belfast ?) to Ringway 1959 on a DC3.

First small aircraft: accompanying my dad when he took a "taster" lesson in his late 60's. Terrifying. I remember the sound of the stall alarm and wondering if I was about to meet my maker on the Blackpool shore.

First long haul: Business class BA LHR - JFK sometime in the later 90's

First VS: UCS LHR - EWR 1998 (?). Yet to be repeated...

First helicopter: over the Grand Canyon in 2000. A great experience -"The Ride of the Valkyries" playing on the headphones and the lurch of the stomach as we went over the canyon edge and from an altitude of 200 feet to 5200 feet.

Paul

First flight was to Vegas but I was a toddler so its not a memory. My mother does remember me belting some other toddler in the face when he tried to play with my toy car though...serves him right the little bugger.

First flight I remember was also in a chipmunk but the commercial one was on some charter carrier affiliated with BA. LGW - MIA to meet my father for the first time. He showed the irresponsibility my mother often remarked over by turning up 2 1/2 hours late to pick me up. I almost turned around and took the same flight home.

First VS flight was (I think) LHR-LAX in 1991/1992. For some reason I got a couple of upgrades to J on that route which was nice, but boy did I used to get into LHR with some hangovers.

Most memorable flight was in a Cessna 152 (N64938) on my private pilot long cross country when I got lost returning from Lake Havasu Arizona heading to Montgomery field in San Diego and I crossed into Mexico without knowing it and flew right through Tijuana international airports airspace before anyone noticed me. There is no feeling in the world like flying a small aircraft and not knowing where you are.

[honey lamb]

First flight was in 1950-something when I was about 10 from Squires Gate Airport on a "once around Blackpool Tower and back in time for tea" flight. Cost was about 5 shillings - a fortune in those days and little did my dad know what he had unleashed in me that day.

First commercial flight was in or around 1969 on Aer Lingus DUB-LPL in (I think) a Viscount. I was returning from spending the summer at home in the West of Ireland and on the train from Westport to Dublin something in me baulked at the thought of the sea crossing an the tortuous train journey from Holyhead to Blackpool. On arrival in Dublin I rang Aer Lingus and booked a one way ticket to Liverpool for the princely sum of £10. It never occurred to me that MAN was the larger airport or that there was a regular train service between Manchester and Blackpool. There was nothing out of Liverpool that evening and my only option was a taxi to Preston!! [:0] Still, the look of surprise on my dad's face when I walked in that night was priceless.

First longhaul flight was on BA to JNB in economy. The flight there was great and we were allowed to spread out for the duration of the flight. On the way back the flight had to stop in Nairobi because of the LHR curfew whereupon the plane was invaded by an army of American car salesmen who had won a week's safari for selling $xxx worth of cars. They proceeded to toss everyone's stuff out of the overhead bins so that they could put in their own excess luggage and nearly caused a riot!

First VS flight was in 1997 again to JNB in economy. It was a flight where if anything could go wrong it did go wrong but what wedded me to VS was the way they dealt with it both during and after the flight.

First VS PE flight was in 2000 again to JNB. It was to be Aer John's last flight on a child's fare so I decided to treat the two of us. The crew seemed to sense our excitement and couldn't do enough for us. It was on a 343 but I thought it was great and we have never flown longhaul economy since then.

First UC flight was to EWR in 2001. We had booked into PE but when we got on the plane Aer John found there was something wrong with his seat. The engineers were called but couldn't fix it so the two of us were op-upped [y] We later found out from a passenger we had been talking to on boarding that they had filled our seats in PE.

Good topic!! But its making me feel old!! Eeek!! [:#]

First flight - BEA BAC 1-11 to Munich from LGW for a skiiing holiday in Mayrhofen. Must have been circa 1970 coz I was 8 or 9.

First Transatlantic was also my first VS flight - flew to MIA in 1987, definitely in Y booked through Kuoni. I cannot for the life of me remember whether we flew from LHR or LGW ( I know its LHR now but was it back then??)

First flight was in 1971 as a mini cub on an outing from Glasgow abbostsinch to Edinburgh Turnhouse on a vickers viscount. It was a special charter and we got the bus back.
Second flight was on a Dan Air comet 4c from LGW to Larnaca in 1973 I think.

