Hope I won't get turfed out for being a non-pilot with this - though I did actually do some of the flying in one of these episodes.
Most memorable flight :
Vickers Viscount circa 1990, Belfast Aldergrove to Manchester. British Airways plane broke, so we all trudged for miles to a forgotten part of the airfield. The plane looked like a museum-piece, and no-one had heard of the airline whose livery it wore. General clutching of rosary beads and mutterings of "only one step up from a Tiger Moth". In reality, much more solidly built inside than the modern stuff, huge panoramic windows - and a comfortingly large number of engines. And a very comforting sort of gentle rolling motion as it crossed a sunlit Irish Sea - 'danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings', just as in the poem. I'm not actually a keen flyer at all, but that flight could have carried on forever.
2nd most memorable :
BA turboprop circa 1990, Manchester to Belfast Aldergrove. Plane broke while flying (spot the pattern here ?) - something navigation-related. Flew around for ages trying to find a hole in the cloud that went all the way down to the ground. Passengers were asked to join in the search - seemed a bit like a Holy Grail thing for a while. Very interactive flying experience.
Least memorable
DH Chipmunk, Air Training Corps. Woodvale, late 70's. I know it's a pretty-looking thing on the outside (see them regularly still since I'm near Barton Aerodorome), but it didn't seem so good strapped in the back seat. The parachute straps cut off all circulation, that's one thing I can remember. And the poor visibility through the 'birdcage' canopy.
Worst Missed opportunity
By digging a bit deep I could have just about managed a Concorde charter flight. Maybe I thought the plane was for fat cats and celebs only, the 'champagne and caviar' set, not for ordinary Joe Public. More likely, I'm just very, very stupid. Now, having seen the public reaction and press/TV coverage, I wish I'd gone for it. Has there been this much interest in a flying machine from the general public since the 50's ? Will my doctor give me anti-depressants to get over missing out on Mach 2 ? Is it possible to sustain long-term damage from kicking yourself too much ? How are those Concorde crews going to cope with life now ? I'm not trying to hijack this thread by the way - someone else mentioned the big white bird earlier on.