(first posted 12/11/2014) A perfect summer day at O’Hare airport, watching the takeoffs on 14R/22L. Douglas DC-8, DC-9, DC-10, Boeing 727 and 737, and a few other oldies. What’s your favorite plane? Which do you miss the most?
Runway Classics Video – O’Hare, August 26, 1979
– Posted on December 11, 2020
The B-36 of course.
I agree, nothing beats “6 turning and 4 burning”! I still have a photo of one on my office wall after 50+ years.
Here’s some eye candy: B-36 take off from “Strategic Air Command”
One of the nicest military bomber airplane designs ever…
What I remember is that when they flew over one or more of the props were not running. The were replaced by B52 before long though.
Cool, my favourite liner is the 737, to me it looks like something that is small enough to stay in the air, and they have a long and mostly successful history. The last time I flew on a turbojet 737 was in Argentina in 1996.
I am a nervous flier in general, don’t like 747s and other big planes. Don’t know if I could bring myself to fly on a dreamliner. I used to love flying but had a couple of bad ones..
DC-9 (and it’s whole family tree) or 727.
Engines in the back. Sit as far front as possible. Takeoffs are so quite – all you feel is the hand of God pushing you into the air.
Take offs are quiet, inside the plane, I remember when those 727’s used to roar over my friends warehouse just outside the perimeter at MIA, you could scream as loud as you wanted, and nothing, all you would hear was JET ROAR.
IIRC those 727s were really hot rods – overpowered, could take off on a short runway and climbed steep and fast. Pacific Southwest Airlines used them as commuter buses here in CA in the 60’s and 70’s. Very cheap flights (no federal price regulations for intrastate carriers) up and down the coast. And you still got coffee in a china cup and a smile painted on the front of the plane. Good times.
Funny, “Hot rod” is exactly how my friends dad described them, he said it was a rocket, he later moved to 747’s, but he says that the 727 is probably his favorite airliner. He loves the 747, he says it’s a gentlemans airplane, but the 727 was a sports car.
Funny, “Hot rod” is exactly how my friends dad described them,
Overheard by my dad as he was getting off a 72 when they were new, another passenger said “these are nice planes, but why do they always fly them like an F-104?”
The 727 has always been my favorite airliner. I’ve only flown on one, and that was when I was too young to remember much about it, but it’s just such a good-looking plane, with the sleek nose, unencumbered wings, and T-tail with the duct for the #3 engine. Very well-balanced (I think the longer 200 series looks even nicer than the 100). Shame there are so few left due to the noise regulations…
Ironically the 727 was the first jet deemed quiet enough by the PANYNJ to operate out of LaGuardia. United was forced to move their men-only (you heard right!) Executive flights to Chicago over to Newark because the Caravelles they bought to bring jets to smaller airports were banned due to their insanely loud (even by early ’60s standards) Rolls Royce Avon engines.
Douglas Dakota,there was one flying weekly to the isle of Man from the recently closed Blackpool airport when I lived there in the early 80s.
I miss the early 707s and DC8s with the turbojet engines that would really roar and pop on takeoff.
I too, am a very nervous flier but I love to watch planes from the safety of the ground. I did enjoy the last flight I took a couple of months ago in a 737-800. There weren’t many people on board so I had my choice of where to sit and take photos out the window.
I miss the United “Friendship” color scheme, it looks like the family that was filming this had a clamshell wagon, you can see a bit of the roof and the door when they pan towards the cars at the end of the take-off, there also appears to be a Bandit Trans Am watching the planes take off too.
why are those station wagons actually called “clamshells” ?
Because the rear door and window sort of open up like a clamshell, the door goes into the body and the window goes up into the roof.
ahh…thanks for clearing that up.
I fly a lot for my business and pleasure and my favourite aircraft by far is/was the 747-700. There are very few left in service now that ETOPS rules allow twin engine aircraft on practically any route. In the 1990’s, Air Canada used to run them between Seoul and Vancouver. I had a contact at AC who made sure I got the upper deck, first row, which was configured in economy in these aircraft. Made for a much more comfortable ride.
A few years ago, I was on a convoluted airmiles flight on JAL, and from NRT-MNL I got upper deck, business class! Wow, that was great! The food was excellent and the tray even had a little built in warming device! The seat lay flat and the FA have us all Japanese quits to sleep with.
The 777 and the A330 are also fine aircraft. I haven’t been in a 787 yet, but soon, since AC is now flying them YVR-PVG.
The upper deck on the 747 is nice, even in economy, they normally don’t have any overhead bins due to the shape of the roof. I haven been in a 747 in years, before they made it a regular seating area, the “bubble” used to have a lounge, I never got to see that in person.
