In 1957, as an unaccompanied child, I traveled from from San Diego to Tulsa on a DC-7. What a trip! The stewardesses, food, pilots...all were awesome. I got to visit the cockpit to get a pilot's-eye view of the world rolling by below. 'Seemed very fast at the time. One of the pilots even gave me a set of wings. That was American airlines at its best. Look what's happened since. In my experience, that airline has declined into something else. Thanks for posting this video. It brings back fond memories.
@llanamejia9 жыл бұрын
I was born in 1954...Am I as vintage as these scenes? My goodness, life just flies by. What a nostalgic video
@giorgosvasilakis21249 жыл бұрын
Alfons Llana I was in 1957 and my first flight (ALONE) was on 1961 (4 yrs old) in a DC6-B
@EricJamesHanson6 жыл бұрын
Me too I'm a 1954 model, as is my wife Nancy.
@AlaskaErik5 жыл бұрын
I was also born in 1954. I never got to fly on a DC-7 but the DC-3 and the DC-6 were the two planes that flew from my home town into Anchorage. I flew on the DC-6 many times, but never the DC-3. They were eventually replaced with the YS-11 and the Lockheed L-188 Electra.
@davidappleton93455 жыл бұрын
As an EAL mechanic from 1963 to 1991, I worked on these as well as the 'Connies', Convair 440's, L-188 Electras, DC-9's, Boeing 727s, &757s A-300s and Lockheed 1011s. Good times, good and bad weather , great friends and a lot of funny stories. . Quite a life!
@JohnSmith-us2jx6 жыл бұрын
I'm an ex-airline pilot and although I had a long rewarding career, one thing I dislike in retirement is flying as a passenger in this modern world. A lot of folks have highlighted the reasons in the remarks below. It truly was a gentler and happier time in the days portrayed in this short movie.
@EugeneHeck7 жыл бұрын
My mother, sister and I flew on an American Airlines DC-7 non-stop from La Guardia to Los Angeles in June, 1957. I was 8 and it was the first time I ever went on a plane. Someplace over the desert the number 4 engine caught on fire! Flames were shooting out even after they turned it off. We had to make an emergency landing in Phoenix. They had fire trucks waiting on the tarmac. Everybody had to get off and they put us on another plane to finish the trip.
@ManInTheBigHat6 жыл бұрын
Exciting. I was taking off in a commercial sea plane from Catalina Island to San Pedro in 1979. The left engine exploded as we lifted off and we spun and crashed in the water. We all survived.
@ajp48606 жыл бұрын
ManInTheBigHat Wow. That’s crazy. How did everyone survive? I’m interested in your story if you wouldn’t mind to elaborate. I’ve never been in an incident but for some reason I’m fascinated with all the stories.
@wickerbill77936 жыл бұрын
ManInTheBigHat now that’s exciting stuff !!!!
@fordlandau5 жыл бұрын
Remember when the Captain came through the cabin on every long distance flight ? And you were invited to visit the cockpit. Gone.
@terryofford49776 жыл бұрын
How lucky we are to be able to actually see, and appreciate these amazing old films, your efforts are greatly appreciated. Retired ATC. Thank you for your efforts.
@mcdonnell2205 жыл бұрын
Thanks Terry!
@luiseduardosanchezcastilla172110 жыл бұрын
Congratulations for giving us the opportunity to see this video. When it was recorded in 1954 and it was a cutting-edge technology, we should be grateful to this documentary, thanks.
@JoeInCT4187 жыл бұрын
Thanks for having this on KZbin. About 6 years after this film. my 8-year-old sister and I would fly on AA from Memphis, TN to New York, NY (IDL) going back home after a month's visit with our uncle down in Arkansas. My Dad and Mom greeted us at Idlewild, and our Mom breathed again because her 2 babies were back home. Our Dad was all smiles because his two kids had flown for the first time on an earlier Douglas plane, the DC-4, which he knew as the C-54 from his last days in the ETO after World War Two. Since we were not accompanied by an adult, a stewardess was assigned to make sure we were alright during the flight, and she accompanied us, hand in hand, to our parents at the terminal in New York. Gawd, she was pretty! Blond hair, light blue uniform, white blouse, dark blue high heels and stockings with perfectly straight lines on the back of her legs. I was in love.
@ManInTheBigHat6 жыл бұрын
You sure have memory for details! ;)
@jslasher16 жыл бұрын
Not so today. Grotty, fat, snotty females and fat, grotty, bearded males hired by AA and other US 'heritage' carriers are the rule of thumb on today's flights. About the only exception is WN.
