My flight deck experience's started in early 60,s with DC4 / Ambassadors on short hops into Europe from the likes of Southend / Manston / Luton, though to be fair I can hardly remember them, though I do remember a member of Cabin crew showing me around Luton very early in the morning pre flight, which my late Mother identified as 1964.
We then progressed to Viscounts from Southend with Channel Airways on similar routes, with occasional forays into the cockpit, but that was pre 67 so I have little memory directly. There was also a flight on a British Eagle Britannia to Palma, where I got to go up to the pointy end, which I remember seemed to have a huge cockpit in comparison with my earlier experience's and types'. I remember this well, as we were going there to buy a "family" house from where I am typing this evening, which seems appropriate. Palma at the time had a row of Nissan huts, and a horse hitching rail outside, which is a little different to today, Indeed there is a picture at home of me sat on this with AERPURTO DE PALMA sign behind. It was shortly after this that my late Father was posted to Chile, and I started my long association with BCAL 707 on the Santiago to Gatwick service via everywhere in between it seemed, on my way too and from school in the UK.
As I was only young, and as there were others in a similar situation, there where "aunties" supplied by BCAL who were ex cabin crew who looked after us on our routes to South America. I always appeared to be the last off so to speak, as I was going to the terminus, and we were well behaved, though one Auntie let slip that the flights to West Africa and Zambia were more challenging in this regard, as many of the boys were farmers sons and daughters and were less than genteel I think she said. Anyway as a rule on these flights you used to get an invite up if you wanted, usually over the South Atlantic when it was quiet, unless there was trouble in the ITCZ with weather. Surprisingly it was not a common request from my peers, so often you got to sit there for an hour or so if you were well behaved, and did not bore the crew with silly questions, which became easier as I got older obviously.
After the families return to Europe my flight deck experience's declined, so the only one I remember was on a 727 Dan Air from Tenerife to Manchester circa 1975 at Christmas, where we over took a Laker 1-11 from Les Palmas bound for Gatwick off Lisbon. I said I was surprised Laker operated that type on that route and range,which caused much bemusement with the crew, and I stayed in the cockpit until near Bournemouth.
After this there were no visits until a Girlfriend convinced me to dress up as a Bear for a week in support of Children In Need, and she then wrote to both BA / and BMI to see if we could fly around their short UK and closer European Sectors raising cash for that charity. Both thought it was a good idea, but BA had already blown their charity budget that year, but BMI said we could go ahead and furnished us with tickets and passes for the flight which were about 4-5 sectors per day. On a flight from Birmingham to Brussels the Captain asked to be relived after boarding, as he had witnessed a Bear walking over the apron, and did not think he should be flying with those sort of apparition's !! On the return sector he thought it would be a good stunt for the Bear to emerge from the cockpit post take off, so I was in the cockpit for take off and landing. Also the Copilots wife was due a baby, and he asked if we could take some duty free perfume in for him, and the Captain asked for us to bring some Beer in, which was sold on the ramp by the ground staff. The night was misty as it was November, and we only just got into Birmingham before it was closed. Indeed our ATP flight the following morning from Birmingham to Heathrow was canceled, and we went by Bus. I have a picture of me physically picking up some cabin crew in said Bear suite on an East Midlands to Amsterdam route, which I will try and find and post when I am back home.
We now move to late 80,s and Mr Mac,s "air force", where I hired two DC8 to fly some urgent cargo from Houston to Stanstead for my US based company. I was in Houston coordinating this with K&N and got the option of flying back with my "air force" or Delta via Gatwick. I chose "my Air Force" and had a great trip on the FD from pushback to unloading, a great crew , with some colorful Vietnam tales as all were ex military !
I was then going out with an SAS stewardess and got some jump seat trips on a Friday from Manchester to Copenhagen on a DC9. My last FD trip was into Kai Tak with CX as an old friend was the pilot.
Since then the nearest I have had is doing bush flying in Africa in Cessna Caravans, which has been most enjoyable, but not in the same league as previous experience's, and then 911 happened and the world changed for the worse.
Kind regards
Mr Mac
Last edited by Mr Mac; 27th Jun 2022 at 20:57.