I saw the lounge once when I was a kid. I was in lower deck economy and I snuck upstairs to see a bunch of old guys getting blotto on free booze. It was a real let-down.
That’s what I imagined that it was, still, I just love the concept of “the lounge” it seems so foreign today when every inch of the plane is devoted to revenue. American used to have a First Class lounge in the bubble and a coach lounge in the rear of the plane on their 747 Luxury Liner.
We also have to remember what it used to cost to fly. My first ever long haul flight was on CP Air, Vancouver-Narita, return. It cost me $1400 in 1989. Now I can get to Shanghai for $800.
Oh yes, definitely remember the lounge in the back of a 747. It had a small piano. Was my first trip on a jumbo back in the early 70s as a kid. SFO to JFK. American Airlines. Back in the day when AA still flew 747s.
Here’s the one from the current Emirates A-380.
And here’s Qatar’s version.
I flew on a TWA 707 that had a lounge similar to this like this when I was 17, and just plumped down into it instead of my seat for the whole flight. No one else used it except the cute stewardesses. One of them sat in the seat next to me, reading “Love Story”. It was the summer of 1970.
I forgot that some of the 380’s did bring back the lounge on some airlines, some of them just have a little stand up bar but without the couches, I think Virgin has this combo.
Boeing has also added the option of a mini-bar lounge on the 747-8 Intercontinental.
Though any lounge today really pales in comparison to the Penthouses that they used to have back in the day….
I have fond memories of Vancouver to Honolulu in ‘76 on Wardair. Great times is the lounge upstairs!
I love the 747 – one of the safest, most comfortable planes ever. The last time I flew on one was Air China LAX-Beijing r/t three years ago. In the old days I could take one from LAX to NYC or Chicago – United always used them on some transcontinental flights. Fuel just got too expensive.
The most comfortable 747 seat I’ve ever experienced was United first class cabin, upper deck from Beijing to San Francisco. Only about seven people in the cabin, the captain came to greet us and gave us his business card. Five-course meal with lots of fine drink. I watched five movies and was surprised that SF Bay came into view so soon.
Two weeks ago I flew the 777 between LAX and LHR but United’s configuration of that plane is more cattle car than ever. Juan Trippe’s vision for the 747 for Pan Am with the cocktail lounge, etc. are hard to imagine today for any American carrier – that business model (which probably wasn’t a very sound one even then) is long gone. But flights are way less expensive and a very much larger percentage of the population fly today.
Through a ticketing snafu I once was upgraded to Business Class on a 747 which was on the upper deck, on a Qantas flight from Melbourne to Cairns in 1997 — best flight I ever had.
I remember they had luggage bins next to the window seat instead of overhead, due to the slope of the roof.
Giant roomy seats and a great view out the window, awesome food and drinks. I didn’t want to get off the plane when we landed — not an emotion I have felt on an airliner since.
That video held up quite well after 35 years. I saw mostly United airlines 727s along with a couple of 737s, DC8s and DC10s. That video was shot 3 months after the infamous American Airlines DC10 crash. Among the cars in the video, I saw a late 70s Trans Am and part of a GM station wagon with a clamshell tailgate.
I remember that infamous crash well.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Airlines_Flight_191
My family was at the time about to travel from New Zealand to the US and we were stuck in NZ when all DC-10s in the world were grounded after the crash.
After a couple of weeks in limbo the airline got us on a DC-8 to Tahiti, then put us up at the airline’s expense at a beach resort for three days until we could connect with another DC-8 to LAX. Such hardship 🙂
DC-8s I liked because they had big, square-ish windows. I liked DC-10s as well. Air travel was the closest thing to magic when I was a kid.
I always loved that stretch DC-8. So long, thin and graceful.
Right? Never really noticed much before I watched this video…but yeah, this came straight to my mind too….while modern planes look kind of bulgy and bloated, those 70s planes looked so svelte and elegant.
Those long DC-8’s were very cool. I think that’s my favorite from this video. I was on one of these on a transatlantic flight in 1978. I was only about 10 but still remember it.
I find it interesting that these pioneering early jetliners (DC-8, 707), despite being designed over 50 years ago, do not substantially vary in appearance from what a current airliner looks like now. Obviously there are some differences, but to the average (uninformed) air traveler of today, a late 50’s 707 would not generate a comment like, “Wow, that plane looks so old”, even though it is.
I imagine that it’s mostly a matter of aerodynamics dictating optimal shape. And there was already enough of a fundamental understanding of aerodynamics by the late 50’s to know what that optimal shape (and resultant appearance) was.
