An old gentleman's memories
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An old gentleman's memories
Excuse the ramblings of an old gentleman who has long since penned his last entry in the log book, but does anybody here remember the old days when pilots back then were men that didn't want to be women or girlymen. Pilots all knew who Jimmy Doolittle was. Pilots drank coffee, whiskey, smoked cigars and didn't wear digital watches.
They carried their own suitcases and brain bags like the real men they were. Pilots didn't bend over into the crash position multiple times each day in front of passengers at security so that some Government agent could probe for tweezers or fingernail clippers or too much toothpaste.
Pilots didn't go through the terminal impersonating a caddy pulling a bunch of golf clubs, computers, guitars and feed bags of tofu and granola on a sissy trailer with no hat, and granny glasses hanging on a pink string around their pencil neck ,while talking to their personal trainer on the mobile.
Remember the days when being a Captain was as good as being the King in a Mel Brooks movie. All the stewardesses (aka flight attendants) were young,attractive, and single women that were proud to be combatants in the sexual revolution. They would blush and say thankyou when they were told they looked good, instead of filing a sexual harrassment claim. Junior stewardesses shared a room and talked about men...... with not thoughts of substitutions.
Passengers wore nice clothes and were polite, they could speak AND understand English. They didn't speak gibberish or listen to loud gangster rap on their Ipods. They bathed and didn't smell like a rotting pile of garbage in a jogging suit and flip-flops.
If the Captain wanted to throw some offensive, ranting jerk off the plane, it was done without any worries of a law suit or getting fired.
Axial flow engines crackled with the sound of freedom and left an impressive black smoke trail like a locomotive burning soft coal. Jet fuel was cheap and once the throttles were pushed up they were left there, after all it was the jet age and the idea was to go fast. Economy cruise was something in the performance book, but no one knew why or where it was. When the clacker went off no one got all tight or scared because Boeing built its 707s out of iron, nothing was going to fall off, and that sound then had the same effect on real pilots then as Viagra does now for these new age guys.
There was very little plastic and no composites on the aeroplanes. Planes and women had eye pleasing symetrical curves, not an ugly bunch of vortex generators,ventral fins, flow diverters, tatoos, rings in their noses tongues and eyebrows.
Airlines were run by men who had built their Companies from scratch, knew many of their employees by name and were lifetime airline employees themselves......not pseudo financiers and bean counters who flit from one occupation to another for a few bucks, a better parachute or a fancier title while fervently believing they are a class of beings unto themselves.
Does anybody remember those good old days?
They carried their own suitcases and brain bags like the real men they were. Pilots didn't bend over into the crash position multiple times each day in front of passengers at security so that some Government agent could probe for tweezers or fingernail clippers or too much toothpaste.
Pilots didn't go through the terminal impersonating a caddy pulling a bunch of golf clubs, computers, guitars and feed bags of tofu and granola on a sissy trailer with no hat, and granny glasses hanging on a pink string around their pencil neck ,while talking to their personal trainer on the mobile.
Remember the days when being a Captain was as good as being the King in a Mel Brooks movie. All the stewardesses (aka flight attendants) were young,attractive, and single women that were proud to be combatants in the sexual revolution. They would blush and say thankyou when they were told they looked good, instead of filing a sexual harrassment claim. Junior stewardesses shared a room and talked about men...... with not thoughts of substitutions.
Passengers wore nice clothes and were polite, they could speak AND understand English. They didn't speak gibberish or listen to loud gangster rap on their Ipods. They bathed and didn't smell like a rotting pile of garbage in a jogging suit and flip-flops.
If the Captain wanted to throw some offensive, ranting jerk off the plane, it was done without any worries of a law suit or getting fired.
Axial flow engines crackled with the sound of freedom and left an impressive black smoke trail like a locomotive burning soft coal. Jet fuel was cheap and once the throttles were pushed up they were left there, after all it was the jet age and the idea was to go fast. Economy cruise was something in the performance book, but no one knew why or where it was. When the clacker went off no one got all tight or scared because Boeing built its 707s out of iron, nothing was going to fall off, and that sound then had the same effect on real pilots then as Viagra does now for these new age guys.
There was very little plastic and no composites on the aeroplanes. Planes and women had eye pleasing symetrical curves, not an ugly bunch of vortex generators,ventral fins, flow diverters, tatoos, rings in their noses tongues and eyebrows.
Airlines were run by men who had built their Companies from scratch, knew many of their employees by name and were lifetime airline employees themselves......not pseudo financiers and bean counters who flit from one occupation to another for a few bucks, a better parachute or a fancier title while fervently believing they are a class of beings unto themselves.
Does anybody remember those good old days?
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Sorry my man. Not old enough to remember all of that stuff. Sounds like good drills though. Guess us "young punker" boys just have to get the best out of the situation. Thats all we can do.