@davidringo13996 жыл бұрын
I remember Memphis airport back in the 1960,s.....what a great time to fly ! Delta literally owned Memphis airport...
@davidkellymitchell47476 жыл бұрын
Awesome video and thanks! I flew on an American DC-7 in 1954 from Boston to Fort Worth, Tx. Back then the Ft. Worth airport was called Greater Southwest airport but was demolished shortly after it was built for political reasons. Years later they built DFW airport about a half mile from the old GSW airport. The reason I know is because my mother kept the AA certificate they give me all these years stating I was a member of the Sky Cradle Crew on their flagship DC-7. Still got it in mint condition. It has the date and was personally signed by every crew member of the flight deck and cabin crew. It had my age at 15 months old. I'm 64 now. Can you imagine a flight today where the crew fills out documents for all their passengers? We live in a very different age no doubt.
@normanmcgill953210 жыл бұрын
Those were great days. Not so fast,not so crowded and really good food. Now that's class flying. I remember it well. Thanks for a super video and a trip into my memory. Pete
@almostfm5 жыл бұрын
Can I just say-I'm very glad they pointed out that they made as many landings as they did take-offs every day.
@georgschnidt1726 жыл бұрын
When air travel was great and people dressed with some pride. The seats were very nice then and the stewardesses were beautiful.
@ManInTheBigHat6 жыл бұрын
When I was a kid flying across the Atlantic everyone would applaud upon landing. It was a ritual I miss. It was FUN to fly back then. Not a drag like now.
@sharpiesailor10 жыл бұрын
Great video! Thanks for sharing. I'm going to attempt to show this to my 90yr old mother who was reservationist for Delta in '55. She looked very much like the woman with the headset on in this film. Her eyes are dim now w cataracts but I think she'll get a kick out of it.
@burkelong43766 жыл бұрын
Good for you!
@Code3forever7 жыл бұрын
This is a great video about the DC-7. I know for sure, when I was a young child up through my teen years, I have been on Constellations from TWA and DC-6 Mainliners from United Airlines. Those were fun planes to fly in. In looking back, and through a kid's eye, I liked the idea that the flight took longer and so we could stay in the plane longer looking at our beautiful country. Both planes were comfortable and the humming noise from the engines was something I always liked too. Thanks for posting this and other videos as it does bring back some good memories for me...
@steveember89729 жыл бұрын
Thank you for this exquisite time capsule - and so many others which keep alive what commercial flight used to be like, and the pride the airlines used to take in their cabin service. This one was fascinating for all the cockpit detail and for learning that the DC-7 had speed brakes on its main landing gear - first time I've seen main gear lowered independent of nose gear, prop or jet. Superb narration, too! Your channel is nothing less than addictive. Keep 'em coming!
@mcdonnell2209 жыл бұрын
+Steve Ember Steve, it's comments like yours that help keep me focused on this operation, thanks ever so much for the good words.
@Mark_Ocain8 жыл бұрын
Another example of when flying was comfortable. Great clip!
@davideck23316 жыл бұрын
Great video! Thanks for posting this. 21:45 I couldn't help but notice how effortlessly this couple changed seats. Good luck with that today in our sardine cans.
@sakibear76078 жыл бұрын
Erm,this is your Captain speaking and today we're not descending to give you a better look at the Grand Cyn, we don't want to run into any other planes today. Pre-transponder days, an unfortunate event that took place a few years earlier. Thank-You for posting this.
@EristiCat5 жыл бұрын
Check out the action at 21:50. The people in two side by side seats can get up and in front of the seats (not in the aisle) swap seats, sit back down. The guy has enough room to leisurely cross his legs.
@wickerbill77936 жыл бұрын
The DC 7 was built at the Douglas Aircraft Plant in Long Beach, CA. It was Douglas Aircrafts flagship airplane. A later version had a stretched fuselage with a longer flying range titled the “Seven Seas”. It came on the advent of the DC 8 , a four engine jet liner that competed with the Boeing 707. I grew up on Douglas Aircraft in an upper middle class household that came on the hard work of my Dads 37 years of employment at Douglas Aircraft. His two favorite Douglas airliners were the DC 7 and the DC 10. Donald Douglas and William Boeing, two pioneers in commercial aviation we good friends, the irony of Douglas Aircraft, (aka McDonnell Douglas), is now under the auspices of Boeing Aircraft. Indeed those are the good ole days. I’m a Boomer and so grateful to have grown up in what I believe was the golden age of aviation. As part of my legacy I went on to obtain my pilots license and enjoy flying over California’s Central Valley.
