My first flight

CMA727 · Tue Nov 23, 2021 2:20 am

My first flight as a passenger took place in 1964 (at 3 years old) when my mother took me on a MEX-SDQ-MAD flight on an Iberia DC-8-52 . I even have a photo of myself being deplaned in MAD on the hands of a flight attendant!!!!

As a pilot, my first flight took place in Pachuca, Mexico airport at the age of 16 at the control of a Piper PA-28 Cherokee Cruiser on April 4th 1978. A few weeks later on April 27th, with some 13 hours on my logbook I took my first solo flight as a pilot from the same airport.

How about yours?

FlyingJhawk · Tue Nov 23, 2021 4:19 am

My first was ORD-LAX or SFO (not sure) when I was maybe 3? I don't remember anything except one brief moment in-flight.

My first flight as a pilot would have been July 2003.

PatrickZ80 · Tue Nov 23, 2021 6:48 am

First flight was AMS-FAO on a 757 when I was about 10, it was a brand new aircraft then. I've looked it up once and this aircraft, now approaching the end of it's life, is still flying. It has been converted into a freighter and is flying for FedEx.

I'm not a pilot, but I did take a lesson once in a Cessna 172 from LEY.

jumpjets · Tue Nov 23, 2021 9:31 am

My first flight was on a British Caledonian BAC 1-11 from LGW to TUN in 1971. We were a party of five and had two overwing exit rows facing each other. I flew facing backwards which because of my lack of flight experience I thought was totally normal.

Wednesdayite · Tue Nov 23, 2021 5:22 pm

I was 11.

School trip to Greece in 1986.

Dan Air (London) 727.

MAN-LGW-ATH.

I loved it.

Yflyer · Tue Nov 23, 2021 5:45 pm

My first flights were RDU-ORD-SEA in October 2003. I was 23 years old; my family never flew for vacations when I was a kid. The first leg was on a BAe-146 operated by Air Wisconsin as UA Express. The second was a United 757.

WesternDC6B · Tue Nov 23, 2021 7:23 pm

My first flight was on United Air Lines (two words) from the top of Catalina island to Burbank. That was, I think, in 1954. My first flight at the controls was in a Cherokee 140 out of Burbank but I don't remember what year. I believe it was sometime around 1974. It was one of those$5 take an airplane ride promotions that piper had going. Without looking at my logbook I don't remember precisely when I was licensed but I believe that was in about 1977. Ironically, my first flight after my flight test was in that very same Cherokee out of Burbank and I flew up to San Carlos.

N626AA · Tue Nov 23, 2021 8:19 pm

Was some time in 1988, I was only a few months old when my parents took me to El Paso, TX for a family deal on AA. My father had just gotten a job as a baggage handler for AA in AUS so I assume it was nonrev.

AUS-DFW-ELP
ELP-DFW-AUS

Equipment I assume was mostly 727s, maybe some Super 80s involved, I've never been sure and my father hardly remembers.

So first flight in 1988, AA AUS-DFW most likely on a 727. Maybe an -80.

TWA772LR · Tue Nov 23, 2021 8:56 pm

My mom is no help with this as Ive heard different versions over the years, but my first flight may have been at 3 months old on a NW A320 MEM-LAX. I sadly still haven't flown an actual plane, simulator yes.

johns624 · Tue Nov 23, 2021 10:02 pm

1970. I was 11 years old and took a United DC8 DTW-EWR. I remember that the flight had started in HNL and breakfast was a full, fresh pineapple.

seat1a · Wed Nov 24, 2021 1:12 am

First flight was kindergarten 1968, Pan Am 707, Detroit-Boston-London-Frankfurt-Istanbul.

First and only flight at the controls in 1987, Cessna with a training pilot from Lansing to Charlotte (in Michigan, that's pronounced 'Shar Lot').

Somewhere in there our dad took my brother and me gliding in southwest Michigan to my mom's protests and angst.

vegasplanes · Thu Nov 25, 2021 1:21 am

First Flight, January of 1981 UA DTW-LAS-DTW on 727-100 -- no recollection of it, have it marked on a calendar of my 1st year saved by the Folks, even has the UA ticket jacket in the scrapbook.

First flight at the controls was a C172 out of VGT in 2016 -- flew around the "practice area" northwest of town and back to the airport. 1st solo was also a C172 to SGU and 67L (Mesquite, NV) in 2019. Licensed PPL in 2020.

