The first aircraft you flew in?
Discussion
Well this is the first aircraft I flew in!
This Husky, XW635, was won by Fred Pontin but Hughie Green arranged for Billy Butlin to purchase it to donate to a worthy cause. In June 1969 it was presented by Hughie Green and Billy Butlin to the Air Training Corp at Northolt, named “Spirit of Butlins”. It was then operated by 5 Air Experience Flight at Teversham (Cambridge) as XW635 until April 1989 when it joined the RAF College Flying Club at Cranwell as G-AWSW. It transferred in March 1995 to a private owner at Spanhoe where it is still based today.
I was an air cadet when I flew in XE635, in about 1978.
Photo found while I was having a look at my cousin’s husband’s photo website, Abingdon Airshow 2023! I must try to see her
This Husky, XW635, was won by Fred Pontin but Hughie Green arranged for Billy Butlin to purchase it to donate to a worthy cause. In June 1969 it was presented by Hughie Green and Billy Butlin to the Air Training Corp at Northolt, named “Spirit of Butlins”. It was then operated by 5 Air Experience Flight at Teversham (Cambridge) as XW635 until April 1989 when it joined the RAF College Flying Club at Cranwell as G-AWSW. It transferred in March 1995 to a private owner at Spanhoe where it is still based today.
I was an air cadet when I flew in XE635, in about 1978.
Photo found while I was having a look at my cousin’s husband’s photo website, Abingdon Airshow 2023! I must try to see her
Pan-Am - 747, 1981 (Oct/Nov time). Half my dads redundancy money from Chubb cash registers - 3 weeks fly drive around Florida. Heathrow to Miami.
Dad was not a good flier/days when you could smoke on a plane - didn’t once leave his seat the whole flight. I can still picture in my minds eye the layer of cigarette smoke hanging above people’s heads obscuring the movie screen (no back of seat in front screen in them days)
As many free cokes/soft drinks as a 9 year old could handle on a 9-10 hr flight …
Dad was not a good flier/days when you could smoke on a plane - didn’t once leave his seat the whole flight. I can still picture in my minds eye the layer of cigarette smoke hanging above people’s heads obscuring the movie screen (no back of seat in front screen in them days)
As many free cokes/soft drinks as a 9 year old could handle on a 9-10 hr flight …
Edited by seyre1972 on Monday 19th June 06:06
Royal Navy Westland Lynx from the deck of HMS Fife, with the Pilot asking us before take off whether Helicopters could loop the loop and then going straight into one.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GDFp2A_tnE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GDFp2A_tnE
Edited by McGee_22 on Monday 19th June 17:43
Another Chipmunk flight - as a 13yr old Air Cadet in 1987 on a day off from school...couldn't believe my luck. Did a loop and completely sh*t myself when the engine cut out inverted at the top and also got slightly concerned when the pilot saw another Chippie and told me to "try and ram it" and he would stop me. Completely nuts really but triggered something in me and very proud, 24 years later to be flying Grob Tutors at the very same Air Experience Flight taking up the next generation.
In a previous version of this thread I said that my first flight (at <1 yr old, so I don't actually remember it) was on a Monarch Airbus A300. But looking at when Monarch actually introduced the A300 that can't have been right, so I suspect it was a 737-300.
The first flight I can actually remember going on was in a Dan-Air BAe 146-300.
The first flight I can actually remember going on was in a Dan-Air BAe 146-300.
My first was an SAA 747-400 from Heathrow to Johannesburg, the second and third were the more interesting, a Comair charter from Johannesburg to Welcom and back in a 1942 vintage DC3.
All in 1981, shortly after I returned Comair lost one of their DC3s in a crash, don’t know if it was the one I flew on.
All in 1981, shortly after I returned Comair lost one of their DC3s in a crash, don’t know if it was the one I flew on.
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