To bring this full circle back to cars, I’ve heard the same explanation for why today’s cars all look so much alike; optimal aerodynamics are to “blame”. That may explain it, but in my opinion it doesn’t excuse it.
Man, I saw this exact video last freaking year! Car fans are also airplane fans too at heart! 😛 I love the 727’s and the DC10’s and that great United Livery. Check out those first generation dirty 737’s takin’ off!
From a die hard airplane (and car) guy, I thought the very same thing as well…”I’ve seen this before!”
😀
I recall takeoff in a 737-200 being the most excitement one could have in this class of airliner; they really pushed you back in the seat. For some reason, later versions with more powerful turbofans accelerated less, maybe takeoff power/weight was less.
Also, some pilots have mentioned this model as a favorite, on aviation blogs.
I remember those times, when driving out to the airport on Sunday afternoons and watching airplanes land and take off was an exciting thing to do….when jetplanes were still kind of exotic an new.
Our first family trip via plane was back in 1972. I was 4 years old then and I remember how my dad got all excited about everything related to aviation.
Whenever he would see an airplane flying up in the sky he would try to identify what type of plane it was….he kept rambling on about whether it was a DC 9 or DC 10 or a Boeing or whatever else might have been flying up there. My brother and I had no clue what he was talking about. But it sounded rather knowledgeable. While it never got me excited, my brother became a pilot and is flying 747s nowadays 😉
Oh I forgot to mention, what I really miss is old Terminal 1 at Toronto Airport. You could go onto the roof and have a great view of planes taking off & landing…
I miss the observation decks at SFO and OAK, too. I’m sure most airports had them. I also remember a parking lot at the south end of SFO adjacent to a couple of runways which was an easy way to pass the time. All of these are gone now, and probably including the location where this video was made, understandably because of terrorist concerns. What a shame.
Planespotting – ah that is another nice pasttime. When I lived in Hong Kong in the late 90s, the old Kai Tak Airport in central Kowloon was one of the best venues for planespotting. You can see the planes over the rooftops make that right bank turn just before landing on the runway.
Nice video, looking clear after so many years, As for me, the 727, especially the -100 or -200A, is the most fun. Sit just behind the wing and the triple-slotted flaps fully extended at 45° and the wings really opened up and the extreme sink rate. The first North Central Convair 580 had a fast takeoff and climb. Too bad we can’t do that any more…
I like the Lockheed L-1011 most, though I’ve never flown in one.
The Lockheed TriStar was very elegant in appearance, with the third engine incorporated into the fuselage. I always wanted to fly on one – and Concorde – but never got the chance. L-1011 was used by Delta a lot on southern routes that I didn’t fly and Concorde – priced for the elite only.
Used to watch Concorde taking off from Heathrow back in the 80’s – very loud, very dirty, but what fun.
Exactly, I flew a Delta L-1011 from LA to Atlanta in 1984. It was very spacious and comfortable. Then a 727 up the eastern seaboard stopping at Raleigh/Durham, D.C., LaGuardia(?), Logan, Portland maybe and Bangor. That second leg was a real let-down, very cramped and crowded. The ticket was about 400 dollars.
I flew a Delta L-1011 once. It was getting a bit long in the tooth by 94, but the lumpy idle and cloud of oil smoke that belched from the #2 engine when it started wasn’t all that confidence inspiring.
I flew on an ancient L-1011 from Narita to Hong Kong, circa 1991. It was on Cathay Pacific and was clearly near the end of its service life. I was in the back and it was really loud on take off. It still had the bulkhead projectors for movies, the last plane I saw with them. From there they had the swing down tvs, and finally to individual seat screens. The ability to choose from a large list makes long haul flights much more pleasant.
So many planes, so little time. Absolute all time favorite has to be the 727. Turn onto the runway, hear the JT8Ds spool up, then acceleration…then more acceleration…then more acceleration…then take off like an F-4.
The prize for unusual goes to the Convair 990. Flew on a 990 once. 990s were long gone by the time that video was shot.
Flew North Central DC-9s and Convair 580s a lot. Always wondered if I flew on the same Convair airframe as a piston engined 440 and after the turboprop conversion to a 580. North Central merged with Southern to become Republic, then bought Hughes Airwest, then went bust and was absorbed by Northwest. The mascot on the tail is called “Herman the duck”
Herman may still be working here in BC. Conair Aviation uses 580s as water bombers and Kelowna Flightcraft rebuilds 580s for cargo use. There’s probably 8 or 10 580s in use here. Not bad for a 65 year old design.
Since this was taken at O’Hare we really should tip our hats to Butch O’Hare. I would love to see the F4F-3 Wildcat on display.