ZKCIF · Fri Nov 26, 2021 9:47 pm

My first flight was in early 1977 when I was a bit over 1 year old. That was on Aeroflot YAK-40 from Kaunas S. Darius and S. Girėnas Airport (EYKS; runway length 3707ft; replaced by KUN/EYKA in 1988) to Palanga (PLQ).
A sad experience as my parents were getting divorced, and I was being taken to a relative of my granny who raised (and loved) me for more than a year. My mother was still a student at the time, so her ticket cost somewhere around 3 rubles (no more than 4 dollars in terms of purchasing power), and I as a toddler without a seat was probably flying for free.
My son's first flight was in July 2005 when he was a fraction under one year old. That was on Airbus 320 (totally white, some Polish charter airline, 180 seats) WAW-LPA-TFS.
My daughter's first flight was this September when she was 6 weeks old VNO-FRA-MEX. So, the first segment was on Lufthansa A320 D-AIUI, and the first widebody was Lufthansa 748 D-ABYS. a good start, I would say.
If she gets interested in aviation someday, I hope she will be glad to have Magnicharters 733 and Motor Sich AN-24 in her list of registrations. I can only dream...

Kent350787 · Sun Nov 28, 2021 5:39 am

I was 9 or 10 and it was a “mystery flight” - something that airlines
Here in Australia did in the expensive, heavily regulated “two carrier” era to fill extra capacity (and perhaps attract people who would never have flown).

Anyway, it was Airlines of NSW (Ansett subsidiary) F27 from Sydney to Wagga Wagga return on the same aircraft. Cockpit visit during the descent was included.

BoeingERJ1000 · Tue Dec 07, 2021 6:30 pm

My first flight was on Lufthansa, BIO-MUC, when I was 1 month old. My family doesn't remember the aircraft type, though I do remember having flown on several LH A320's and E-Jets when I was younger.

TriJets · Tue Dec 07, 2021 8:53 pm

First flight was from the west coast to HNL. I was a baby. Family thinks it was on Delta.

First flight I remember was on an ASA EMB-120 to ATL. Hopped on an Delta MD-11 in ATL and took that to FRA. Loved the Trijets (in case you can't tell by my username).

GalaxyFlyer · Tue Dec 07, 2021 10:11 pm

My first flight was either on a Cessna 195 on floats off Long Lake, NY or an EA B727 Whisperjet KLGA to KMIA, would have in ‘63 or ‘64 and I was 12-ish. First solo was on my 16th birthday, Dad drove to the airport as I didn’t have a learner’s permit yet.

I got a lot of rides in that 195 after camping trips there. Much later, after an A-10 accident the pilot came to visit in the hospital and offered a ride anytime I was in the area. After recovery, my wife and I visited and he happily took us for that ride in a 206 on floats. Wonderful man, survived 25 missions in a B-17, came home flew all over the Adirondacks until he passed away. Once, completely unaware who The Rolling Stones were, gave Mick, Keith and Charlie a flight to a camp. His son asked, “Dad, do you know who they were?” “Nope, but he said he plays guitar, I asked if there was any money in it. He said yes”.

Kno · Tue Dec 07, 2021 11:16 pm

I’m surprised many peoples parents would keep track of something like that unless being an avgeek runs in the family.

Kent350787 · Wed Dec 08, 2021 5:41 am

Kno wrote:
I’m surprised many peoples parents would keep track of something like that unless being an avgeek runs in the family.

My first RPT flight was the F27 in the mid-70s I mentioned above. My second was a Hazelton SF340 SYD-GFF flight in 1993. Not a lot for me to keep track of.

My first flight was between a bush airstrip and a town airstrip in an Auster of some description, after I drank kerosene on a relative's remote farm when I was 18 months old. Flying was the fastest and safest way to get me to medical treatment.

n729pa · Fri Dec 10, 2021 5:19 pm

My first flight was a British Midland Airways DC9 G-BMAC London Heathrow to Glasgow in 1984.

Visited the flight deck with my brother and I was allowed to move a switch that tipped the plane slightly.

My 3rd and 4th flights were on Alpha Charlie too,

afcjets · Sun Dec 12, 2021 12:56 am

N626AA wrote:
Was some time in 1988, I was only a few months old when my parents took me to El Paso, TX for a family deal on AA. My father had just gotten a job as a baggage handler for AA in AUS so I assume it was nonrev.

AUS-DFW-ELP
ELP-DFW-AUS

Equipment I assume was mostly 727s, maybe some Super 80s involved, I've never been sure and my father hardly remembers.

So first flight in 1988, AA AUS-DFW most likely on a 727. Maybe an -80.

It's possible you flew on a DC10 and/or 767 too as AA had three widebody flights per day DFW-AUS and one DC10 DFW-ELP often in the 80s and early 90s.

