No...it was in 1946, and I was only about 6 months old.
It was from the old Philadelphia airport to Nashville.

Oh Casey, you were tricky! ;) I was 34 years old before I flew for the first time. I thought for sure I'd throw up, but I was fine. Have flown many times since! :)

Not really, but remember the return flight. I was about 17 years old, went from NV to VA to visit an old friend. On the return flight I sat next to an old lady who got sick and barfed her lunch into a barf bag and proceeded to try and show me. I turned away especially since I had the same thing she did, a bbq sandwich. We were delayed on the ground and so when we got close to NV they had a contest and were giving away Champaigne. (sp?) I answered the question about Lake Lahontan because it's the lake I spent my childhood at. They gave me a bottle even though I was underage and told them I'd give it to my parents. The old lady next to tried to talk me out of it. LOL! I don't think I would even remember any of this if it weren't for that lady. We drank it about a year later, on New Year's day or eve after it had sat in the fridge forever. It tasted horrible, but then I don't like any alcohol.

Well, this is going waaaay back. When I was about nine years old, my sister and I had a ride in a propeller-driven plane at the county fair. The pilot was also a school bus driver!

My first flight was in 1978 from Springfield, MO to Chicago, IL on a DC9 and I was sitting all the way in the back row. I was on vacation with my family and headed back for some school stuff. It was a direct flight and we had to make an unscheduled stop in St. Louis. Technicians were going back and forth. I asked a tech what was going on and he said there was a reported issue with the tail cone but they got it all squared away.

I didn't really pay attention to news back in high school but there were several instances of DC9 tail cones being loose and even falling off. Kind of scary to learn that later.

I've been flying for 34 years and love it. Even got to pilot an old DC3 when I was in the military. Quite the experience.

I haven't thought about it in a long time, but I do remember. I was 20, and flew down to Bermuda to visit my future husband's parents, who lived there. Joe had been traveling in Europe, and flew to Bermuda the day before from Italy.

I remember that my dad bought life insurance from one of those airport machines. I found that somewhat alarming. LOL

I took a 200 mile flight in a small twin engine 4 seater plane when I was about 22. I didn't think it was that bad. My only other one was more memorable when I was left in Las Vegas and had to catch the next flight, I was probably 52 then.

It was around 1959 and I was 6 or so, we flew to Oklahoma City on TWA! I don't remember much about it but my mom told stories about me with my face pushed to the window the whole way, even tho there was a storm and we were hit with lightning. She said she knew I would end up in travel.

It was in 1966 when I joined the Peace Corps. I cried (cannot remember why), and the "stewardess" was nice to me.

Yes. It was 1968 and my first trip to Hawaii. I was 17. I flew Pan Am and it was so pleasant. Even "coach" had comfortable seats, the staff was pleasant and helpful and the lavatories were stocked with little things like hand lotion and toothpaste.

Such a difference then from flying today. You did have to dress for flying but it was a small price to pay for the other comforts and not being treated like a potential terrorist.

I was 18 and flew down to Mexico for a week on a school trip. I had paid for the trip myself by working as a waitress my senior year. Had a great trip. Saw a lot of things I had never seen before. I enjoyed the airplane food.

Yes. I was in 7th grade and my brother in law worked with a guy that had a 4 seater so he took me and another cousin. He took us past our farm and past lots of other places we knew. I thought it was cool. My first commercial flight was in 1978 when I was in high school. That was cool also.

vividly! thanks be the plane i was supposed to be on, oversold and i was bumped! it ended up in the bottom of the grand canyon!

i got a later flight..i was 10-11, and flying alone to my grandparents for the summer...funny thing? we were in the theater when mother called and got the second flight..i've never seen the whole movie ever! it was carousel...

I had just turned 18, a fresh high school graduate. My friend and I flew to Hawaii. My mom made me get "dressed up". lol
I wasn't nervous at all. I DO get nervous now, that started
when DS was born.

oh, Casey, you two were so scandalous! lol

I remember the same as Wildchild - we went to Hawaii to meet family from California and some living in Guam- I was in Jr high and it was early '60's. We 'dressed' for the trip....literally, a dress, stockings, heels - that I wasn't really accustomed to walking in. Funny, but I can clearly remember the outfit, blue and white pin stripe fitted, belted sheath with short sleeves, black patent pumps. Very different from travel today...