From Wikipedia: Lieutenant Commander Edward Henry “Butch” O’Hare (March 13, 1914 – November 26, 1943) was an Irish-American naval aviator of the United States Navy, who on February 20, 1942 became the Navy’s first flying ace when he single-handedly attacked a formation of 9 heavy bombers approaching his aircraft carrier. Even though he had a limited amount of ammunition, he managed to shoot down or damage several enemy bombers. On April 21, 1942, he became the first naval recipient of the Medal of Honor in World War II.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_O%27Hare for the full writeup.
Here in BC it’s forest fire country and water bombers are just part of summer. Today’s are all turbine powered aircraft like Convair 580s and Air Tractors, but up until just a few years ago the sound of big radial engines was common. DC-6s, Grumman Trackers and the famous Martin Mars were seen all over the province. Before that we had Grumman Avengers, A-26s and Catalinas (Canso to us). I got to see them all in action, and if you had the right connections you could get a barrel of 100/130 from the airport back then. Seeing and hearing a fully loaded DC-6 use up every foot of runway and just clearing the fence is something not soon forgotten. Neither is being just at the edge of the drop zone for a “12 door drop” of 2000 or so gallons.
I miss the “sound of round”.
I wish the planes were captioned. Some I know, some not.
Scott,if you watch the video on youtube and read the comments, somebody replied with a listing of each aircraft type.
The little guy is a Fairchild F-26. I love the throb of those turboprops!
I live near Charlottesville-Albemarle and we have the mighty Dash 8 in all its configurations. It is one of my favorite planes. Compared to the CRJs it is nearly roomy.
I love to fly and don’t mind the small airport here. Last time I flew it was out of Dulles. By renovating, they took a decent airport and turned it into even more of a convoluted mess. No wonder everyone is using Reagan Natl these days for domestic flights.
“The little guy is a Fairchild F-26.”
No, no such thing.
It is a Swearingen Metroliner.
Thank you. I stand corrected. I was going for C-26, the military designation, and flopped it.
This is time travel for me. I started my career as a flight attendant for Ozark Air Lines early 1978. I recognize what looks like a Convair 580 (albeit a bit long) in North Central livery, as well as two stretch DC-8s (not sure of the model number) prior to some of them being converted to high-bypass engines for the end of their service lives (flew on my first honeymoon on one from LAX to HNL). Don’t know how they avoided a tail strike on every takeoff. Also it appears that a few of the 727s, one in particular, had some problems achieving altitude. Weight and balance was not an exact science back then and often we would take off within limits according to the paperwork but not according to physics.
For all of the hundreds of times I transited through ORD unfortunately my strongest memory is of a clear Friday afternoon in May of 1979 when we landed while an American DC-10, looking polished and brand new just out of overhaul, held short. We landed and exited the active runway and AA Flight 191 to LAX began it’s takeoff roll. At a critical point the left engine detached from the wing and the aircraft made a slow roll back into the ground. I did not see this occur, but my first thought when the passengers who did began to panic was that they must be hallucinating. Only after I saw the huge column of black smoke was I ready to acknowledge that a plane did indeed crash.
Wow. The photos are dramatic enough, but to be there?
That was done by a United employee. Mostly United aircraft, two North Central 580s and a DC-9-30 plus one Northwest 727 and a Swearingen Metroliner. No American. No Ozark. No TWA. No Eastern. No Air Canada. No Braniff.
O’Hare was my home airport from ’78 through ’96 and for 1979 the planes photographed were common but many others were excluded. Great shots though.
I believe the location is just west of Manheim Road prior to the livery waiting area, looking northwest.
The United scheme shown in on all these airplanes is called “Saul Bass” – after the designer. His design scheme was also used on the Frontier 737s of the same era (and Frontier’s later Douglas Super 80s).
My favorite airliner? TWA or Delta Convair 880 – often seen at ORD until about ’73 or so. Two Convairs in this sequence are the 580s of North Central. They were very comfortable with huge throne like seats and very loud. They had more than enough power with the (GM) Allison engines and made Ozark’s F-27s (turbine RR Darts) seem slow and wimpy by comparison.
I miss O’Hare of this time period.
Do you know what United would have flown on the Chicago – Cedar Rapids run in 1968? I took my first trip alone then, aged 15, from Baltimore to CR. I vividly remember the stretch DC-8 from BWI to ORD, but I can’t quite put my finger on what I flew for the second leg. Odd.
Paul – 1968 was sort of a transition time for the United fleet. Both the turboprop Viscount (acquired from Capital in a merger) and the Douglas DC-6 were ending their service at this time and both served CID in the ’60s. The two were then being replaced by the Boeing 737-200 on short haul services. The 737 joined UA fleet in ’68.