N626AA · Sun Dec 12, 2021 2:24 am

afcjets wrote:
N626AA wrote:
Was some time in 1988, I was only a few months old when my parents took me to El Paso, TX for a family deal on AA. My father had just gotten a job as a baggage handler for AA in AUS so I assume it was nonrev.

AUS-DFW-ELP
ELP-DFW-AUS

Equipment I assume was mostly 727s, maybe some Super 80s involved, I've never been sure and my father hardly remembers.

So first flight in 1988, AA AUS-DFW most likely on a 727. Maybe an -80.

It's possible you flew on a DC10 and/or 767 too as AA had three widebody flights per day DFW-AUS and one DC10 DFW-ELP often in the 80s and early 90s.

That is true, my family and I did catch a DC10 somewhere in that routing as we flew to ELP often to see family, even have a pic of me as a toddler in the middle 5 seats to myself of a 10 at cruising altitude. My dad is pretty sure it was a narrow body mainline AA so I figured an 80 or 72.

Were you familiar with Mueller back in the 90s?

afcjets · Sun Dec 12, 2021 4:55 am

No, but it's starting to sound familiar maybe?

petjkan · Thu Dec 16, 2021 12:55 pm

My very first flight was a scenic flight over Stockholm in 1957 (at age 3) on a Linjeflyg DC-3 from/to Stockholm Bromma airport, with my parents and grandparents.
First "real" flight was a holiday trip in 1966 Malmoe Bulltofta - Barcelona and back on an Internord / Ostermanair DC-7. I found this flight a bit scary with the vibrations and noise from the engines, as well as the exhaust flames...

blandy62 · Fri Dec 17, 2021 12:57 pm

1997: BA BRU-LHR on a rare A320-100 in C

ACDC8 · Sat Dec 18, 2021 5:37 am

First flight is just as my username suggests - Air Canada DC8 from Germany to Canada.

N415XJ · Sat Dec 18, 2021 6:37 pm

My first ever was a Mesaba Dash-8 from MQT to DTW in 1996, when I was only a few months old. Someone snapped a picture of the plane as it was leaving. I can't remember the N number but I do remember the plane was still flying in Indonesia or the Philippines as of a few years ago. Will have to dig that up.

I do, however, have better records of my second flight. It was DTW-AMS on 747-200SUD PH-BUN, named Anthony H.G. Fokker, which was the final -200SUD to fly with KLM. I actually had a model of it years before I dug up the picture of the nose my parents took after the flight, prominently displaying the name.

After that, it was a KLM A310-200 from AMS-DAM. Registration unknown, unfortunately. I have the exact date and flight number so I've contemplated asking KLM if they have this info but I doubt they keep records dating so far back. For the KLM portion of our trip, my parents got me a 'junior flyer logbook', which the captains of both flights filled out with the full details of each leg! I'm really lucky to have such good info despite having "non-avgeek" parents!

ClassicLover · Tue Dec 21, 2021 9:01 am

Mine was East-West Airlines EW551 from Sydney to Maroochydore (SYD-MCY) in May 1985.

It was a Fokker F28-4000 operated by VH-EWD.

Return was on the exact same aircraft

Seat 13A on the way out. I remember it vividly to this day.

afterburner33 · Tue Dec 21, 2021 11:05 am

Air New Zealand, Auckland-Sydney, August 1989.

Aircraft was a Boeing 767-200ER. I even got to visit the cockpit. We sat just behind the smoking section. Ahh the good old days.

The only bad thing was that naïve 12 year old me believed that all international flights were flown by 747s. I was very disappointed when we got to the gate and saw only 2 engines under the wings.

nkops · Wed Dec 22, 2021 6:01 pm

EA back in 1982 to go to Disney. Flew PHL-MCO on a 727. We left Disney the day before EPCOT opened up.

WrldTravlr65 · Thu Feb 03, 2022 2:17 am

American Airlines, 747 Luxury Liner, when I was six years old (1971), LAX-JFK, to visit mom's family in Connecticut. I still remember the lounge they had onboard.

gabik001 · Thu Feb 03, 2022 3:19 am

November 2001, KRK-ORD on SP-LOB (B762ER) as LO5 seat 25A.

stlgph · Thu Feb 03, 2022 3:40 am

June 15, 1992
IND-DEN-PHX on Continental Airlines.
727 out of IND, 737 out of DEN, 727 both ways on the return.
i remember there being meal services.

acavpics · Thu Feb 03, 2022 4:33 am

My first flight was in December 1998, when I was just 7 months old. It was from BOS-FRA on LH422, operated by a 747-200. I know this as my mom took a pic of the plane, which is still somewhere in our house today.
This was the first leg of out trip to India. The next leg was FRA-MAA, presumably on an A343. And then an Indian Airlines (A320?) to CCJ.

