"#1 World Way" - the Story of Los Angeles International Airport

[@boomerjo4546]

Ah the smell of those 707, 880, DC-8’s exhaust from the jet engines was so sweet and those days. I remember flying in to LAX on TWA 707 as a young kid. Magic days of 1960’s.

[@marcosflorianodejesus9206]

My eyes keeps Full of tears when I watch these old commercials. What good times.

[@whitecliffs20]

This documentary brings back many memories. In 1935 my family moved from New York to Los Angeles. We lived in a small home in Lennox, a suburb of Los Angeles. We lived on Ocean Gate Avenue. Just about a quarter mile from Mines Field. I spent many an hour walking across a corn field to the Mines Field border fence to watch the small planes landing and taking off. My father had a temporary part time job as a night watchman at the airport which was just at the beginning of its development. We would visit him at the airport in the evening and he gave us a private tour. We even got into the hangars where I was able to sit in the cockpit of several small planes, including the first "flying wing" model. It was this proximity to Mines Field that got me interested in aviation. Ultimately I went to work for Pan American Airways during WWII. After the war I worked for the CAA. I took my federal civil service test at Mines Field. And it was from that airport in 1948 that I flew on Pan American to Honolulu for my first job as a air traffic communications specialist for the CAA. Thanks for the memories! Ed Dover

[@eternity9090]

Ed Dover Ed, what an amazing story! It is fascinating looking back and seeing how much has truly changed. Very interesting to hear your part of the story, definitely a nostalgic feel to it!

[@alexolvera5150]

Mr. Dover, great comment. I watched this video because i'm fascinated by history. You have added to my knowledge and I thank you. This airport has always been a large part of my life. I've lived most it very near to it. Some of my life right under the flight path of jets in Lennox. I know where you lived very well. The 405 freeway probably is there now. Also I went to a high school that was built after you left...lol

[@vandrive5687]

A poignant great American success story Mr. Dover. Thx for sharing! Spent many times in and out of & a few stints living around LAX.

[@stephenwalker7381]

AWESOME thanks for sharing with us ...cheers Ed

[@TheRiceguy78]

Ayyyye! i lived near lennox blvd near the library and police station!

[@aviduser1961]

Post war America at it's finest. Bold ideas and futuristic thinking.

[@charliebrown6161]

What a great video, as a pilot of 65 years I remember so much of it like it was in 1963. When I lived in Orange County in 1964 - 1966 I used to fly from John Wayne to Santa Barbara and could cross over LAX at 1,500' above the airport and never have to call the tower. Or I would fly at 100' along the beach and have the airliners flying over head. All before the TCA, terminal Control Area. I've made many a landing at LAX at all hours of the day and night as an airline pilot in small twin engine cargo plane to 737s and 707s.

[@stephenwalker7381]

If I am right the VFR corridor still exists last time I checked in 2019 , just like it does in San Diego ...cheers Mr Brown

[@Dangermouse2256]

I like watching these films. It’s sort of like a time machine

[@jonathanjackson9208]

It's amazing how much history you see from this video, from this video to current time Los Angeles is far over populated and way to expensive. I'd love to go back to these simpler times even if for only a day!

[@Gryphonisle]

The problems LA, and indeed America, has can be seen germinating around the airport in this video: the boulevards designed for cars, buildings built for cars, parking surrounding everything, and absolutely no reason for anybody to walk, ride a bike, or take public transit. Now LA is trying to claw back its infrastructure from this grave mistake, but it’s proving much harder to reverse than it was to build.

[@MrJenniferwahl8]

I was Henrys private nurse in the 80s he was so sweet!

[@aliciamontefusco8633]

There's a certain charm to airports before 1970....perhaps it was a sign of the times? Still I'd love to vist LAX today! ❤✈️

[@samiam8556]

Best video ever! LAX is the best airport in the wotld

[@DaMzEeyore]

The 30 mins from LAX to Van Nuys on the freeway had me 😂😂😂😂😂.

[@silkystick1509]

Your beautiful self

[@gkprivate433]

haha yeah. I first moved to LA in 1982. 30 minutes by jet pack maybe now! I used to commute up to Bob Hope Airport in 2007. good luck getting past the 1, the I 5 pinch, etc. Never mind if starting all the way from LAX and climbing up the hill on the 405. I used to drive from El Segundo up to Vandenberg Air Force Base often in the 80s when I was stationed out there in the Air Force. I felt like a husky sled dog unchained once I got over that rise on the 405 and headed up the coast.

[@massey4business]

😂 I know right? That seemed kind of long for back then as well!

[@TheUtuber999]

Even faster if you took one of those shuttle helicopters shown at 15:15.

[@lemorab1]

I was hoping to see the airport from about 1950 - 1952, when I flew out of there as a small child. I remember the era of the early 1960's very well.