I was probably about 21 and I drove my mother to North Dakota to visit old friends of hers from her youth and had my first flight with a flying farmer with a two seater plane. I don't think I flew again until I went to Hawaii with my daughter some 35 years later.

I was in my mid 30's and we knew someone that had a small plane. My husband, the kids and I took turns taking one trip up. It felt like riding fast over a rough field. Didn't fly in a commercial plane until I was 40 years old, never cared for it and flew to Las Vegas. I flew a couple more times in 1976 again to Las Vegas and a couple months later to New Orleans. I was pregnant with Amber those times.

Sue

I sure do! It was in 1969 and I brought my NINE DAY OLD son withme to a new city where my DH had been transferred. I was going there to look for a house. Good way to learn a new city...especially with a baby, believe it or not. Everyone was friendly it seemed- people like to admire babies.. To this day...43 years later...I know the town much better than my DH.

I flew home from college when I was a freshman. All the way from Syracuse NY to Philadelphia. The plane must have barely gotten into the air before it landed. It's only a four hour drive. I remember that I had no idea what I was doing but there were other students on the plane and I wanted to look cool, so I pretended it was all old stuff for me.

Back in the 50's we would pick relatives up at the airport. We could stand on the roof of the terminal to watch the planes land. They would land out on the runway, walk down a flight of stairs (kind of lie the President does now) and wave to us. They would be all dressed up, even hats and gloves. The plane was not a jet. It had propellers!

Oh yes. I was 11/12 and flew in a DC3 from SF to Cleveland, Ohio to spend the summer on the farm with grand parents. Many landings and the Stewardess was so very nice to my sister and me. I thought that I wanted to be a Stew when I grew up...but in those days you needed to be a nurse or RN and that wasn't my cuppa tea. Since then many trans Atlantic and Pacific flights...mostly military charter and dreadful.

Future husband, flew in his parents Cessna, to pick me up for a trip to Shrevesport with his parents. He has just gotten his pilots license, and the two of us flew to his parents, then to pick them up for the rest of the trip.

I was 21 or 22 then

Flew out of John F. Kennedy airport before the name change, was 1961 and I was 19 yr's old and by myself. On my way to London to meet up with my husband who was in the Air Force and was stationed in England.

Of course I do. I was 18 years old, and flew from Frankfurt Germany to Wichita Kansas to my new life... in the US.

I fibbed and told everyone it would not be a big deal, it would be like riding a bus. LOL

No, I wasn't afraid. I was 18... remember being 18 and knowing it all????

Moni

Casey thats so funny! Genius idea!! My first flight was on my honeymoon May 14.89. Haven't flown much since-a few trips here and there. Its too expensive with a family of 5.

I haven't had it yet....

If I have my way I never will...lol...I'm a chicken.

Oh...and my dad was a pilot

Don't remember too much going but it was my Mom and myself to Hawaii where I was to be married at the Submarine Base Chapel in Pearl Harbor. My Dad refused to go, said it was too expensive. Later before he passed away, he said that was a mistake and he regretted not seeing me married. Spent 9 months there (DH in the Navy Subs) and then flew back on a Navy airplane. Seats all backwards, and the pilot flew low enough you could see the waves and boats. Did not know I was pregnant at the time, never got sick. Did fly later, but DH flew more as he traveled alot with his brother.

I remember it very well. I took off but never landed. I was 19 and in my first year of college. I made a friend that was into skydiving. The first 3 times I ever took off in a plane I jumped out! It was a small Cessna that should've held four people. All the seats except the pilots were removed. Also, the door was off! Five people were crammed in; the pilot, jumpmaster and 3 students. Since I was the smallest they jammed me in the back. After the first two had jumped it was my turn. I sat on the floor of the plane with my butt right on the edge and my feet dangling outside. Then, I reached out for the wing strut, got my feet on the wheel and swung out. I was outside the plane standing on the wheel (slightly larger than a wheelbarrow tire) and holding onto the wing strut. Then the jumpmaster yelled, GOOOOO!!!, I kicked off my feet and the wind (about 80mph) had them flapping behind me. I felt like a cartoon charcter. Then I let go of the strut and fell away from the plane, the chute opened and I drifted down to the dropzone, a hayfield near the airport. What an incredible adrenaline rush. I made 3 jumps total. It was an expensive hobby for a college kid. When I told my uber conservative brother about it he said, "Only two things fall from the sky; bird poop and idiots." But, he didn't say poop.