@eottoe20016 жыл бұрын
I'm amazed at the complexity of the systems devised to run the airways with relatively low tech equipment of the times. Have to say that when I went to college in 1976 we were still using punch cards. Pretty amazing.
@philipmclaughlin96365 жыл бұрын
Back when flying was pleasure and not a hassle
@doutorgori3278 жыл бұрын
I find these videos so wonderful. It is nice to live today and have the means to look at the past with so much detail. Being able to actually see people living their lives back then, not just read about it...
@bar10ml447 жыл бұрын
Beautiful video. Thank you so much, loved every second of it.
@loveaodai1007 жыл бұрын
I love this film. I was born in 1954. Incredible to think about the changes... most notably not the aircraft but the reservation systems between then and now!
@boggy766510 жыл бұрын
0:51 - A giant magnetic drum, an early semi-electronic reservations computer. 'Magnetronic Reservisor', custom-built for American and installed at New York. Could track reservations for 1000 daily flights 10 days into the future. The company that built it went on to make versions for other airlines and railroads. In 1954, electronic computers had been for sale only a few years, used vacuum tubes, and were relatively slow and unreliable.
@ricogerard9 жыл бұрын
Your films are great finds and excellent historical documents of our aviation past.
@mcdonnell2209 жыл бұрын
+Richard Byrne Thanks Richard, that means a lot.
@167curly6 жыл бұрын
The DC-7 was basically a souped up DC-6 which in turn was a huge leap forward from the slower non-pressurised DC-4..
@StellarBlue19 жыл бұрын
Passenger service was unparalleled in those days. They really did make you feel special and that your comfort and enjoyment mattered. You would need to fly first class on Arab Emirates to feel that way today..
@lospazio9 жыл бұрын
***** I think you should take into account that flying was far more expensive in those days than it is today. Economy class fares were more expensive than today's business class ones, and, in some cases, than first class. And present day business class and first class services are obviously far better.
@StellarBlue19 жыл бұрын
lospazio I agree with most of your comment. However, people in general, do not treat other people the same as they did 50+ years ago. Good manners and gracious behavior have taken a serious hit in the 21st Century!
@mcdonnell2209 жыл бұрын
+StellarBlue1 Exactly...and that's the point that is so often missed. An F/A can hand a guy in flip-flops a stale bag of peanuts, BUT it CAN be done with politeness & civility from both parties. And it doesn't cost one thin dime to do so. Even if they squeeze you in tight like sardines, the airline should still say how happy they are to have you on board, and all pax should appreciate that, and exercise politeness in return.
@forrestsmith67829 жыл бұрын
+StellarBlue1 Hit the nail on the head.
@brettbass26059 жыл бұрын
Absolutely Priceless, Many Thanks!!
@danremenyi11796 жыл бұрын
Yes indeed, it is a wonderful period piece. Thanks.
@AdamRazaAvia6 жыл бұрын
Wow what an old classic footage! Liked
@mbazell10 жыл бұрын
The air fare from LGA-LAX in 1954 was $70.00. In 2014 dollars that's $620. But back then every seat was first class and the service much better. That $620 included free pillows and blankets, beverages, first class meals, playing cards and 5 cigarettes for the smokers, complimentary soap bars, and a Captain who would come back and chat with passengers at cruise in smooth air.
@lylecosmopolite7 жыл бұрын
$70 in 1954 is equivalent to $490 today. You could make a reservation by phone, but you could not pay for it immediately. You had to stand in line at the airport counter to pay, and only currency was accepted. City center ticket offices were important in those days. Suburban people booked and paid for flights via travel agencies. Given the crudeness of the information technology (punched cards read electromechanically), mistakes were more common than now.
@keithwaites99916 жыл бұрын
Golden age indeed, classy planes but a much greater chance of an unscheduled landing somewhere en-route
@james-p6 жыл бұрын
It sure as hell wasn't any $70 back then. American Airlines New York to LA on the DC-7 was $302 round trip according to the Smithsonian Air and Space museum. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, that amount in November 1953 dollars had the equivalent purchasing power of $2,839.08 today. So no, all that nice stuff did not come cheap. But was it worth it? Hell yes!