For birthday treats I always wanted to go to Prestwick and to the Aero Grill restaurant because I could see big planes there[:I] This is when Prestwick had the monopoly for transatlantic flights from Scotland.

my first flight was 81 with sir freddie laker skytrain to mia dc10 around the time the doors were falling off in flight. thanks for bringing it all back from the mists of time.Darren a good post

[Scrooge]

1976 London to St Lucia

First flight was JNB-DUR I think and first VS flight was LHR-DUR in 95; first UC flight was JNB-LHR in 96.

45

[buns]

Great topic[y]

First flight was on a BEA Vickers Viscount tp Palma in 1960[:0]

Not only do I rember the huge windows but also went up to the flight deck and for years thought I actually flew the aircraft[:w][:I][:I]

First true VS flight was in September 96 when mrs Buns & I went to LAX on our honeymoon. We flew PE and I recall how some UC pax came up to the bubble to gawp at a celeb who was sitting three rows in front[V][V]

We both joined flying club that year and the rest is history :D:D:D:D

buns

First flight - to ORK, probably with EI in 1971. I can't remember it as I was only 10 months old!

First long haul flight - LHR-BNE via SIN in 1993 with QF in Economy

First VS flight - LHR-JFK on the 9/9/99 in Economy. I recall people telling me not to fly on that date as every computer in the world was going to crash![?]

First VS upgrade - LHR-SFO, economy to PE, April 2001. That was the end of economy for us

[honey lamb]

Originally posted by MrsG
First flight - to ORK, probably with EI in 1971. I can't remember it as I was only 10 months old!

It could have been with Cambrian Airways. In those days there were two flights from LHR to ORK. The morning Cambrian flight left LHR at 9am and arrived in ORK at 10:15 and then returned to LHR. Then in the evening an EI flight would come in to ORK and leave for LHR at 8pm. The fare was £26 return. The agency I worked for was involved in the repatriation of single pregnant girls back to Ireland and most Tuesdays and Fridays two of them would travel. My job was to organise that with the various authorities

[Darren Wheeler]

Originally posted by MrsG


First VS flight - LHR-JFK on the 9/9/99 in Economy. I recall people telling me not to fly on that date as every computer in the world was going to crash![?]

Funny, what ever happened to all the Doom Merchants who said the world would end? It started as 4th July 1999, Then 11th August (the the eclipse), followed by the 9/9/99 and then 31/12/99.

Are they still hiding under their beds with fingers in ears?

First flight was Rhoose Airport (now CWL)to Rimini in Italy in 1970.Great memories of my parents, brother and I roaring about the countryside in a Fiat 500.Can't remember the aircraft but think the carrier was Cambrian Airways.
First VS flight was LHR to JFK in 1993.

My first was on a SAS MD-80 from Oslo Fornebu (closed) to Copenhagen then onto a 737 to Manchester in about 1988. Went there by train and got talked into staying another couple of days and flying home. Never looked back!

First long haul was on an Air UK Leisure 767 again from Manchester in 1994. It was 7 hours late and only half the toilets were working!

Regards

John

I almost ended up not getting on my first flight. It was Dan Air (I think but I might be getting mixed up, as I also travelled that route many other times and some of the flights were with Britannia)to Zakynthos from Manchester on the 23 August 1985. The morning before a British Airtours plane caught fire after an aborted take off leading to over 50 people losing their lives.

Pat

[RichardMannion]

I know I'm not as old as some of you lot, but I can't remember my first flight overall. First longhaul was to MCO in January 1990, can't remember who flight was with but I do remember that Universal Studios hadn't even opened.

First VS flights:

March 1999 to JFK - showing my true amateur colours, it was a on a VS metal but on a CO ticket. Joined Freeway but got the letter to tell me it didn't qualify.

June 1999 soon saw that rectified, as my first PE flight to MCO; and therofre triggered the start of my Freeway earning, though it soon changed to Flyign Club not long later.

November 2001 saw my first UC flight again to MCO (I used miles to upgrade from a W as it was 21st birthday. Left the family back in Economy which somewhat bemused the crew.

Lost count of the number of VS sectors completed now, it's gone past 100 and I've seen over a million points being spent from my account on reward flights and upgrades for me and my family.

Thanks,
Richard