So I would say that it could have been any one of four aircraft: propliners Viscount or DC-6; jets 737-200 or 727-100.
I do not believe I ever flew into CID but I do remember Ozark service into Waterloo / ALO in that time period.
Thanks. I’m thinking it wasn’t the DC-6, as that would have been memorable (I loved those beasts). And I remember seeing my first 737 from the window of the plane, noting how short and stubby it was. Probably a 727, but wouldn’t it more likely have been the -100 than the -200?
Yes Paul it was likely a 727-100, rather than a -200, for a short regional route like ORD-CID. The -100 had been in service by then for about four years.
Remember there was also the Sud-Est Caravelle; they were used mostly to the east of Chicago and especially on the runs between there and LaGuardia.
There was also an even shorter 737-100 but only about 30 were built and sold only to Lufthansa. Some eventually made it to the USA as used airplanes and worked for People Express, Continental and possibly America West.
I’m pretty sure too that’s what it was.
I may have flown on one of those 737-100s in Europe once, a short hop between Frankfurt and Zurich. That was in 1982. Unless those -100s were gone by then. But yes, the -100 was a remarkably stubby little thing.
I remember seeing Caravelles on the East Coast; probably in NY, but I might have seen them in Baltimore once or twice. I loved hanging out on the observation deck at then-Friendship Intl. in Balto. In the 1965 – 1967 period, there were still lots of DC6s flying out of there, and never failed to savor their engine start-up.
Paul– do you remember flying on a BOAC VC-10 with the four jet engines, two on either side of the tail? I thought it was on a return trip, possibly 1969 out of Amsterdam. We flew in on a 707. Maybe the VC-10 was on the next trip when we initially arrived in London. That would make more sense being a BOAC flight.
Karl: Whoa! You’re poking into memory banks that have some serious holes. Are you saying we flew BOAC, and via London? My memories of the actual flight are a bit dim, but I somehow thought it was KLM, and direct from NYC to Amsterdam.
I very much remember seeing VC-10s, but I’m not able to bring back a memory of riding in one on that trip. I agree it was a 707 on the way over, but I assumed it was another on the way back. But I have no clear memories. Oddly enough, I can’t really bring up any memories of the trip home…Hmmm.
…the 580s of North Central. They were very comfortable with huge throne like seats and very loud.
Thing that always cracked me up about the North Central 580s, rather than have a seat cushion that “can be used as a flotation device”, they had mae wests in the seatback pockets, CO2 bottle and all. I wonder how many kids pulled the cord on one of those over the years.
The 580 was a fun ride too. iirc, the Allisons ran at constant speed, so thrust control was all done with prop pitch, the result being that thrust came on a lot faster. The pilot would whip around the turn at the head of the runway, advance the pitch and we were off with a roar, without waiting for the engines to spool up.
that’s a DC-9-50 series you can tell by the stretch fwd of the wings.
Hello, this video was filmed by my father who did not work for any airline. He just wanted to stop and test out his new video camera. I am loacted closest to the camera at the 6:09 mark. Our car was a 1976 Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser. My You Tube page (VideoFromGeorge) is dedicated to my father who filmed this and many other early videos from this era. We also drove to another location and filmed landings. My brother and I are at the end of the video. Many classic 70’s cars can be seen here too! http://youtu.be/nHSprcRxtYQ
My first trip off the island was in 1969 and I liked the Fokker Friendship,slow propellor engines,wings on top of the fuselage,so unobstructed views for passengers.The large oval windows were set low next to the seats and I often had the feeling that I could just fall out! DC9s and 727,747 were fun also.
I was also quite fond of seeing the Piedmont 737. Their home base was Greensboro, GSO (later renamed PTI) and a neighbor of mine worked maintenance for them. I still have some Piedmont-branded playing cards and one of the styrofoam punch-out 737 “models”. Assemble it, put a penny in the center of the wing for some mass, and they’d actually fly for quite a bit on a good throw…
They’ve been gone since probably the early 90’s, if not the late 80’s, bought out by USAir.
A couple of years ago US Air did some retro livery planes with the color schemes of the airlines that formed US Air, they had a Piedmont, PSA and Allegheny(I think?) schemed planes.
For the WWII era in the fighter category, the P-51 Mustang. For a bomber, the B-17 Flying Fortress. And, if I haven’t mentioned it, my father was a lower turret gunner on a B-24; was shot down and ended up a POW for the last 10 months of the war. Post-war, I’d say the F-100, F-102 and especially the F-106.