Ron

First time was in Sept. 2010. I flew from Philadelphia, PA to Atlanta, GA to visit one of my brothers and his family. And I flew alone!

Had no idea what I was doing or where to go or what to do. That freakin' Atlanta airport is obscenely huge! Anyhow, there was a little bit of turbulance but not bad. I have extremely bad sinuses, so I was struggling with the pressure in my head, it was causing dizziness and vertigo.

When we were landing, as soon as we touched down, everyone was throw forward in their seats. I was sitting right by the food/drink station and things started flying off the shelves onto the floor. Cups, magazines, napkins, etc. I looked at the girl beside me and asked "Does this always happen when landing?" Her eyes were as big as saucers, she answered "I've never seen anything like this!".

Thank God we were already on the ground, haha.

Anyhow, I missed my goal of flying before I turned 50. I was 50 on Aug. 15th and I flew to my brothers on Sept. 5th.

I was living in Long Beach, Ca. where I was born when my Dad's friend took us up in his small plane. I was about 5 or 6 and had goosebumps, but I was not afraid. I remember how tiny the people looked on the beach and how big the ocean looked. We also flew over our house. I got to do this a couple more times and each time was fun to me.

Didn't get to fly in a commercial plane until I was married and had a baby. Now that was a challenge since I was flying alone from TX to San Franciso, but with the help of the attendants I didn't have time to feed my baby girl. Don't know how they managed to have the time to hold her as much as they did. I sure didn't need all the diapers and bottles I took with me. lol

I was 6, my brother 4, when my my DGM took us to visit cousins in Houston. My DB spilled ginger ale all over me and we both got wings from the stewardess.

My first flight was a business trip for the company where I was employed. The first leg was a short feeder hop to O'Hare Field in Chicago where I would transfer to a larger plane for the next leg of the journey. The weather was blustry and unsettled and darkenss has fallen plus it was foggy. The first hop was only 1/2 hour and the plane did not go to a high altitude, maybe 6000 ft. The seat belt sign was lighted for the entire time and the auto-pilot oscillated or maybe it was the pilot. For the entire trip, the plane would gain some altitude and then dive back to the former altitude. I was sitting near the tail so I got the most benefit of this pogo stick ride. It was up and down all the way to Chicago like riding waves. My stomach was getting queasy by the time we arrived. I was thinking, "Am I going to one of those people who get air sick on every plane ride?" After the plane landed and we pulled up to the terminal, an amazing thing happened: No one got up! And when they did get up, they had wobbly legs and proceeded down the aisle like a drunk. Then, I did not feel so bad about myself because I could observe that several other passnegers were affected as well.

I was never affected that way again.

Yes, I do rememeber my first plane ride.

Oh yes I vowed never to fly, just something I really did not want to do.
Then one day , the love of my life came to me and said.. we're going to Acapulco with a whole group of friends for a weeks vacation do you want to go?
I said absolutely as long as there were a whole group going for support.
It was a blast.

When I was in high school I joined Civil Air Patrol and our squadron had a 1950 Air Force L-16 light observation plane, which was really military conversion model of the Aeronca Cub, a light two seat, (one behind the other) single engine airplane that was made out of tubular aluminum, wood and covered with doped canvas. Of course the original Aeronaca Cub only had an 85hp engine but the military version had a 125hp engine and oversized flight control surfaces on the wings which made it much more acrobatic.

I shall never forget our Senior Pilot, Civil Air Patrol Captain Hank Clarkson. (Formerly a Lt.Colonel in the Army Air Corp and a Senior Command Pilot with Northwest Orient Airlines)

When I knew him he was well into his late 50's and his pilots credentials were impeccable. Back in the 1930's he had taught himself how to fly in an old surplus WWI biplane, then a couple years before the U.S. got into WWII hank went to China and flew P-40 fighters with General Chanaults "Flying Tigers" fighting the Japanese. When the U.S. entered the war after Pearl Harbor hank returned to the US and joined the Army Air Corp where he was immediately made an instructor pilot. Two years later he was flying a B-17 out of England making daily bomb raids over Germany and his flight log recorded 75 successful missions (They rotated the air crews home after 25 missions and statistically they were not expected to survive more than 18 missions). After the war he flew multi engine jets for Northwest Orient Airlines from Seattle to Japan and when I knew him he was flying a twin engine Cessna as a corporate pilot for a large company in my home town.

