My dad was a guy who could tell you what kind of airplane it was that was flying over your head. He would point to the sky and say 707 or L1011 or DC9. Maybe it was because he worked for the airline, but it might have been why he worked for the airline; I’m sorry to say I never thought to ask. Still, as members of an airline family, we kids could identify the planes at the gate as we walked by the huge plate glass windows, and we always asked what kind of a plane it was before we left for any trip.
Back then, the popular new kid was the L1011, a wide body luxury plane with a lounge and a bar in first class, but the queen of the fleet was definitely the 747. Truth be told, I spent many transoceanic hours crammed into a coach seat on a 747 (thinking of airline seats now though? the width of the seat and the legroom make that experience seem almost first class, or certainly Business, AKA “Ambassador” in TWA speak.) I also spent many hours in both business and first class, thanks to the airline industry's pre-deregulation professional courtesy policy. By any measure, HRH 747 took me a lot of places I wanted or needed to go.
Even so, I don't remember the last time I saw one in person before tonight. That's when, up at my garden to water, came a rumble then a roar as Air Force One (or the plane that is AF1 when the president is aboard) lumbered low in the sky on its way to lead the 4th of July flyover. She was followed by a number of vintage crafts from as far back as WWII, a bunch of helicopters, some jet bombers including the stealth bomber, the Golden Knights, the Thunderbirds, and the Blue Angels. It was quite a show, and I enjoyed it all the way as I walked home. We were right over the flight path.
Heidi was unimpressed. "Am I paying for this?" she asked in irritation, but I couldn't agree. In the words of Tattoo on Fantasy Island, The plane, the plane!
Back then, the popular new kid was the L1011, a wide body luxury plane with a lounge and a bar in first class, but the queen of the fleet was definitely the 747. Truth be told, I spent many transoceanic hours crammed into a coach seat on a 747 (thinking of airline seats now though? the width of the seat and the legroom make that experience seem almost first class, or certainly Business, AKA “Ambassador” in TWA speak.) I also spent many hours in both business and first class, thanks to the airline industry's pre-deregulation professional courtesy policy. By any measure, HRH 747 took me a lot of places I wanted or needed to go.
Even so, I don't remember the last time I saw one in person before tonight. That's when, up at my garden to water, came a rumble then a roar as Air Force One (or the plane that is AF1 when the president is aboard) lumbered low in the sky on its way to lead the 4th of July flyover. She was followed by a number of vintage crafts from as far back as WWII, a bunch of helicopters, some jet bombers including the stealth bomber, the Golden Knights, the Thunderbirds, and the Blue Angels. It was quite a show, and I enjoyed it all the way as I walked home. We were right over the flight path.
Heidi was unimpressed. "Am I paying for this?" she asked in irritation, but I couldn't agree. In the words of Tattoo on Fantasy Island, The plane, the plane!
The contrast between your and Heidi's reactions is too funny. I have to agree with you - that's a pretty impressive sight.
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