@barrybmlv10 жыл бұрын
It was a lot more fun flying back then! Today it is like a Greyhound bus!
@clutchcargo24196 жыл бұрын
barrybmlv you said it !
@rpm120915 жыл бұрын
barrybmlv worse
@rickd2488 жыл бұрын
It's very interesting to see where we came from. Thanks for posting.
@lylecosmopolite7 жыл бұрын
A lot of you comment that cabin service was more elegant in those days. Keep in mind that back then, a government agency set airfares. Fares were set high so that it was fairly easy to make a profit outside of recession years. (Most passengers were business men and government officials flying on expense account.) Government permission was required to fly from A to B, anywhere in the USA, and into or out of the USA. There was no price competition. So airlines competed by the quality of service they offered. 40 years ago, the airline industry was deregulated. Vigorous price competition began. Southwest Airlines introduced a new business model -- no food, no reserved seats. Airlines began making chronic losses, even in nonrecession years, and spending a lot of time in bankruptcy court (where the main outcome was offloading the traditional defined benefit pension plans for their employees). Something had to give, and that was the amenities. I first flew in 1957, and flew a number of times before deregulation. Damn near all passengers back then were middle class. If an unsophisticated American needed to get from A to B, (s)he used Greyhound or drove.
@Patrick_AUBRY5 жыл бұрын
Sufisticated peaple flying crude noisy vibrating and shaking metal tube, they where the only thing sofiscated up there at that time !
@tracer7406 жыл бұрын
Antone else recognize American stage, film, and television actor, Carmelita Pope @4:45 ? You younger viewers may remember her as the 'PAM Cooking spray' lady. Presently, she is 94 years old and still kicking.
@burkelong43766 жыл бұрын
Good eye!
@jslasher16 жыл бұрын
Would Carmelite Pope fly today?
@johneddy9803310 жыл бұрын
American's DC-7s had one thing in common with the Lockheed Constellations operated by other airlines, the Wright "Turbo-Compound" engines.
@westsideflyer75596 жыл бұрын
Very nice. That technology was "current" through the late 70s. I remember hearing the teletypewriter and actually had one for amateur radio.
@simongardiner9496 жыл бұрын
My first flight was in one of these Manston (Kent) to Pisa. Slow and low we got a lovely view of the Alps! On take off, it shook to point of terrifying my fellow passenger as the fuselage felt as though it was shaking itself free of the wings! Still a much more pleasant experience than a flight today.
@MagnumMike446 жыл бұрын
Good video; Interesting how things have changed in air travel since 1954, in particular, the "speed brakes" that were the landing gears on the DC-7, I'm not sure if that was the case with the older Douglas aircraft, like the DC-4, and DC-6, and others. I'm not too familiar with older piston-powered aircraft, but I can't imagine any Boeing 7x7 or Airbus 3xx commercial airliners relying on landing gears to slow them down while they're still aloft, instead of deploying the spoilers. :-)
@strafrag19 жыл бұрын
Great video of great, exciting days. Loved the airline meals. Nowadays you have to beg like a dog to get anything.
@warplanner88527 жыл бұрын
..and it's usually dog food or a dog biscuit for short flights.
@herrmahlzahn69246 жыл бұрын
Right, and when you finally get something you are sure it is dogfood.
@jeffdavis58416 жыл бұрын
What??? I got peanuts and pretzels last time I flew!
@davidringo13996 жыл бұрын
Most of these pilots were ex military from WWII and Korea.....Most had thousands of hours in multi engine props.....My first plane ride was on the old Southern Airlines..Memphis to Gulfport,Ms on a C-47...You could see military markings under the paint job.....I was just a kid and I loved it...
@crankshaftlovesyou4115 жыл бұрын
Thank you for sharing... stunning video. MERCURY CLASS
@nejsig10 жыл бұрын
From a time when you could have a real meal in the air !
@troyp94856 жыл бұрын
nejsig in the 80’s on United breakfast was a choice of an omelette or French toast. No joke. With real silverware.
@davideck23316 жыл бұрын
nejsig... And after that good meal, you could enjoy a good smoke.
@ManInTheBigHat6 жыл бұрын
Still available. Lufthansa business class serves three course meals. You'll lick the plate! Only $7,000 one way from USA to Europe.
@jayrussell18256 жыл бұрын
@@ManInTheBigHat We got a two meals on Lufthansa flying coach from NY to Frankfurt, but that was in 1969!