Our CAP unit used to keep our airplane at Salem Air Park at Salem, Ohio and we paid the monthly hanger rental by organizing work details of the cadets to do minor work around the airport on Saturdays. As a reward to the Cadets for working on the details Hank would take us up in the L-16.

One day we were all sitting in the office at the airport and the coffee pot was empty, Hank turns to me and says "Come go with me, we'll go get a coffee" and he walked out to the airplane, as I hurriedly followed. I got in the rear seat and Hank set the trottle and controls, then he stepped out and grabbed the propellar to give it a quick turn to start the motor, then he crawled in and we taxied out to the runway. Thats when I noticed this airplane had no radio and no lights. He picked up a flashlight and flashed a signal to the control room, and they flashed a green light telling us it was okay to take of. The takeoff and perhaps the first 20 minutes of the flight was uneventful, then he turns to me and says, "Let me show you how we flew combat in China", and with that he quickly dived down and began hugging the ground at 80mph. We were zipping along with the wheels just barely touching the tops of wheat stalks and we were heading straight for two large oak trees about 25 feet apart at the end of the field. I could see that we did not have enough room to climb above those trees and I sat there in panic expecting to crash in the next few seconds, when Hank pulled the plane up about 20ft, snap rolled on our side and slipped right between those two trees, then leveled off on the other side, laughing his fool head off. We then climbed to 10.000ft and he began doing a series of acrobatic maneuvers, all of which were enough to keep me firmy attached to my seat with white knuckles. Thirty minutes later we landed at Youngstown airport, went in and had a coffee and headed out to return to our airport, On the way back he says,,,"Your turn to drive" and he let go of the stick and held onto an overhead frame member while he verbally instructed me on how to fly straight and make a slow turn or two...

Since then I have made hundreds of flights on both military and civillian aircraft, but no flight will ever be more memorable than that one.

It was 1974, I had moved from Buffalo to Queens NY to take a job, and I was going "home" for Christmas. American Airlines, there was a TV screen broadcasting from the cockpit. I don't remember what the fare was, I sat next to a guy who was a writer (not famous) who had booked a seat for his typewriter. And when I returned to Queens after my vacation, I couldn't find the friend who was going to pick me up, so they had me paged at Kennedy Airport. In those days, there was no TSA and no "security" line to go thru.

I just remembered another interesting and only helicopter flight. Another secretary and I flew from Wisconsin to Chicago to deliver Board of Directors books for a meeting and going in the pilot flew over the city and we saw the top of apartments with swimming pools and trees up there. On the way back he followed the train tracks and we flew right over my house.

My first time in plane involved me flying it. In my early twenties they had a special on for introductory flying lessons so I took up the offer. It was a Piper Cherokee six seater. It was a very hands on experience and I have been afraid of flying ever since, lol.
My second experience was even worse. Upon landing the plane tilted to the side and lost control a bit. That was horrifying. The pilot apologized to each person as we left the plane. I hate flying.

I have only been up in a plane once, not because I was scared just haven't had the occasion to go up again. My uncle took me up in his 2 seater Piper Cub when I was in my 20's I think.
Kittywhiskers

Great thread! I've loved reading posters' memories. Sadly, I don't remember which flight was my first. My mother might remember. I'll have to ask her.

My funniest experience in an aircraft happened while I was stationed in Germany.

The Air Force used to use a Kaman HH43 helicopter for an emergency responce crash vehicle. They had a huge 6ft diameter round metal pressure sphere that was loaded with firefighting foam which they carried on a hook under the helicopter. Two firemen were inside the helicopter with the Asbestos firesuites on. When an aircraft crashed they would fly in quickly and set the firebottle down and the firemen would jump out and grab the foam line, then the helicopter would hover over the burning aircraft using the downdraft to blow the flames back while the firemen laid down a path of foam till they could get to the aircraft and pull the crew out.

One day my buddy, who was a crewchief on the helicopter called me and said they were going up on a training flight and asked if I would like to ride along, so off I went.

