EGPF Forum

Who recalls theirs? It’s said you never, ever forget your first flight.

I still recall mine as if it was yesterday. I had been on holiday at relatives in Orpington, Kent and during the fortnight there had, amongst all the cultural haunts of Westminster Abbey, St Paul’s, The Tower of London, Globe Theatre, Canterbury and it’s cathedral; managed to visit Heathrow dragging my mother along to see these early 747s and made my own way to Gatwick to see all the charters plus British Caledonian, Laker Airways and Dan Air. I think my parents were quite proud of the fact that just on the cusp of my sixteenth birthday I could travel by bus, in completely unknown territory, with a change of service to East Croydon then train to Gatwick. Oh, and of course, my fantastic much missed Court Line Aviation. A battenburg of pinks and yellows!

Being a charter boy at heart, and still am, straight to the viewing terrace to see all the action: those early wide bodies of World Airways, Transamerica, Laker and TWA plus a multitude of 707s. Well it’s no surprise that I’d made up my mind what I would like for my birthday present. A flight. Some research showed me I could fly to Newcastle for the day from Glasgow.

Cue return home to Linwood and ask, plead, badger my parents and yes - result! Dad drove down to Glasgow Airport and we went to the British Caledonian ticket desk and for the princely sum of £6.50 a return youth fare ticket was duly purchased on the Sunday 12th August, my birthday, for travel the next day.

One excited teenager going down the old international pier to board BAC1-11 G-ASJF Burgh of Fort William operating as BR845 GLA-NCL-AMS. I don’t remember much about boarding but I remember the thrill of take off and descending over fields and farmland into Newcastle.

There was a small but pleasant viewing terrace and a restaurant where I had lunch. There were yellow Viscounts and Tridents of Northeast Airlines, Dan Air London 1-1, 748 and Comet 4s, Britannia Airways 737 plus BCal.

The return flight, BR848 was operated by G-ASTJ Royal Burgh of Dunfermline. thirty five minutes after take off it was back to Glasgow and over all too soon.

The bug had truly bitten and forty seven years later remains as strong as ever.

First flight for me was a 12th birthday treat of a week in London with my aunt. At that time, living in the Southside, it was a quick trip into St Enoch Square on the 31 bus, then onto one of Western's black and white Leopards for the run out to the airport. Into check-in, over to the BEA desk, and we were offered a switch to flight ahead of our booked one, no charge in these days. We duly agreed, and made our way up to the Domestic Pier, and on to 3-month old Trident 2E G-AVFL, resplendent in the new Speedjack scheme. At that time, the flights were scheduled at 70 minutes, and this was achieved comfortably. I was well impressed with 'FL, the flying bug was caught.

A week of visiting Heathrow, Gatwick, and Biggin Hill, as well as seeing the sights of London, travelling on countless Routemasters, and I was also hooked on a City which, even then, was buzzing with life. Tea every night was at small Italian cafe at Paddington, near our hotel, their home-made minestrone was amazing.

Return trip was on red-square Trident 1 G-ARPU, not quite up to 'FL, but again a trip done inside 70 minutes. No holding in those days, in the air, or on the ground, save for a couple of peak times. As this was pre-Jumbo time, DC-8s, 707s, and VC10s ruled the roost, and many European carriers also used their 4 jets. Photos didn't come out too well, but here's a view of Terminal 1 from the Queen's Building, which I'm not sure if it was the 69 trip, or the return a year later.

BWscan0006 LHR 04-70 by Fergus Abraham, on Flickr

First for me was in G-AVRA. School photography club had chartered it (Its was really cheap per person for a full Islander) to do a 30 min run just north of the river. You missed the takeoff if you blinked!! That was in 1969.
Next flight (G-APEA to LHR) felt so much of an anti-climax compared to the Islander but, like the previous replies, the sights at LHR (highlight was the AF Cargo flight using a Deux Ponts) of all those DC8s, 707s, VC10s and exotic (at the time) left and indelible memory.
Unfortunately nowadays - well if you ignore the most of 2020 - its all rather ho hum.

BEA Vickers Vanguard PIK-PMI 1971.

G-ALPK DH89 Rapide. Prestwick Airshow 25/5/1960. 30 minute pleasure flight round Ayr Bay. I seem to recall it caused a KB50 to abort take off when the Rapide taxied out ahead of it onto the active runway as it started its take off roll.

I don't recall my first flight as I was a baby at the time, but having seen a picture my gran took as we departed, I can confirm it was a BIA Handley Page Herald that took us to the Isle of Man for a holiday in 1971. Unfortunately the reg wasn't identifiable from the photo

The first flight that I do remember though was was ten years later, again a family holiday, to Jersey, and with the addition of my new kid brother in tow too. This was aboard Britannia's Boeing 737-200, G-BGYK 'RJ Mitchell'. And was as far as I was concerned, like going into outer space. Bizarrely I never flew on another 737-200 until well over 20 years later when I seized the chance of a final flight on one of Ryanair's soon to be sold off 732 fleet from Prestwick to Shannon and back again. The reg was EI-CJG which turned out to be the identical airframe to my original flight all those years earlier.

Allen that was when Britannia flew toJersey on behalf of Channel Islands Travel Service. Wednesday was JER followed by FNC Sunday was a RMI W pattern to LTN then by 1983 it was a LCA Service.

Funnily enough Piper One and I flew from PIK to STN on an FR 73A which was formerly KF In BY days. I have to say it was full on patches and rivets looking unkempt unlike in its pristine Britannia days.

atuk wrote: ↑Mon Nov 30, 2020 10:28 pm Allen that was when Britannia flew toJersey on behalf of Channel Islands Travel Service. Wednesday was JER followed by FNC Sunday was a RMI W pattern to LTN then by 1983 it was a LCA Service.

Funnily enough Piper One and I flew from PIK to STN on an FR 73A which was formerly KF In BY days. I have to say it was full on patches and rivets looking unkempt I like in its pristine Britannia days.

Great info, thanks. And yes the interiors on my Ryanair flight were positively '1981' too.

Summer 1967 , G-AOYG Viscount 806 GLA-EDI , don't remember much apart from looking down on the Forth Bridges . First Jet Fight was May '69 , BUA BAC1-11-501 G-AWYT, GLA-VCE , according to the captain, it was it's first revenue flight!