Originally Posted by
treadigraph
Wish I'd had the money to do a flight in a PBA Martin 404 when I was at Miami in 1984 - trip was rather a tight budget though. I don't suppose it would have been expensive at all...
I was on Staff Travel - Non Rev - we got near freebies with Laker, Air Florida and on PBA at the times (1980's).
I used to go on holiday flying out from Gatwick to MIA, and then go down to Key West quite often back in the 1980's -
Awesome quaint place for a sunshine holiday back then. especially in the winter months. Roasting hot anytime after April or May.
Great cheap rustic B&B's and one rented a bike and we cycled everywhere.
Conch Fritters and Lime Margaritas was de rigueur for sunsets.
I either drove down from MIA in a Rental Car (so cheap back then for airline staff) on the
Overseas Highways, stopping for Lobsters at one of the Keys, such as Marathon or Key Largo.
Usually then flew back to MIA to go home to LGW,
or sometimes took the plane both ways.
One evening after an amazing 2 weeks holiday I went out to the tiny Key West Airport to get the PBA flight back to MIA (then we were standby on Air Florida to London - got First Class on that one, awesome!).
I was expecting the DC-3, but we were walked out from the little Terminal to the Martin and boarded using the rear ventral stairs.
Such a nice old plane.
Lovely balmy tropical evening to get on an old prop plane and take off over the blue seas and fly low level up the Keys to MIA.
The Air Florida and Eastern 727s in and out of Key West was quite a white knuckle ride.
40 flaps and loads of power on, for landing on the very short runway, I recall they had nose wheel brakes too.