@RubenKelevra7 жыл бұрын
I love how the Tower working today, 62 years later is still the same. :D
@V1RT86 жыл бұрын
That was when passengers with an assigned seat were not dragged out of the main cabin 😂
@bobbypaluga43466 жыл бұрын
One might be lead to believe that every night the interior of the aircraft is top to bottom, the exterior washed and polished to a bright sheen, the windows crystal clean. I doubt that any airliner was cleaned weekly or that the windows received special attention, today American, United and Delta, clean exteriors every 6-8 weeks, or every two months. Subcontractors quickly go over the carpets with a sweeper and restock the lavs, flight attendants pick up newspapers, wrappers, and anything left at the end of the day.
@gregghanson60956 жыл бұрын
Fun to see. Those planes were very loud and lots of vibration. We thought we were in heaven tho. Now packed in like sardines with no service.
@Porsche996driver5 жыл бұрын
I can vaguely remember flying LA to Pittsburgh on a TWA DC-7 as a very little guy maybe 4-5yo. I remember my dad handling our very important tickets and the constant roar of those engines ha. 🛫
@lextalionis53357 жыл бұрын
Wow!! what an exquisite upload i actually by accident stumbled apon it, America and the good ole days of aviation!!
@PJ-sn8iu9 жыл бұрын
So much nostalgia in one short video clip. Such a different world and time then. And it does make me feel a bit old given having flown in some of these magnificent birds and some of its predecessors! Flying is easier and safer now, but not as elegant I think.
@gulfstrmcaptbob41248 жыл бұрын
your right, my first flight was on Eastern Connie. got the flying bug, just retired after 40 years flying. How I miss it
@wa1ufo6 жыл бұрын
Used to fly on DC 6s but never the 7. Long time ago but remember it quite well. The Margin 404 was a great plane as well. Times have certainly changed!
@radioguy16206 жыл бұрын
the pilot counts eight blades to make sure the cylinders are clear of excess fuel and oil and dont lock up and pop a jug off the crankcase, then hits the magneto switch.
@williamhill88368 жыл бұрын
I installed a suite of silver crown radio's,removing the original avionics,mostly RCA .But what was really interesting the job was for Bill Dempsy younger brother of Jack the champ fighter.He was using this DC 7 for forestry service fire fighter.
@mh-on7fp6 жыл бұрын
0:46 Agent uses the revolutionary Magnetronic Reservisor, which was introduced by American Airlines in 1952.
@AmberWaves4446 жыл бұрын
Wow, shrimp cocktail, lamb chop and ice cream sundae.... I don't eat that good at home now!
@jjeherrera7 жыл бұрын
Watching these movies I wonder how people will look back to our time 60 years from now. "Oh, watch! It took them several hours from New York to LA. Now we have much faster hypersonic planes, but we have to stand still instead of seating like in the old days!" :-D
@IndependentBear7 жыл бұрын
Back then I was one of the younger men flying that way. It was quite enjoyable compared to today unless you have the cash for first class. On one flight into NYC, the pilot lost altitude way early and then announced he was going to give us a tour of Niagara Falls. He circled the falls several timers at a few thousand feet, first one way and then the other so everyone had a great view.
@windstorm10006 жыл бұрын
Cool!
@jayrussell18256 жыл бұрын
I like First Class. It always gets to my destination sooner than economy class.
@hmbpnz9 жыл бұрын
Outstanding video, thank you.
@farklefuster68765 жыл бұрын
Didja notice how EVERY ONE was dressed in their Sunday finest??
@eddieraffs59095 жыл бұрын
My dad was Pan Am engineer in the 40s and 50s. Even as a 10 year old I was expected to wear a suit and tie, my sister a dress. Food served on china and silverware. Things were simple and civilized then. Now planes are no more than cattle cars.
@edepillim6 жыл бұрын
Back in the 1930s the main civil airport in London was Croydon. An airboat service flew from there to Australia in 200 mile stages. The air hostesses used to shop in Croydon market for food for the first stage of the flight. These planes were very comfortable and spacious but ,of course, only the extremely rich could afford to fly. Croydon closed and was replaced by Heathrow in the early 50s.
@22fret10 жыл бұрын
Man, I'd really love to fly in one of these...
@2view4287 жыл бұрын
This such a neat video . hope air travel was pleasant in the 50 s. did not know DC-7 could cruise at 365 mph 20,000 ft. my aunt was very nice looking never married she traveled on American Pan Am and TWA back in the 50- 60 s when Jetliners arrived. Thanks for Classic video.
