First Plane Ride

[JonARNZ]

I can remember my first plane ride like it was yesterday...

I remember the flight was a 737-200 from Wellington to Auckland. We are talking orginal NAC 737-200's here, none of this namby pamby hush kit nonsense!

Climbing on board I sat in the front row thinking I could sit wherever I wanted, just like a bus, you know? The cockpit door was open and I peered inside, as you do as a 6 or 7 year old thinking you own the world, the pilot saw me and said come in. WOOOOOW, all the buttons and stuff. I remember him showing me the antifreeze, which I thought was odd when there were all these exciting looking throttles and things down here, but no, antifreeze it was

We ended up being near the back, me at the window. I have a photo of me somewhere, if I get drunk enough one day I will scan it and post it.

[kiwiflyboy]

The first plane I went in was some grumman amphibious thing, I was about 4 (1990) when it was doing flights from Eastern Beach, have a photo somewhere.

First international flight was a Air NZ 747 to Fiji. (was 6 or so)
Done a few domestic flights in my times, from BAE 146's. 737-200's, ATR's

[Zöltuger]

i doubt i can remember, i was probably 1, going to perth or rarotonga.
memorable flights from my childhood would be the time our 767 was diverted to auckland to fix an oil leak
or the time i flew Qantas business class in the the 747 bubble, but i cried because i had an ear infection and it hurt when we decended. (imagine paying all that money to fly business class to get away from children, but having some punk kid cry the whole decent... suckers!)

[Alex]

Hmm probably a flight from Sydney to London I think, so I can't really remember it, I would have been 2 years old I think. I'm pretty sure it would have been a 747.

Alex

[FlyingKiwi]

I was 2, so it would have been 1990 I think. The flight was from Auckland to Sydney with Air New Zealand but I have no idea what the plane was.

[flynz]

1999 when I was 9 in an Ansett Bae 146. Dont really remember a lot and didnt even notice that it had 4 engines just that the wings were up high so i could see well

[ZK-Brock]

First flight aye?

First ever: Cruisin round in Dad's bright red airtourer, probably age 3

First domestic: Air Nelson Metroliner!

First Intl: Last year on a 733/4, Qantas

First Jet: Ansett BAE 146.

[chopper_nut]

First flight was when I was about 4 I think. Bell 206 of Southern Lakes Helicopters out of NZQN up to Mt Nicholas station to lift hay bales I believe it was. That was the first one I remember. Might have been a 767 flight to Aussie before then back in the days when there were no air bridges at NZCH!! Well before Ansett came along.

[Jimmy]

prety sure it was 1997, I would have been 5 that year, it was eathier greymounth or hokitika to christchurch on a anz link aircraft. not that a 5 year old would know what type it was, I just knew it was fun and "bumpy". mum made me make a scrap book of that holiday I think theres a photo of the aircraft in it, although I don't no were its got too.

so nothing fancy from me, was most likely a saab, but I loved it...

[ardypilot]

then it was doing flights from Eastern Beach, have a photo somewhere.

Cool! Wish they still did them today- where did they go off to? Please do share any photos

My first flight was on 19 March 1992 from London Gatwick to Puerto Rico, in the Canary Islands. The flight number was '15251' and I was 3 years old at the time, not sure what aircraft/airline it was- proberly a Brittania/Monarch B767.

[Naki]

Well I can't remember back that far but it was when I was a small boy (2?) and it ws probably a Cherokee 140 or something like that (my father was a member of the local aero club). First international was in a DC-8. First domestic flight was in a F-27. First chopper - Hughes 300. Other airliners I have flown in include Beech 1900, Saab 340, ATR-72, 737-200/300, 767-200/300, 747-200/400, A320, BAe146-300, DC-10-30.

[kiwiflyboy]

It was just a local scenic flight i think, i was only 4 and cant remember it, I was with my aunty, I have a foto at my dads, which only has the rear door, which has the name on it, next time im there, I'll have a look.

[ZK-TJL]

Mine is not a pleasent memory!!!! It was a Fokker F27 Friendship From NZNP bound for NZNS. I had a cold..........This blocked the tubes that equalise pressure in the middle ear. This aircraft had issues with its cargo bay door not creating a good seel, and so the cabin pressure was never stable. The pressure in the cabin dropped and then climbed throughout the flight......I screamed the whole way....I thought my head was going to explode!!! For those of you out there who have narrow Tubes running from the middle ear to throat (you'll know who you are) ------I know your pain!!!!!

I've had this happen to me three times since.......twice when I was working with origin pacific........two of these were in A metroliner (ZK-CIC).....CIC has always had a leak at the cargo door....This aircraft is a torture wheel for some of us!!!!!!

[ronindanbo]

My first was a Viscount 1974ish? going to Auckland we were on our way to England and it was a DC10 with Air New Zealand and Laker....

[steelsporran]

A RAF air experience flight in an Anson, shortly after the Wright brothers. Others you have probably never heard of were:
Beverley; Brittania; Hastings; Valetta

[chopper_nut]

For those of you out there who have narrow Tubes running from the middle ear to throat (you'll know who you are) ------I know your pain!!!!!

Oh yes, my worst one was on a 767 to Melbourne in 1998, my sister and I both got the same thing. The other one was Lufthansa 747 200 from Frankfurt to Hong Kong. NEVER fly Lufthansa, they have some of the worst service Ive ever experienced. Their plight wasnt helped by the fact that they hadnt banned smoking aboard aircraft at that point. We were travelling as a family of four and asked for non smoking seats. We got them alright, right in front of the smoking section. The smokers didnt stop for 12 hours. I wanted to reach over and strangle them by the end. The highlight of the flight was the landing in Hong Kong (old Kai Tak airport) I got a severe nose bleed when we landed. Not a good experience

[ardypilot]

I also remember an umpleasent experience, flying from Gatwick to Thessalonki (Greece) during the time that the Yugoslavia war was on in the 1990's.

All of a sudden during our cruise across Southern Europe, we started climbing really steeply, then descended really really steep and fast into Greece, to cross the warzone I presume. Everyones ears hurt like hell!

[ooOO00OOoo]

My first flight was from Wellington to Auckland 10 years or so back. Then straight onto a 747 for the 13 hour flight to L.A. I wish i was small like toddler because as you get taller but not too tall you really miss the foot rests that Air New Zealand have, Qantas don't have them:(.

[Kelburn]

Mine would have been Wellington - Auckland- Whangarei (to see my nana) but I'm not sure If we would have gone on Ansett on the BAe 146's or on Air New Zealand.

[Ian Warren]

about 73ish for myself F27 to NZDN return

A RAF air experience flight in an Anson, shortly after the Wright brothers.      Others you have probably never heard of were:
Beverley; Brittania; Hastings; Valetta

mmm the Wright brothers , Orville died in 1948 , from his first flight , thru WW1 trial and drama of 20's 30's WW2 maybe wonder at Chucks sound break in 47 , Now he would really have been in ore off what they the 'Wrights' created . I still am