As I boarded the helicopter I saw the pilot & co-pilot up front, my buddy, the crew chief, two firemen and another guy who worked at the base chapel that was coming along for the ride.

We were all seated in the back while the helicopter just flew around in circles close to the base when suddenly we heard a radio call on our headphones. They had a crippled F4 Phantom coming in with an engine fire, so the pilot told us he had to go back and hook up the firebottle and while they were hooking it up I and the guy from the chapel would have to jump off.

The chopper landed and while we were jumping off one of the ground crew hooked the cable on the lifting hook and the chopper took off again, but when it was about 50ft off the ground one of the firemen jumped out, bouncing off the ground from 50ft and broke his leg. I didn't have a clue as to why he just mysteriously jumped out, but later that afternoon while sitting in the NCO club my buddy the crew chief came in and he told me. It seems that while we were flying around the guy from the chapel had got airsick, but not wanting to appear like a whimp to the other guys onboard he didn't ask for a burp bag, instead, he had barfed in the firemens boot and while we were jumping off the firemen was pulling his boots on. By the time he realized that the guy had barfed in his boot he tore off after the guy without even thinking and jumped out....LOL

I do vaguely remember. Our neighbor growing up lived a few doors down and owned a small single engine plane. The little airport hangar where he kept it was only about 1 mile away.
Our family didn�t socialize with them very much, their children were grown and they travel a lot. So, much to our surprise one day, he knocked on our door and asked my mother if he could take my sister and I for a ride. We were over the moon excited! Mom, not so much.
All I really remember is I begged him to go upside down. He obliged and I was so, so thrilled.

Many, many years later my first commercial flight I flew from Philly to San Diego. I was a little scared, but the funniest part about that trip was the meal. I am a pretty even keeled person, but for some reason ( maybe nerves) I was PMS�ing in a bad way. Super grouchy�that soon turned to ridiculous self pity.
They served us sandwiches, like it may have been a long sub, sliced into section. Well, I got the heel. There was no meat or cheese, just bread. To this day I can�t explain, but I started crying. My friend didn�t notice right away, but when she did, she offered me her sandwich, her chips, her cookies anything to get me to stop crying. Nothing worked. I cried almost the whole way.
We still laugh about it today and it was over 20 years ago

I do. I was 24 years old. I lived in Nebraska. My sister-in-law, who was my husbands next older sister (just two years older than him, and they were very close) committed suicide in Lander, Wyoming. All of us, her parents, siblings, and several family members caught the first plan that we could get tickets on and went out there. My daughter was just 6 months old and it was also her first plane ride. We were on an old prop job, because that's what we were able to get. I enjoyed the plane ride, the rest of the experience not so much.

I flew to California and got air sick.

Samkaren
Your resident dj

My first plane ride was a high school graduation gift to Florida from Indiana...I knew right then and there that I was gonna be one of those flight attendants...it just seemed to me to be the epitomy of a fun life and four years later I became one...I've logged a bazillion miles since then...it's not a way to see the country but sure beats driving if you need to get somewhere quick!!

I was maybe 10-11 years old. Two of my older brothers bought a Piper Cub and learned to fly. I and some of the family were at the airport one day and I told my brothers I wanted one of them to take me up. They agreed I could go, but that they wouldn't fly the plane, the flight instructor would take me. I went and while we were up I put my arm out the window just to see what that would feel like. The pilot told me very quickly not to do that because it was dangerous. I enjoyed the short flight but couldn't understand why neither of my brothers wanted to take me. DM explained later that even though they could fly the plane, they didn't want to risk something going wrong, with me in it. That made me love my brothers more than ever, and I've never forgotten that

I have had 3 commercial flights. Each was many years later when I went with my DH to VEA Conventions. Those were always on chartered planes and everybody knew everybody so they were a lot of fun.

I don't have any fear of flying, but I probably won't have a reason for any more flights .

Sue

Yes, I was in college and a friend had his own plane and carried me up. He said "do you mind if I do a few tricks?" I almost wet my pants. Didn't get on another plane till I was married and we went to Hawaii.

I was around 12 and flew with my sister from Oregon to Florida to visit our aunt and uncle. I thought it was so much fun, never a drop of fear. Now I often have to take a little pill to get on a flight, darn it.

Civil Air Patrol around 1961. Small Cesna I believe, seated 4. After we landed on e of the doors fell off!