@heronimousbrapson8636 жыл бұрын
Maybe she never married because she spent all her time traveling?
@TheItsmegp4610 жыл бұрын
This old prop plane is nostalgic, but give me a modern jet any day. A DC-7 flying from New York to Los Angeles took eight hours or more. The DC-8, the new jet passenger jet from the same company shaved about three hours off the same trip. It was much quieter and vibration free.
@terryofford49776 жыл бұрын
I'd still prefer the old Piston Aircraft, the vibrations were nothing, everything was at a steady pace, rather than the cattle like loading and having your knees around your ears, Today's 'super quiet flights' i.e screaming brats, idiots banging against your seats, and food fit for pigs. Todays pax don't know what they've missed.
@nismology6 жыл бұрын
If you're above traveling with the common folk, there are plenty of charter companies with private aircraft to cater to your every whim (for probably the same relative cost as the "good old days").
@geoffsmith54529 жыл бұрын
Great video, much thanks!! Don't apologise for the quality, made in 1954, it has to be analogue, and not digital, this makes it all the more authentic! ... yes? ... :-)
@jonathanrudolph34936 жыл бұрын
My dad was pilot on this, my mom stewardess, they got married, he continued flying 39 yrs for american
@larrysmith15685 жыл бұрын
I spent 30 yrs in air traffic working for the FAA. We've come a long way. Watching this is kind of scary. Many changes. All for the better. Unfortunately, most changes were paid for with lives.
@n4120p8 жыл бұрын
America's golden time !!
@Audiogeek-kf2ez5 жыл бұрын
This is a fantastic pc of history on the DC 7 one of the very high end but not well known aircraft. The entir DC line of aircraft was he most successful in avation history. Look at the DC 3,r4d,or all the other nanes for the most successful aircrft in history.
@HimJimRimDim9 жыл бұрын
Those 2 guys smoking and playing cards look like classic gangsters of the early 1950's. :)
@oilsmokejones34529 жыл бұрын
AND all tube electronics and avionics..full time job just keeping that working..
@petergivens59615 жыл бұрын
Nowadays, vacuum tubes are used for the most expensive stereo high fidelity systems.
@Snookynibbles5 жыл бұрын
Peter Givens , ...and nostalgic tube radios among those old school, ham radio operators!
@petergivens59615 жыл бұрын
@@Snookynibbles Whoops, oh boy, how could I have missed that? I have a bunch of antique radios, with those old tube types in them. There is something I just love about tubes - easier to fix, and have that nice, warm sound.
@petergivens59615 жыл бұрын
Oilsmoke - that was job security! :o)
@mjt22316 жыл бұрын
Those seats actually look comfortable.
@MrGlendale1119 жыл бұрын
Great film. Much better Era for travel.
@AlaskaErik5 жыл бұрын
I'd gladly fly the DC-7 for that kind of legroom.
@ces43996 жыл бұрын
The only prop job I've ever ridden were C-130s except for the DC-4 I flew from Hawaii to California as a baby. This looks like flying in style.
@mikeowen6576 жыл бұрын
I sure don't miss turboprop noise and vibration; but I do miss the legroom and the really good food.
@lucasfreshour94496 жыл бұрын
Mike Owen that was not a turboprop. Those engines are known as reciprocating or piston engines, not that different from your car. A turboprop is a prop turned by a turbine engine which isn’t much different from what you may think of as a jet engine.
@stratus262j29 жыл бұрын
What a classic plane here. I've been told the DC-7 engines were very temperamental like a Porsche 911. Tolerances were tight and maintenance was constant. The DC-6 was more rugged and dependable. Nonetheless, this plane represents commercial aviation at it's best.
@mcdonnell22010 жыл бұрын
ATC @ 9:14 looks and sounds like Harvey "Corporal Rocco Barbella" Lembeck from Sgt, Bilko, LOL.
@bolivardigriz88479 жыл бұрын
Classic Airliners & Vintage Pop Culture Sounds like a bad Rod Serling impression.
@johneddy9803310 жыл бұрын
@covvie, it was actually called the Reservisor, the forerunner of Sabre.
@staceyhayes25866 жыл бұрын
I really enjoyed this video, I didn’t know they had so much technology back then!
