The first plane I ever flew in.

[Marik]

[quote author="pstamler"]Hmm...looking at the Wikipedia article on Czech Air Lines, it suggests that they only started buying Ilyushin-18 turboprops in the late 1960s. Since my first flight was in 1960, it may have been in a Bristol Britannia. Or...hrm, maybe not, since they describe the Britannia as having carried the nickname "Whispering Giant" for its quietness. No way could the plane I took be called quiet. "Loudly-Farting Giant" would be more like it.

So maybe Wikipedia is all wet, and I flew in an Ilyushin-18 in 1960.

Peace,
Paul[/quote]

From Russian wiki:

http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%98%D0%BB-18

the develpment of Il-18 started in 1954, the first test flight was made on July 4, 1957, and in 1959 it started regular commercial flights.

Interesting info: out of 719 Il-18 built, in crushes there were lost 100 planes, with total 2352 victims.

Best, M

 

[PRR]

> From Russian wiki:
http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%98%D0%BB-18

In other words:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilyushin_Il-18

The same general thinking as the Lockheed Electra or Orion. Four turbo-props, 80-120 seats, medium-big; but the Il-18 was made in larger numbers for longer time. The Electra was a bit cheaper to run than a turbojet, and expected to serve secondary routes. A few crashed from prop-whirl, orders dried up even though the problem was understood and fixed. Grey paint and ugly nose made it Orion, a fine machine for loitering on patrol. Also fire-fighting.

Back to Connie. There's a story about N8083H and a cash-crop.

"He had flown in it from Alaska to Arizona in 1980 and said that its interior had been outfitted for the low level airdrop of marijuana. He said that the aircraft had been flight tested in the desert by dropping bales of hay. Propliner Magazine confirmed this in a 1983 article, reporting that the aircraft had been observed conducting “low level agricultural flights” with the rear freight door opened. Apparently the open rear cargo door did not impede the flightworthiness of the airplane and the system was a great engineering success. If the airplane was ever actually used for this mission is not known, but it was “rediscovered” in 1986 in Honduras."

http://www.conniesurvivors.com/1-maine_starliners.htm

That's one hell of a lot of joints.

 

[Larrchild]

It's very easy to "stall" on that site and do no electronics. Today is a good example for me. :roll:

 

[bcarso]

Someday I will tell the entire story of what is probably the stupidest thing I ever did in the days of my youth. It involved a single engine Cessna and a flight to San Francisco in the middle of the night with a pilot who had logged a mere 13 hours of solo after getting his license, and had eaten certain errr candies.

The Ali Akbar Khan concert we were travelling to attend (and did manage to do so) was spectacular.

 

[Larrchild]

You Brits had the first Jetliner, this Flash Gordoneque De Havilland Comet.
Darn oversized portholes and metal fatigue sort of sullied their rep, as several augered-in at first, but what the hell, you have to break some eggs to make an omelet, right?=)

http://surf.to/comet

 

[peter purpose]

The RAF Nimrod is based on the Comet airframe and still in service.

 

[peter purpose]

[quote author="bcarso"]Someday I will tell the entire story of what is probably the stupidest thing I ever did in the days of my youth.[/quote]

Bring it on Brad... :thumb:

 

[SSLtech]

[quote author="bcarso"]The Ali Akbar Khan concert we were travelling to attend (and did manage to do so) was spectacular.[/quote]
..In a bizarre melding-of-threads, last night I posted here that the 'Curry' thread had forced me to make a Biryani. -While typing that post, I was lietening to an Ali Akbar Khan and Ravi Shankar CD, because nothing else really quite sets the mood.

Wierd!

Keith

 

[JohnRoberts]

Stupid things in airplanes... Some would say just going up in one.

I recall one time in a friend's Cessna when he let a young neighbor who had just gotten his license, demonstrate some mild acrobatics. I thought they were just trying to scare me, the only non-pilot in the plane, so I remained relatively calm but I could tell afterwards how shook up they were. I didn't realize until after we landed that the altimeter was based from sea level and not that hard stuff you can't fly through. :roll: The kid had learned his tricks in a smaller Cessna, so it didn't work out quite like he planned.

You don't really know you're alive until you've had a few near death experiences. Or you could drive a motorcycle on the street for a week.

JR

 

[SSLtech]

I actually accidentally fell out of a rear right-side-exit Cessna 206 one time... -I have the parachute log entry to prove it...

:roll:

...long story... -it certainly annoyed the chief instructor, though! :green:

 

[SSLtech]

Ah... -found the actual aircraft, I think.

...Apparently that aircraft crashed a few years ago:

Whaddayaknow?

Keith

 

[JohnRoberts]

[quote author="SSLtech"]I actually accidentally fell out of a rear right-side-exit Cessna 206 one time... -I have the parachute log entry to prove it...

:roll:

...long story... -it certainly annoyed the chief instructor, though! :green:

[/quote]

If you fell out during my ride your chute might not have enough time to open..

JR

 

[lofi]

a few seaking and wessex h/copters when i was in cadetts, then one big thing that flapped its wings to and from zuric and another even flappier thing going to and from rome.

i drive now, live on an island so am home bound. when planes learn to fly without the need to flap their wings i will give it another go ...

Iain

 

[rod gervais]

My first flight was in a 1942 Piper Cub that took off from a cornfield in North East CT.

The plane was a 2 seater (front back) with stick controls and a canvas body - the flight was a beautiful experience.

The pilot was a 72 y.o. ex- WWII fighter pilot - and the plane was similar to the one he used for flight training.

Nothing quite like being in the air........

Rod

 

[TomWaterman]

[quote author="Larrchild"]You Brits had the first Jetliner, this Flash Gordoneque De Havilland Comet.
Darn oversized portholes and metal fatigue sort of sullied their rep, as several augered-in at first, but what the hell, you have to break some eggs to make an omelet, right?=)[/quote]

My grandfather designed the wings for the Comet, you are correct, it was the first passenger jet airliner.

They put square windows in it first, and they kept blowing out due to poor seals, so they updated them to oval. You will probs never see another jet with competely square windows or at least that is what my grandad said!!

-T