My first time on a plane was aboard a TWA flight....a trip from
BDL to
DEN with a connection in
ORD. I even remember the date...August 15th, 1978. Weeks before, my family had brought my brother to
JFK to see him off to Germany. Back in those days one could go right to the gate to see someone off. While at the gate waiting for my brother to board, I was in awe just looking at the big Pan Am plane parked, nose facing the terminal. My father told me it was a Boeing 747. The sight of the plane was amazing....big blue stripe, huge engines, and the words "Clipper Mandarin" written in script on the nose. After seeing the big jet take off, I was hooked....I wanted to go on a plane! That's all I talked about on the way home to Connecticut.
Not long after that took place, my mother told me we would be going to Colorado...Dad had a convention, and we would all be coming along.....and we would be flying there!
The big day came and we drove out to
BDL. When it was time to board we headed out onto the rainy tarmac....no jetways back at
BDL back then. Standing in front of me was a big sleek jet with bold red stripes and three huge letters on the tail...T..W..A.. Two engines on each wing and a long needle sticking out from the top of the tail. My father told me that this jet was called a Boeing 707. Not quite as big as the 747 I saw a few weeks before, but I didn't care...this plane looked like a fast race car with its cool red stripes and sleek look...I knew it was going to go really fast and be alot of fun! Once aboard I was shown to my seat by a window, overlooking the wing. Being 8 years old at the time, I was curious with all the parts and what each little flap on the wing did. I kept asking my father those questions...and after a minute he summoned a flight attendant over, who aked me to come with her. She led me to the cockpit and introduced me to the crew. The pilot was an older man who promptly sat me in the seat and showed me various parts and dials. he told me to put my hands on the yoke and he activated the stall warning system...all while making a joke that they used it to "shoot down ducks" that got in the way! I laughed..but a moment later he explained that it helped remind them to fly the plane at the "right speed". It was time to go so the pilot took he place in his seat....but before I left he asked me to do one thing...since it was my first time flying, it would be "my job" to get my first flight moving...so after watching the crew go through the engine start procedure, the pilot told me to push the four levers in front of me slightly forward....to my 8 year old thrill...the engines wound up and the plane moved forward!!! What a way to start a first plane ride!!! I was then led back to my seat.
The takeoff thrilled me...I was amazed how fast it was....and moments later the rainy Connecticut landscape was replaced with bright sun and white clouds below us! My face was pinned to the window the whole way to Chicago...about halfway there, the clouds below broke up and I could see the land way down there. Tiny roads and farms. Pretty soon we were over huge masses of water. I knew from my second grade geography that these were the Great Lakes. Pretty soon after we started to go down towards the ground as we were getting close to Chicago. With a roar and some fascinating movement from the flaps on the wings (my father told me they were called spoilers and they helped stop the plane) we landed. So many airplanes everywhere...all shapes and sizes. Some with a big blue goose on the tail, and others with a red and orange shape that looked like a big "U"...and more TWA planes just like the one I was on. The pilot shook my hand as I left and handed me a small plastic pair of wings....he told me I earned them for "helping out with the departure from Hartford".
After an hour or so in Chicago, it was time to board the next flight...the plane that would take us to Denver. This one was called a Boeing 727. Again my face was planted to the window, amazing view of the flat plains and eventually big mountains. All too soon it was time to land, and off for a week of Colorado fun. A week later we returned to
BDL via a United DC-10 and DC-8,nice big planes, but the first ride was what stuck withe me, as well as the nice pilot who let me "get things moving". Sadly I never flew TWA after that, but I still feel sad that they are now history. From what I saw they really cared for their passengers...especially the youngest ones. I would love to find out what model 707 I flew out of
BDL that morning...I think the flight # was 157...on 8-15-78. Fun memory.