@orange703835 жыл бұрын
No offence but do people not receive educations today, wow it's hard to believe how clueless young people are today.
@voicetube6 жыл бұрын
What's sad is, nowadays the flight "kitchen" has to prepare the flight's food by placing the bags of overly sugared peanuts into a basket ... for the flight attendants to pass out :-)
@hermansteyn60537 жыл бұрын
Everything was done with care and consideration in those days..People were decent and polite and treated each other with respect .They were unspoilt and appreciated things.Sadly lacking today.
@mrpeel32396 жыл бұрын
Interesting how many railroad-sounding terms used to reassure the public turning from the rails to the air.
@432b86ed8 жыл бұрын
Recently flew on a non-stop from New York to San Francisco and got a bag of peanuts.
@MagnumMike445 жыл бұрын
Starting at 24:40 for a few seconds, when both pilots were going through the descent checklist, the captain mentioned "Speed brakes" and it looked like the first officer deployed the landing gears to slow the DC-7 down. I'm not sure if they deployed the flaps for that purpose but it is strange to refer to the landing gears as speed brakes, instead of the spoilers that are now on modern commercial airliners. I wasn't around back then but I'm wondering if the Douglas, Boeing, Lockheed, and other aircraft of the time had the spoilers or something similar that would slow the aircraft down while they're still in flight.
@EricLehner6 жыл бұрын
People were more mature in this era. Society was more cohesive. America was great because of who was running things, and the quality of the population at large.
@rajt83437 жыл бұрын
excellent i flew in DC 3 in 1951as a youth Great Memories Rangoon to Madras
@heatherstub10 жыл бұрын
Hey. At least the volume is pretty good. In fact, I love this video. Why don't they make napkins with button holes these days? That is such a brilliant idea! Like some of my sighted counterparts, I sometimes get something on the front of my shirt or pants, so it's so much nicer if it falls on a napkin rather than on my clothes! I've been enjoying these videos all day while I go about other chores in general, because it just makes the time "fly" better. Pun for laughs. Hahaha.
@gregger596 жыл бұрын
Fear not..buttonholes are still on napkins in business class!
@lanerailvideo59286 жыл бұрын
How many DC7's were in American's fleet?
@klausphx5 жыл бұрын
Lol Flying sure has Changed. Nice Sounding Engines
@jackpontiac529 жыл бұрын
In 1956 , Trans Canada Airlines, now called Air Canada took delivery of their first 707's. To celebrate they offered Toronto to London Return for $707 ! Flying was expensive then. We make 20x in wages today as in 1956, and you can still do Toronto to London Return for about the same amount. In 1956, when I was 4, we went from Edmonton to Montreal by train, then to the UK by Ship. Why? Because it was cheaper than flying !
@canuckrcp8 жыл бұрын
+jackpontiac52 - Sorry to mess with a fond childhood memory, but the Boeing 707 first entered commercial service with Pan Am from New York Idlewild to Paris Le Bourget on October 26, 1958. And AIr Canada never had the 707 as part of its fleet. They were a large operator of the the 707 competitor, the Douglas DC8
@jslasher16 жыл бұрын
Yes, and you would have enjoyed super service aboard either the CP's "The Dominion" or "Canadian" or the CN's "Super Continental". Better back then than flying.
@borden24175 жыл бұрын
Last time I flew, not to long ago, I was asked if I wanted to buy a snack lunch. No free lunch.
@dadisaliveandwell5 жыл бұрын
Damn I hate the way airtravel has gotten so "no frills" that everything is "extra!" 30$ a bag to get your luggage on plane!! No free booze! Its just so chessy nowadays. Flew SAS airlines Chicago to Stockholm and then on to Brussels. Everything was "extra." Will never fly them again.
@111Swissair6 жыл бұрын
How long was the flight?
@james-p6 жыл бұрын
About 8 hours +/- depending on which way you were flying.
@lorenzobeckmann37365 жыл бұрын
previous flights with sleeper and births available---whewwww-I can't be up there so long time
@trampslikeus35757 жыл бұрын
These pilots were probably all ex-air force,
@mohammadsyedhusain92807 жыл бұрын
Captain is looking on the wrong side while starting engines #3 & 4 which are on the starboard side. He is sitting on the left. The engines should be invisible to him.
@gregger596 жыл бұрын
You know your planes!
@orange703835 жыл бұрын
The film is reversed.
@tiha67086 жыл бұрын
"Wheres the car?" in the parking lot ... "No shit?"