That being said. You are posting in the right place. If you wanna have a chance to find any pilot who still thinks the world is centered around him and himself - CX would be the place. The RAF mentality is still well alive amongs some individuals and CX accepts that
Thanks for a fun story my friend - enjoy late years.
That being said. You are posting in the right place. If you wanna have a chance to find any pilot who still thinks the world is centered around him and himself - CX would be the place. The RAF mentality is still well alive amongs some individuals and CX accepts that
Thanks for a fun story my friend - enjoy late years.
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OldBillXV
Your story has a familiar ring about it. I'm sure I have read the same story elsewhere and I presume you may have posted it on another forum. One question OldBill, is the age shown on your post correct?
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Old Fella, wish it was, afraid to admit that there are an additional thirty odd summers to add, but heck I still feel like the young buck I used to be!
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And Tridents used to fly 250kts to a six mile final and request it.
Nowadays all we hear is "Don't you realise we need to be stabilised by 1,000ft?" and "Don't you realise that we can't do over/under such and such a speed due to company rules".
No wonder the real men have gone elsewhere.
Reminds me of a real gentleman flier in Australia many years ago who, when asked if he could descend 8,000 ft and be level within a certain distance replied "Er yes, but we can't bring the aircraft with us".
Nice post Old Bill.
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Nowadays all we hear is "Don't you realise we need to be stabilised by 1,000ft?" and "Don't you realise that we can't do over/under such and such a speed due to company rules".
No wonder the real men have gone elsewhere.
Reminds me of a real gentleman flier in Australia many years ago who, when asked if he could descend 8,000 ft and be level within a certain distance replied "Er yes, but we can't bring the aircraft with us".
Nice post Old Bill.
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Reminds me too of the gentleman, since departed, who would ask to do 340Kts to fifteen miles and still be stable by a 1000ft.
I remember the days well. The days when, as a young flight engineer, brand new on the three holer, the senior flight attendant when she brought up only two meals, said that she would be back to breast feed me later and we would all laugh. Just to name a few.
I remember the days well. The days when, as a young flight engineer, brand new on the three holer, the senior flight attendant when she brought up only two meals, said that she would be back to breast feed me later and we would all laugh. Just to name a few.
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times change...
times change bill!
i'm sure even some of us 'young bucks' could harden up and drive a beech-18, inverted on an ndb approach during a thunderstorm like everyone did in the good old days! (although, i'm quite sure i couldn't - i've never even seen a beech-18)
thing is, in 25 years time some 'young buck' like me (but not me, i'll be snoozing on a hammock somewhere) will be telling the new 'young bucks' how tough we had it... "there i was sonny, flying over the north pole, with only a 'gps' and two engines!!"
so i would suggest bill if i may, that you don't concern yourself too much about how easy kids these days have got it. enjoy your retirement! for pete's sake, don't waste your energy on something like pprune! order yourself a nice cocktail, and do what i like to do... take a nap!
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
i'm sure even some of us 'young bucks' could harden up and drive a beech-18, inverted on an ndb approach during a thunderstorm like everyone did in the good old days! (although, i'm quite sure i couldn't - i've never even seen a beech-18)
thing is, in 25 years time some 'young buck' like me (but not me, i'll be snoozing on a hammock somewhere) will be telling the new 'young bucks' how tough we had it... "there i was sonny, flying over the north pole, with only a 'gps' and two engines!!"
so i would suggest bill if i may, that you don't concern yourself too much about how easy kids these days have got it. enjoy your retirement! for pete's sake, don't waste your energy on something like pprune! order yourself a nice cocktail, and do what i like to do... take a nap!
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
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Airlines were run by men who had built their Companies from scratch, knew many of their employees by name and were lifetime airline employees themselves......not pseudo financiers and bean counters who flit from one occupation to another for a few bucks, a better parachute or a fancier title while fervently believing they are a class of beings unto themselves.
Does anybody remember those good old days?
Does anybody remember those good old days?
Employees and management.
Fading fast, however.
And yes, 340 knots till fifteen miles and stabilized by 1000 agl, yes, some can still do this as well, as the Commanders are not micro-managed by the company management types.
Paid for ther expertise, not for their looks.....
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Oh yes, I remember it well, but I was only a young first officer then.
By the time I was promoted to captain it was all no more.
Just like at school prefects held sway but by the time I reached the age to be a prefect it was all abandoned by “Biker” from Seattle , our new headmaster imported by Harold Wilson. "Biker" decreed that prefects were out and the new name of the game was “collective responsibility”.
By the time I was promoted to captain it was all no more.
Just like at school prefects held sway but by the time I reached the age to be a prefect it was all abandoned by “Biker” from Seattle , our new headmaster imported by Harold Wilson. "Biker" decreed that prefects were out and the new name of the game was “collective responsibility”.
Last edited by Guava Tree; 5th Nov 2008 at 15:14. Reason: spelling