The 1st time I flew in a plane, it was a Lockheed Electra. I had been in Navy boot camp and was flying to the 1st of many technical schools. In a case of my life coming full circle very quickly, after more than a year of training I was sent to a Navy squadron of P-3 aircraft as an electronics technician. (A P-3, for those who don’t know, is the “military version” of a Lockheed Electra.)
In 1975 I flew across the Atlantic from Rome to NYC. Walking around the Rome airport, waiting for my flight, I was surprised to see soldiers walking along catwalks above the main floor carrying sub-machine guns. This was 45 years ago. The second surprise was the flight in a 747. It just seemed unbelievable that something as big as a gymnasium inside could get off the ground.
For fans of the Airbus A-380, I saw just last night on the D-W news that the A-380 isn’t selling and may have to be discontinued. The airlines for the Arab Emirates is just about the only customer for the planes. And lack of sales is endangering the company.
Lockheed L-1011 Tri-Star was the best. Plenty of room.
Non-stop from Honolulu to DFW on Delta; was able to find 5 seats in a row that were empty (try that today). Pushed up the arm rests and the flight attendant gave me a pillow and blanket. Slept the whole way home.
1949 Avro Canada C102 Jetliner. It could have been a contender, one was built, due to the Korean War the second was scrapped. The company Hawker Siddeley concentrated on fighters instead.
The Comet 4 was a beautiful plane. The Caravelle was too.
Speaking of legacy DC-9s, ValuJet had quite the fleet. I used to fly it a lot between Nashville and DC. Some of the planes had their groovy interiors partially intact. I still have some ValuJet swag.
I also have a huge stack of luggage tags from Independence Air. The airline was a terrific idea in theory and in the beginning, execution. But then I was stuck when one of the CRJs had mechanical issues, the airline wouldn’t give vouchers for other carriers and there was dickering over getting another plane in. Forget it.
holy smokes…I could write pages and pages of my memories from the 1950’s and early 1960’s when piston-powered airliners ruled the skies! Dad worked for the CAA and took me up in the DC-3’s when they tested radar systems. Nothing like the roar and hum of those engines and we gently loped through the clouds over Indianapolis.
I loved the DC-7 and Super Constellation and still think the Connie in TWA colors will be an art and science icon for the ages.
My first jet airliner trip was in 1971 when the folks flew me down to Disneyworld right after it opened. I still remember that takeoff roll when the speed increased at a “push-you-back-into-the-seat” rate that had me thinking the pilot was crazy. Takeoffs in piston airliners were progressively relaxing as the engines roared creating harmonies and vibrations that no jet plane provides. Interiors had real wood and fabric curtains on the windows and everyone dressed to fly in their Sunday best.
Best jet flight was in a then brand-new DC-9 Super 80…sitting up front there was no engine noise at all. Worst jet flight was sitting in the last row of a L-1011 with that roaring engine above our heads. Scary.
My dream flight would be New York to Sydney, A-380 first class. Maybe that will be my retirement gift to myself in a couple of years.
To those complaining that all airliners look alike these days, there are only two companies left building them. 50 years ago we had Vickers VC10s, with their four tail mounted engines, BAC-111s that looked mostly like a DC-9, Sud Est Caravelles.
Then there was Convair, first with the 880, then the 990s. Too little too late. Douglas and Boeing had already captured the market. What is worse, the 990 was a bit narrower than a 707 so the cargo containers sized for the 707 didn’t fit. The 990 still holds the record for the fastest subsonic airliner. Used GE fanjets. GE engines of the time only had one shaft, so instead of putting the bypass fan at the front, like Pratt did, they had the fan at the back and it windmilled in the engine exhaust. Only a handfull were built, used by American and Swissair.
Word has it the 880 and 990 designation referred to the maximum forward speed the plane was capable in cruise flight: 880 and 990 feet per second, respectively.
dang. I was going to mention these.
I have to give the 727 the vote for my all time favorite airplane. As a kid in the 70’s going to Disney World was exciting and luckily my folks took me every few years. My first flight was in 1976 on an Eastern Airlines Boeing 727, which they trademarked “Whisperjet”. The captain gave me some Eastern Airlines wings that I still have to this day. I clearly remember my Dad saying that 727’s had tons of thrust and took off better than any other airplane. The funny thing is I got sick of them because they were so popular and I would always wish it was a different type of plane whenever I flew. Then the 80’s and 90’s came and 727’s were becoming a rare sight. The new common plane became the 737, a good plane but boring. I longed for a flight on a 727 again! In 1995 my wife (then girlfriend) and I were traveling to Florida. It was her first time flying and lo and behold, for some strange reason Continental Airlines flew us from LaGuardia to Orlando on a connecting flight on a 727. I was both shocked and excited. The takeoff was as I remembered, fast and furious! I have never seen or been on another 727 since that flight.