[@incog99skd11]

The convertible T-Bird is to die for!

[@saltyroe3179]

I remember when LAX World Way opened. It was a big upgrade from the facilities east of Sepulveda

[@laxnative4622]

There's an excellent book on the history of LAX by William Schoeberger, Ethel Pattison, et al simply entitled Los Angeles International Airport. It's essentially all photos from the 1920's through 2009. Thanks to Ethel for signing my copy in 2014!

[@mysterytour5983]

I wish they will always keep the Theme Building it is so nice! have stop often there to eat or just a drink while waiting for friends coming or leaving!

[@trojanjustin9961]

Most unrealistic part of this is that anybody from LAX would check their dog and not try to say it's a phony service animal. Ah, better times.

[@gkprivate433]

"comfort animal" now a days. a farce more often than not

[@Longbeachliner]

Loved watching this! Thanks for posting!

[@westhavenor9513]

Thank goodness for Nixon and the EPA he created. Those who grew up in SoCal in the 60's & 70's like me know what I'm talking about!

[@incog99skd11]

In 1961, my parents rented an apartment under the glide path to LAX. The planes were so loud then that a giant mid-century modern glass ash tray, yes we even had ash trays then, on the coffee table split in half one day. Hollywood Park was a vision of lights from Imperial Blvd. too. We moved to Orange County and paid 36 thousand dollars for a very nice home in the hills. Those were the days, my friend, we thought they'd never end... la la la la .

[@roachtoasties]

I don't think the planners and builders in the 1950's and 1960's realized how much more has had to be squeezed into the same footprint over the years. Maybe if they did, they would have figured out a way to acquire more land.

[@paulj2948]

The luggage automation is impressive for that era. And the skycap wears a hat, tie and jacket.

[@gkprivate433]

OVer the years I have flown in and out of there easily a hundred times, lately a lot of international flights. Back around 1985 my sister came out from Rhode Island for a brief stopover as she did Hawaiian tours. We met at the restaurant in that signature space age building. That was cool

[@staubach1979rt]

A gem.

[@suriyanarayananjanakiraman1127]

Narrative is excellent

[@yokosomike]

Seems like yesterday, I can remember my parents driving up to the ground level parking in our VW bug and grabbing a ticket to park our car. At night it was nice just to look up in the sky from the parking lot and hear all the airplanes taxi around and taking off.

[@MissShell1975]

2021. Would be great to have an update video on the airport now.

[@5koverlibor]

Some of the aircraft footage is positively unique: Convair 990 on climb out as viewed from a helicopter? Yeah, very decent chance this is the only existing footage of that. Astounding. Top-shelf vintage avgeek stuff.

[@stephenwalker7381]

There are a lot of CV 880 990 videos around and there is a real neat one from about 6 years ago of one getting prepped and coming into & out of Mojave airplane storage yard

[@Gray8YT]

Great points!

[@robertcarillio9126]

Standards and pride used to be top nothc. We go from this...to Spirit!

[@jnuval]

Bring back the comfortable seats from the 60s!

[@Skier10]

Then bring back the ticket prices required to have those type of seats. Can’t have your cake and eat it too...

[@jnuval]

@@Skier10 Actually, you can. It's called the 90s. ;)

[@Skier10]

@@jnuval So the 90s was actually the golden era of airline seat comfort? Thought it was the 60s according to you. Either way, you get what you pay for.

[@eutimiochavez415]

Yes instead of the sardine seat they have today

[@jnuval]

@@Skier10You're misunderstanding. I'm not talking about airplanes. I'm talking about the chairs in the airport.

[@TheUtuber999]

20:13 $4M per week / 33,000 people / 40 hours per week = $3 per hour on average. 😲

[@gridley]

LAX was both more oddly charming decades ago, yet also quaintly unsophisticated. Today it's both sleeker & slicker yet also meaner, more dehumanizing. The 1950's-era modest-income neighborhoods around LAX, some of them bulldozed into oblivion, have made a major entry to LA not the most ideal. Yet SoCa decades ago nonetheless seemed more endearing or welcoming, with less crime, dirt, homelessness. But it was also kind of frumpy. A mixed bag, then & now.

[@talp2813]

Love it lax should invest in making a new video showing da new upgrades of how the airport has become. Showing how Bradley looks now and da new improvements .

[@eutimiochavez415]

Pierre Talavera why

[@NinetyTres]

I love that they were thinking about Rockets to Mars in 63'

[@jayski9410]

I loved how they mentioned there are six terminals and room for a seventh in the future if necessary. If need be, they could even add a couple of decks to the 5000 car parking lot. And that probably sounded like pie-in-the-sky growth predictions to them. They'd never recognize the place now. And what we see as interminable construction today, will probably look like it's barely adequate to folks 20 years from now. So I guess these are the good old days now.

