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Friday 11 November 2011

First Flight

As long as I can remember, flying and planes, especially commercial airliners, fascinated me.  Living close to the Edmonton Municipal Airport made it possible for me to ride my bike there frequently to watch the airliners come and go.  Two public observation decks built on the roof on either side of the passenger terminal, allowed for an unobstructed view of the airport's two main runways.  The smell of burning aviation fuel as planes taxied past the building and watching passengers boarding planes for destinations worldwide only increased my desire to experience flight.

My second eldest brother, Murray's enthusiasm for flying only increased mine.  He was about ten years older than me and was an air traffic controller and had earned his private pilot's license.  His being transferred from Edmonton to Lethbridge as part of his training was the catalyst that brought about the realization of my dream.  He invited me to spend part of the summer holidays with him.  I eagerly accepted and began saving money for the airfare that was the princely sum of $38.00 one way. A paper-route was the source of income.  My parents had agreed to drive to Lethbridge later in the month for a visit and take me back home.

The momentous day arrived along with brilliant sunshine and clear blue skies.  Mom and Dad and Grandma Kirsch, who could not be convinced that flying was a good idea, saw me off at the airport.

Flying then was not the ordeal that it has become today.  Security was lax if not non-existent.  Upon checking in at the airline counter, I was welcomed by a friendly passenger agent who took my ticket and baggage and gave me a boarding pass.  There was no separate passenger lounge for those boarding flights and passengers and visitors mingled freely in front of the boarding gate until the flight was called.

The plane was a Vicker's Viscount operated by Trans Canada Airlines now Air Canada.   Built in England, it was the first of the four engined turbo-props that were fast ushering in the jet age with smooth, vibration free flight. The plane looked magnificent gleaming all silvery in the sunlight with its red, white and black airline markings.  The pencil thin engines emitted a distinctive whine that set the plane apart from the piston engine aircraft of the day.  Huge, oval windows offered passengers unparalleled views and the seating was all first class.

My seat was in the first row at the front of the aircraft next to a window on the star-board side.   I eagerly awaited the starting of the engines and for the moment the aircraft would begin taxiing for takeoff.  I felt the plane gathering speed and enjoyed the sensation of being gently pushed back into the seat and the exhilaration of lifting off the runway and watching the ground fall away beneath the belly of the plane.  I was flying at last!

Trans Canada Airlines called Edmonton, Calgary, Lethbridge its milk run and normally used a  DC 3 on that service.  When more passengers than a DC 3 could accommodate travelled between Edmonton and Calgary, they used the Viscount and passengers going on to Lethbridge transferred to the DC 3 at Calgary.  This was the case that day and, in Calgary, I boarded a venerable DC 3 for the final leg of the journey.

The DC 3 has the distinction of being the most successful commercial aircraft ever built and I was glad to experience flying in one.  While the flight from Edmonton to Calary was full and smooth, the Lethbridge leg carried only a handful of passengers and the ride was bumpy.  The old Gooney bird rose and fell as it encountered air pockets over the badlands of southern Alberta.  The flight attendant smilingly reassured the passengers that the bumpiness was normal.  There was even enough time for a complete lunch served on large, old fashioned, trays supported by a pillow placed on the lap.

My brother was at the airport to meet me.  He lived in an old army barracks at the airport and he could walk to work.  One evening, he took me up into the control tower to show me how they kept track of the aircraft flying in that sector.  When a Western Airlines Convair 240 made a stop to clear Canadian Customs, he got permission for me to board the aircraft for a look while the ground crew re-fueled the plane.  That is something not allowed today.

Since then, I have had occasion to travel by air on long hauls as far away as South Africa.  Big, fast, and comfortable Jetliners have replaced the smaller aircraft.  The Viscount and the DC 3 are almost history but no flight I have taken since was as satisfactory as the first flight taken that summer.


 
  ( Vicount with DC 3 in background at Lethbridge, Alberta)

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