Eastern was the official airline of Walt Disney World for many years, they even had a ride in Tomorrowland, “If you had wings”, they even had an Eastern reservation counter at the end of the ride, since my grandfather worked for Eastern, we ALWAYS had to ride the Eastern ride every time we went to Disney!
Was he there long enough to earn his Hat? For many EAL retirees and those who had been there at least 20 years when Eastern went Tango Uniform in ’91, it’s their most prized possession. My ex-father in law (24 years when the end came) always said he’d be buried wearing his….
Unfortunately no, he was only there from 1967 to 1983.
Loved that ride, Carmine! I remember going into a tunnel that was shaped like the engine on a plane. The turbine spun in front of you and they had wind and objects swirling all around. I can even remember the music – “If you had wings, had wings, had wings…….” Memories!!!!
My favorite airliner during my childhood was the DC-10. I loved the looks and that big engine on the tail! It was the flagship plane for Venezuela’s VIASA, the international airline of my home country when I was growing up, hence my fondness. On Sunday mornings I would ocasionally get a clean sheet of paper and draw a DC-10 in full VIASA livery, including jets of flame coming out of the engines, which was the way I imagined jet engines worked. Oh, where did all that creativity go! I also liked DC-8s and loved their slim, pencil-like looks. And of course there was and is the 747. To me it’s still the most elegant, graceful airliner currently flying. When I was a child I remember flying on an AVIANCA 747 and going up to the top deck. It had some lounge chairs and a display cabinet with pre-columbian artifacts. Cool. Finally, among current airliners, I guess my favorite in terms of looks (apart from 747) would be the Airbus 340 in its longest version (A340-600?). It looks so graceful, kind of like a modern version of the 707. Too bad it seems they’re being fased out because the current big twin-jets are more efficient.
I always wanted to fly on he plane that the de Havilland Comet, 707, and DC-8 quickly made obsolete:
Wow this is great! I loved the North Central airlines duck logo and remember NC was flying propeller planes long after other airlines had stopped.
I never liked the United paint scheme shown here….the red/white/blue logo and paint from the sixties was better than that seventies orange.
I would have been 17 in 1979 and collected airline timetables for my imaginary flights. Wish I had saved them….especially North Central as they flew to the upper midwest smaller cities…and I wondered how they stayed in business!
I’ll take the 727 for my favorite ride. Beautiful plane.
To fly on, I enjoyed the L-1011. It was the first “big” plane I flew on.
For sentimental reasons, because I worked on the program, the DC-10 has a special place for me.
Also, a significant part of my career was spent looking after the F-22, which included a tour of the factory where they were built.
I did not enjoy flying on the DC-8s. Uncomfortable ride, poor configuration.
I flew a DC-10 once out of Orlando Florida back in 1980. I don’t remember flights that much but that is one I remember. I am a nervous flyer and would prefer to be in control of both the plane and most importantly the maintenance. As we start to board the plane on the tarmac I remark that this plane is the same as AA 191 that crashed on take off out of Chicago. Passengers heard me, air crew heard me, my parents heard me, I was hesitant to get on the plane and was prepared to walk back down the stairs. The crew got me back on, the Captain said he would be careful, then they placed me in 1st class and when we landed in San Diego I was drunk by then in the evening. Somehow I ended up walking the beach at 1:00 am in the morning.
For modern airliners, the one in which I flew business class across the Atlantic in, holds a special place with me. The 777. Quiet, powerful, and comfortable.
Although not shown in the video, my favorite airliner would be the 747 flown by Wardair the last great independent airline in Canada. My buddy and I flew on one to Hawaii and I took the time to check out the upper level. What a huge aircraft.
The 737 in the video reminds me of how noisy those jets were taking off and landing. You had to feel sorry for residents who lived near Edmonton’s Municipal Aircraft when those jets started up and either took off or landed.
Really enjoyed this!
Sadly, I am too young to have flown on a 707 or DC-8. Living in Detroit, after a bunch of mergers and so on Northwest Airlines became the dominant carrier at DTW as one of its three hubs in North America, along with Memphis and Minneapolis.
I had to fly quite a bit in the early 2000s on business. Northwest was always very much maligned in these parts for bad service and an old fleet, a lot of it undeserved. I personally always had good experiences and when there was problems they did their best to make it right.
They had lots of 727‘s and by far that’s my favorite plane. Loved seeing three engines back there and it was unique in that it had a third crew member, a navigator ….which also was part of its downfall. Apparently pilots loved them.