727tiger · Thu Feb 03, 2022 6:03 pm

Summer 1971 -- MKC-DAL on a BI 727; DAL-ABI on a TI Convair; ABI-DAL again on a TI Convair; DAL-MKC on another BI 727 (I was 7).

An767 · Fri Feb 04, 2022 6:16 am

November 1973 Britannia Airways 737-200 LGW-PMI , that was the day i fell in live with flying. Next flight after that was on VH-EBA Qantas 747-200 in 1974 as we emigrated to Australia.

AN767

gunsontheroof · Sat Feb 05, 2022 3:22 pm

Unfortunately, not long on details, but it was on an AS 727, SEA-SJC-SEA when I was about two. Wish I'd been a little older, as those were my only 727 flights and it's my favorite airliner. The only reason I can verify this is that my father worked for Boeing for nearly 40 years and very specifically recalls both flights being on the 727 and the flight crews being pretty nice about letting me roam the aisle for a few minutes.

JJ777 · Sun Feb 06, 2022 12:31 pm

Kno wrote:
I’m surprised many peoples parents would keep track of something like that unless being an avgeek runs in the family.

Well that's probably my case!

My 1st flight was GRU-POA with VASP in 1992, I was around 3 years old. My father always loved airplanes and had many old boarding passes from his flights with companies such as VARIG and (of course) Pan Am archived with him. That day he took me to see my grandparents who had yet to see me after I was born. Before the flight he kept telling me how cool flying would be, how I should not fear flying as airplanes are super safe and how cool it would be flying around and into the clouds as they look like cotton candy. It was an incredibly fun day and by the end of it I kept saying I wanted to be an airplane pilot after growing up. In the end life took me into an entirely different direction but it's easy to see how beautiful and emotional this memory is for me and why I became an aviation geek

wr911 · Tue Feb 08, 2022 7:40 pm

My first flight was YVR to AMS in 1974, i was 9. If i recall it was a DC8 CP Air. I have some pictures showing us kids sitting on the floor in front of parents seats in Economy. Leg room was not an issue in those days, smoking was. I recall us 3 kids all got air sick, something you hardly see these days. The first years of my life, I only saw planes from the outside, in my twenties and on, been on so many planes and airlines, I would have never guessed.

PSAatSAN4Ever · Tue Feb 08, 2022 8:17 pm

December, 1974: My mom, my baby sister, and I flew BFL-LAX-brand new DFW-FSM on United, American, and Frontier. Back in the day, that's how it was done.

My first flight was a 727-100 that we entered at BFL via the rear airstairs. We sat on the right side, as the mid-cabin galley unique to the 727-100 was very visible. I had the window seat and saw clouds from the top for the first time.

capicua · Tue Feb 08, 2022 8:35 pm

Mine was in April/May 1964 CCS-CUR on an Aeropostal Vickers Viscount, later that same year HAM-AMS on another Viscount, KLM this time.

In those times it was more common to take a "steamer" to cross the Atlantic. Air travel had not yet reached the popularity and affordability of more recent times.

tmu101 · Wed Feb 09, 2022 12:00 am

TWA 707 - EWR-LAX. Summer 1982. I was almost 6 years old. Somewhere i have a picture of the aircraft (i think N number is legible - would love to find out the fate of that particular aircraft one day!) Return trip was a UAL 747 (or so my parents told me - don't really recall that unfortunately). I think i saw on the Departed Flights website - i found a UAL time table from around then and i think widebody services were DC10s between LAX-EWR but suppose it could have been a substitute.

csturdiv · Sun Feb 13, 2022 4:55 am

My first flight was in 1971 when I was just months old. My mom flew me and her from EVV to ORD on DL. She gave me the ticket "stub" of that flight.

Many years later I did two intro flight lessons out of PWK in the Chicago area, but between a mortgage, car payment and a girl friend, I had nothing left for flight lessons.

CairnterriAIR · Mon Feb 14, 2022 3:15 pm

My first flight was August 15th, 1978 when I was eight years old aboard a TWA 707 from BDL to ORD…the first leg of a trip to Denver. Loved every second of it. I clearly remember getting a tour of the cockpit and earning my “jr.wings”, as well as seeing Niagara Falls and the Great Lakes from the air. My face was against the window the whole way.

My first time at the controls was August 1988 in Clarksburg WV flying the pattern in a Cessna 152 (N757RM).

redzeppelin · Mon Feb 14, 2022 3:24 pm

August 1997. My first flight was aboard a Delta L-1011, SLC-JFK. That remains the only TriStar in my log, as the return was a 767. I didn't realize how special that was until many years later.

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