Your first flight - what in, where to, why...?

[Dave Homewood]

This is a question that almost every member here can answer, as I'm sure you've almost all had a first flight experience.

My first ever flight was Good Friday 1980, I was nine years old, and it was aboard an Air New Zealand Fokker F.27 Friendship. I was with Mum, Dad and my sister Shelley, and we were flying from Mangere to Norfolk Island.

I had a window seat with Mum beside me, and it was absolutely thrilling. I had been looking forward to it for months. I loved it. I recall looking down for ages as we flew across Auckland and up the Northland coast, and also I remember the Captain saying we were passing over the Three Kings Islands and seeing them. Then what seemed like endless hours of sea, till suddenly in the beautiful tropical blue the emerald gem of an island appeared. I'll never forget it.

When we came home a week later it was aboard an East West airlines F.27, and late afternoon into evening. I recall by the time we reached Auckland it was dark and the endless sea of lights and the rows of streetlights was amazing to me back then.

What was your first flight experience like?

[beagle]

Lots of young people would probably gasp at having to ride a Friendship all the way to Norfolk.
I have done it in a RAAF 748. Wasn't too bad as the seats were arranged in a clun style with a table in between so ended up playing cards most of the way.

My first flight was in an NAC Viscount, out of Momona, around the city for 20 minutes or so then back again.
Pretty sure it cost either $2 or $5..........
it was about 1973
cannot remember too much apart from others throwing up.
Probably too yound at 10 to be checking out the trolley dollies

[novicepilot]

1982 in a Air Atlantique Dakota out of Coventry after a airshow. Probably about twenty minutes around the local area. Remember thinking how steep the walk was up the aisle. Whilst banking in the overhead join we got to see the RAF Vintage Pair Meteor and Vampire on the runway about to depart ahead of our landing. 8 years of age.

[Bruce]

Mine was at an Airshow at Hamilton 1981 I think(8ish) , Dad treated me and mt brother to a joyride in Eagle Airs first Embraer Bandeirante (ZK-ERU, now at Tauwhare museum). I remember that I didnt get a great view outside as the seat my bro and I had didnt align with the windows very well, and big brother got the window seat. I recall the view out over the waikato and flying over the Mormon Temple, but was also quite taken with what was going on in the cockpit. I was already hooked on planes by that time, but this cemented it! A few years later I was treated to a flight to Auckland to stay with my Grandparents one school Holidays, and once again got the Eagle Bandit. Didnt see much that time either as we were in cloud most of the way, but popping out of the grey over Auckland was great. Little did I know at the time that Bandits would later feature heavily in my career with CityJet.

[Dave Homewood]

novicepilot said:

Remember thinking how steep the walk was up the aisle.

Funny, last year when I was shown inside the DC-3 at Motat, first time inside one, I too was struck by just how steep the incline was. I'd never thought about it before, not even when making a model of the type.

Bruce, I flew in a Bandit from Hamilton to Auckland one time when I was in the RNZAF. It was the rattliest, noisiest, bumpiest, shakiest air experience I've ever had. Just like my Dad had described from his flight in previous years. Defienately not among my favourite airliners, but I agree that they are significant in NZ aviation history thanks to Malcolm Campbell and his Eagle Airways.

[steve]

Good thread...My first flight as a young boy was\in 1962 out of Fenton Street Rotorua airfield in a small cessna i think. The airfield has long gone however the concreate hard standing areas are still visable opposite the rose gardens dedicated to Jimmy Ward VC. A sight seeing flight.

[steve]

As a follow up ......i remember not long after taking a "Magic Carpet flight" for 1 pound with Capt Fred Ladd over auckland. Many years later he piloted me as an Ambulance Officer to different Islands in the gulf to transport patients to auckland Hospital on many occasions. Always even with the only the two of us on board and sitting beside him in the widgeon he would say the same thing i remembered as a young boy......"With a shower of spray we are away"! Gee he was such a nice happy kiwi pilot...a real joker

[Dave Homewood]

My older sister's first flight was from Rotorua, with Dad and some friends on a flight with the incomparable Fred Ladd, in a Cessna, and they flew into the crater of Mt Tarawera. Neither of them forgot that flight. They loved it.

An interesting one, when interviewing WWII veteran airmen and WAAFS for my project I always try to remember to ask them what their first flight experience was - usually an interesting answer comes forth. When I asked Edward "Bill" Wells (Hawkeye Wells - the Spitfire ace) he said his first flight was from Cambridge in a Tiger Moth that was visiting doing joyrides. He was about 10 years old and dead keen to have a flight. But, he absolutely utterly hated the entire experience. He said he never realised it'd be windy and bumpy and all that. He apparently vowed never to fly again at the time! Funny how things turn out. he became one of our greatest fighter pilots.

[flyjoe180]

Mine was on board an NAC Boeing 737 from Christchurch to Auckland in 1979, remember lots of sweet (sickly) orange juice and hard boiled sweets and plastic cups with the NAC logo on them. I also remember being very sick due to the high consumption of sugar and over-excitement, much to my father's dismay, as he wore it. He met his new employer at the airport when we arrived, with a nice white shirt with a hint of orange and yellow cordial drink

[planeimages]

I have vague recollections of a flight from Sydney to Essendon (Melbourne) probably in a DC3 circa 1946 ( I was 4) . Much more vivid were several flights in succession in 1955 when I was 12. Sydney Brisbane TAA Convair, Brisbane Townsville first TAA Viscount flight on that sector then another Convair with leaking hydraulic fluid over the wings from TVL to BN and finally a DC6B from BN to SY. The initial acceleration of the latter was thrilling.

First G/A aicraft flight was in a Victa 110 out of Cooma in about 1964. (Age 22)

First solo 2nd April 1976. (Age 34).

[corsair67]

Air New Zealand DC-10 from Christchurch to Sydney in August 1977 - only about three months after the Chicago DC-10 crash in which an engine tore its way off a wing at takeoff - with disastrous consequences for the 215 passengers onboard.

I remember being quite impressed with the logbook that the cabin crew presented me with which had the details of the flight entered in it. I wonder if I still have that somewhere?

[Dave Homewood]

In those olden days the cabin crew used to give you stuff. I remember being given a bag of goodies on my first flight that contained eyeshades, Air New Zealand slippers (those wierd cut-off-sock types), a colouring and activity book, crayons too I think, postcards, etc). And the adults used to get those awful square teal-coloured vinyl handbags that were then a status symbol that you'd been overseas.

[steve]

I will never forget the flight I had from Sydney to China in 1977 with the New Zealand Youth Council delegation to the peoples republic... The Aussie Qantas light crew invited 2 of us to ride jump seat in the 707...What a hell of a ride...We had to travel through the edges of a typhoon and were given the choice of staying up front or returning to our seats...I stayed up on the flight deck belted in with full harness and poliished up a couple of XXXXs whilel the captain had his feet up on the dash joking as we bumped around like a cork in a barrel...
If sitting down the back i'm sure i would have been air sick...however a front it was to exciting to feel that way...