My least favorite was the DC-9. Northwest apparently was the largest global operator of the type, and then Delta was after they merged. Didn’t care for the 3+2 seating back in coach, was weird. Seemed these planes were going to implode or explode on takeoff, very loud. They always made me a tad uneasy, and at the time we’re 20-30 years old. But they were the backbone of their fleet and apparently but all accounts were a good aircraft. Northwest obviously was expert at servicing these things quickly and well to get them back in the air.
Lastly, I am glad to of had a chance to fly a 747-200. I flew over to Gatwick on a British Airways 747 in 1999.. Our particular aircraft had the upper deck as coach, oddly…often it was first class. She’s beautiful and she will always be the Queen of the Skies.
I flew Northwest out of SFO to Narita on a dozen trips back and forth between 1990-94 always on the 747. Frequent flier which made it nice to enable me to pick my favorite seat all those trips. I had no complaints about the service to Narita before the short leg to Manila with a completely different cabin crew. I only switched to JAL once I discovered I could fly as a courier at $400 RT and so made another 34 trips on JALs 747. Hate to say it but I really loved flying JAL and the very quiet and well behaved passengers on those flights. JAL used the upper deck as coach and that is where I flew. The 747, with 104 flights, is the most common plane I have been on followed by the 104 on the A320 to Manila.
The 727 was most common for my flights on the west coast via PSA. I did have the chance to make a flight on a Lockheed Electra, by PSA, before being retired in 1968.My flight to Europe in 1976, via charter, was a 707.
As a general observation, planes were so much easier to identify back then. Many of them could be IDed just by looking at the number of engines and their location. Nearly all modern planes use the same formula of two engines mounted under the wings. Telling them apart requires much more attention to detail.
And as for my favorite, while in general the DC-9 and it’s descendants are my favorites, I loved that Piedmont Airlines 737 towards the end. I grew up near Charlotte, which was a Piedmont hub at the time, so that brought back a lot of memories.
Having lived under the approach to 27L a few years prior to 1976?
My favorite sightings were the SwissAir Convair 990’s, the BOAC VC-10, and the Illinois ANG KC-97. And seeing one of the first B747 arrivals in ORD sometime in the spring of 1970
Living in Tulsa in ’72 netted plenty of F-100 sightings, the occasional B-47 flight (On bailment to McDonell-Douglas.) And what had to have been the last RF-84 going to a museum.
My biggest regret was not keeping a camera handy for the transient line at all the Navy bases I was at.
BTW, does anybody remember the DH Comet going derelict at Ord?
Vickers Viscount, world’s first turboprop airliner. Large oval windows gave great view.
Flew Hannover to Berlin on British European Airways ca. 1964 to avoid surface travel through East Germany.
Pan Am, BEA, and Air France provided subsidized service from West Germany to West Berlin for those who could not or did not wish to travel by car or rail across East Germany. Lufthansa was not permitted to fly in to Berlin until German reunification in 1990.
My understanding about flying through East German airspace between West Berlin and West Germany is that:
1. the planes cannot fly higher than 10,000 feet;
2. the planes cannot divert from the strict prescribed air corridors;
3. the planes cannot overtake slower planes that share the flight routes.
Sometimes, the cruising ceiling was raised to 13,000 feet if there were Soviet military exercises taking place. The 10,000 feet ceiling made the jetliners more fuel-inefficient and sometimes rougher flying. Thus, jetliners often had full tanks regardless of flying distances just to be on safe side.
The strict prescribed routes were Northern, Centre, and Southern air corridors. Each corridor was 20 miles wide. All flights regardless of their origins or destinations must fly through any of three corridors. After departing East Germany, the planes were free to divert anywhere. Centre air corridor was the quickest, shortest, most economical, and best of three.
That must be terrible for 707, 727, and other jetliners having to slow down for the propeller-engined planes. Sometimes, the slower East German or Soviet planes would “intentionally” fly up ahead and become the “left-lane bandit” just to frustrate the western pilots and expend more fuel.
I took Deutsche Reichsbahn (East German railway company) trains between Hamburg and West Berlin in April 1989 (seven months before the breach of Berlin Wall). I wanted to experience what it was like to travel in a communist country and to see how East Germany looked. Those train rides were the most depressing, and I had never felt so fearful in my life. That really changed my perspectives greatly about socialism and communism.
Pan Am, BEA, and Air France provided subsidized service from West Germany to West Berlin for those who could not or did not wish to travel by car or rail across East Germany. Lufthansa was not permitted to fly in to Berlin until German reunification in 1990.