[@MissShell1975]

WOW fascinating stuff. Would love to see an updated doco of what the airport is like now in 2014.

[@MissShell1975]

@Ramen Lover yeah I do actually lol

[@MissShell1975]

@Ramen Lover alrighty then

[@AnthonyReichardt]

Didn't see any obese, tattooed or pierced travelers or employees. Quite refreshing.

[@westhavenor9513]

No sweatpants & flip flops either!

[@gridley]

The masses are generally less civilized in the 2020s. Or they at least look it. Back in the early 1900s (even before the 1960s of early LAX), when AC & other modern conveniences (washers, driers, etc) didn't exist or barely existed, people strolled around in full-fabric finery, including men in hats, women wearing gloves.

[@stuartlee6622]

RACIST!!!!

[@t0ny260]

This airport is ALWAYS under construction! 😒 I do love the new Tom Bradley terminal and the theme building!

[@staubach1979rt]

I worked there from 2005 to 2016 and there was ALWAYS major construction going on there! There still is. I'm convinced there always will be.

[@maryexstroughtonaire4244]

14:20 Gumby and Pokey music!❤❤❤

[@svenlundergard1]

Looking at all the people, it was before high fructose corn syrup and fat inducing hormones in beef, poultry and pork. Hardly any obesity. People actually wore decent clothes and not pajamas to travel. Conducted themselves with respect and courtesy. Ahh I do wish I could go back in time sometimes.

[@valvlog4665]

9:43 That little girl is about 61 yrs old now. Wonder if she's ever seen the footage.

[@dougm6146]

So far this is very interesting. Modern foe it's time but yet simple times vs now days with high tech stuff. I still check my bags in when ever I fly, I don't like to hold onto anything and a slow process on planes with those who carry on as I had noticed when flying Monday from Lubbock, Texas to Roanoke, Virginia.

[@gkprivate433]

Jesus what a treasure of a video

[@KOCH4444]

Nice....

[@marklucca3044]

Boy, they sure had good restaurant service at LAX back then. Today you pay $25 for a hamburger & fries that's bland, unless you put tons of ketchup on it. Even the Airlines served decent hot meals back then. We loved flying into LAX back in the late 60's & 70's. Today when I go through LAX I can't wait to get the hell out of there.

[@waynehentley4332]

$25? Really?🤔🤔

[@TheUtuber999]

@@waynehentley4332 Last week I bought a cheeseburger, regular fries and a shake from Five Guys and the total was $25.72. So yeah, he's not exaggerating.

[@waynehentley4332]

​​@@TheUtuber999 Outrageous!! I guess those are LA prices! I live in Florida!😂😂

[@TheUtuber999]

@@waynehentley4332 I don't live in LA any more. That was in San Jose. I'm guessing their prices are the same nationwide, though. Btw, I like Michael Bordenaro's channel - he's based out of Miami Beach. Cheers!

[@1zcrew]

Few terminals still look the same from the outside & if you work inside some machines are still that vintage green color just with rust

[@elfulano5884]

It wouldn't be until 1984 that most of the international carriers would be moved to the then new TBIT. Hard to believe they were once crammed inside that small terminal.

[@staubach1979rt]

There weren't nearly as many. Plus, most only flew out one to two times a day.

[@Gryphonisle]

Who was the intended audience for this film? Where would it have been seen? TV? Conventions? In LA or for an out of state audience?

[@ModemmeX]

As a kid in the 70’s I never forgot a sign I always saw on the way to LAX - TO AL NUDE. I always wondered who Al was, not realizing the word was missing a T.

[@jovanholland36]

Iys crazy how lax went from a military base to a giant airport

[@efk0490]

Super content. It would be very nice to color correct the presentation.

[@massey4business]

16:54 Pimp my ride!

[@Lee247Jamaica]

Sad how one of those satellites (terminal 3) has been demolished and is being build over, that oval Desing is so iconic just to be replace with a bland box shaped terminal

[@ssmt2]

Speaking as a facilities maintenance mechanic that used to work on the LAX terminal buildings I will tell you that the plumbing and electrical systems in those old terminal buildings are way beyond their useful life expectancy, as is everything else in the building. It's far cheaper to just tear them down and build new than it is to keep the old building and replace all of the systems inside of it. Those buildings are in really poor condition and should have been torn down years ago.

[@Lee247Jamaica]

@@ssmt2 I agree with you but at least they could have kept a design the resemble the old terminal

[@staubach1979rt]

@@ramenlover1727 Size was never a problem.

[@staubach1979rt]

@@ramenlover1727 The USO islocated on the ground floor of he Theme Building. The restaurant is still closed, but all the kitchen area remains. I suppose they're just waiting for a tenant. too bad. Encounter was a cool restaurant.

[@alexkano27ify]

Somehow I landed to this documentary of LAX I paid so much attention that at 19:50…Can you explain why the old man Kisses and Old Man in the Mouth???

