Friday, December 28, 2018

A Flight From Hell

I’m sure any traveler who reads this has their own horror story about an airline flight experience gone awry. Weather delays, overbooking, cancelled flights, missed connections, poor service, all contribute to a dreadful air travel experience.

Those of us who have been traveling for decades often long for the “good old days” of air travel. Back when customer service was top notch, there was plenty of legroom accompanied by many onboard amenities (free cocktails were nice!).

While my personal travel experiences have been generally OK, I don’t have any specific horror story that comes to mind, I’m the type who doesn't mind air travel. I do dislike airports, waiting lines, security, but once I’m in my seat onboard, I’m pretty much happy.

I’ve always been interested in aviation, aircraft and all the related technologies.  If I could to do my life over again, I would definitely be a pilot. I also love aviation history, particularly the early days of air travel and military aviation history. A recent article from the Navy Times about the perilous journey of the PanAm “China Clipper” at the outbreak of the Pacific War in 1941 tells a story of amazing courage, ingenuity, determination and some sheer luck. I want to share this article, so follow the below link.

The article also mentions the fate of other Pan Am aircraft and crews during the outbreak of hostilities in the Pacific, including the “Philippine Clipper”. I recalled that I have a collection of old Pan Am Business Class menus from the 1980’s that had illustrations of famous Pan Am first flights. Below is a copy of the commemorative first flight illustration of the “Philippine Clipper”.

Enjoy the Navy Time article!

Navy Times Article... At this time in 1941, a Clipper plane was trying to get home the hard way — flying around the world!

 PanAmPhilippineClipper-lr

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