[@arnaldosandoval453]

21:05 They don't do this anymore

[@VincentConard]

That Airport Director of Operations guy should’ve been a stand up COMEDIAN! That was an absolutely HILARIOUS joke at 2:02 ! Look at those Girl Scouts falling all over themselves with laughter! 😐

[@Carl-LaFong1618]

yeah, instead of Henry Bakes it should be Henny Bakes.

[@викторвасильев-с7ъ]

Смотришь на это чудо техники и организации процесса и понимаешь - не просто так Американцы первыми побывали на Луне. И в 30 - 40 г. ХХ1 в. будут на Марсе (если захотят). УСПЕХОВ ВАМ.

[@nativoplantas2003]

Love

[@TheUtuber999]

19:51 Wait, what?

[@johno7564]

Since 1928? I wonder if there might be a 100 year celebration?

[@dwaynecoy1871]

Notice all the people with full suits on and some with overcoats and suits. Was this filmed in Dec or Jan? Can't imagine there being airconditioning in all those buildings.

[@danielmarsala849]

no stairs?

[@jamyla]

The Stairs were there, next to the escalators.

[@Idelia412]

My parents moved to southern California in the summer of 1965 from Washington. How L.A. has. changed since then. I left in 1969 and now live in Arizona. Hordes of people from California have moved recently to the Phoenix area to get away from sothern California. 😂

[@wweandorigamifan3163]

👍✈️

[@stuartlee6622]

Idlewild is much more EXCITING.

[@ConfusedGears-yh4sl]

Hertz E car rented chev impaly I would like to havy the Chevrolet

[@ConfusedGears-yh4sl]

When they built la international airport they worry a head of theiyy time 😊

[@danielmarsala849]

minefield?!

[@joez8914]

So much customer service. Now your expected to just hand over your money and figure it out yourself.

[@johnp139]

No, YOU’RE expected to know how to write.

[@joez8914]

@@johnp139 I am? Who says, you? Bet you felt real special when you wrote YOUR comment, didn’t ya?

[@bairong9]

Late 50s....really wasn't that long ago compared to other cities like NYC, it started to get crowded id say early to mid my parents eighties, when everyone from central America started to come my parents included

[@charleel1800]

Wow, the people working at the airport earn 4 million a week? Sign me up! Lol.

[@TheUtuber999]

$4M ÷ 33,000 people ÷ 40 hours = $3 per hour. 😄

[@stardustdreamfactory1947]

The few times I flew out of LAX I wasn't impressed. My memories: malfunctioning a/c, being groped by TSA clowns and few shops-restaurants. Memories of John Wayne Airport are much better. During my final employment before retiring, I flew at least twice a month and often once per week all over the USA and most of Canada for nearly two decades.

[@davidparry8514]

agreed, SFO mo bettah

[@Bartonfink3434]

I always fly into John Wayne, it’s a great airport.

[@waynehentley4332]

Groped?🤔🤔😅😅

[@stephenwalker7381]

Bake when Men were Men and the chrome was thick....

[@TheUtuber999]

19:51

[@zeek10zlivees]

😃

[@abdullutfi7748]

23:22 12 million dollars?

[@johnkoch7386]

it's so little

[@nealsausen4651]

So nice back then but like the dump it is now

[@MorganBennett]

That was old

[@hankaustin7091]

duuuuuuhhhhhhhhhhhh............ really?????????

[@MorganBennett]

@@hankaustin7091 yeah

[@evermar1]

Aw the good old days, when the only people of color were gardeners and Janitors while all the white men wearing ties and women in stoles and gloves when flying.

[@waynehentley4332]

😅😅😅😅😅

[@TheUtuber999]

17:06 The gardener looks Latino to me. Some things never change! 😆

[@gkprivate433]

Love the dress up as people took some pride in themselves and how other people viewed them. I don't expect suits and ties and dresses, but I sure am disgusted by the tank tops, bare feet, and the way people dress and travel today. I drive across the USA and only take planes when heading over seas.

[@brucescott7600]

So I guess it is true. Sooner or later everyone winds up in Los Angeles. Even my brother, lol. And he was the last person on Earth who got a cell phone. 😄

[@ronniedelahoussayechauvin6717]

I’ve never been to the Los Angeles Airport. I never owned a service dog nor been in the MILITARY.

[@dezmarinvestmentsllc9964]

LAX is a shit hole now

[@RuggedBrotha]

ITS A BIG HOMELESS GHETTO NOW!!!!

[@charleel1800]

Wow, the people working at the airport earn 4 million a week? Sign me up! Lol.

[@dwaynecoy1871]

You sure you want that? They're making about $3 an hour, giving them an average of about $121 per week. ($4 million divided by 33K workers).

[@waynehentley4332]

​@@dwaynecoy1871 7:36 That's at least 18 today?