What’s your memorable aviation story?
Posted by Sam_A_1986@reddit | aviation | View on Reddit | 113 comments
Mine is back from July 2015. I was taking a short flight from BAH to DXB on Emirates. On this sector Emirates usually operates B777. But to my surprise it was an A380 on that day. The old BAH airport was not equipped to handle A380 so the check-in staff gave color-coded boarding cards, for upper and lower decks. While boarding I asked a cabin crew member about it. She said that as it’s just before a major holiday in the region, and flights were overbooked, and they didn’t want to leave anyone, so they operated A380 on that day. That was the first ever A380 at BAH.
My seat was on lower cabin in the front. The aviation enthusiast in me woke up. After being seated I asked a cabin crew member if she could take my phone in the cockpit and take a photo of the flight controls. She asked me to wait till the boarding is completed and she would ask captain’s permission first. After few minutes she went into the cockpit, came out and said “The captain is asking if you would like to come in and have a look”. I was thrilled. Went inside, met the captain and first officer, very friendly guys, asked some questions, and took a photo as well. Amazing experience.
Viechiru@reddit
It was the Christmas eve of 2016, not one, but TWO aircraft had a floating turd at the lavatory ( im a mechanic )
Sam_A_1986@reddit (OP)
Disgusting, but LOL
Sam_A_1986@reddit (OP)
Disgusting, but LOL
JuanMurphy@reddit
I’ve got a few. One was sitting in a jump seat on a C17 while we did an aerial refueling over the Pacific. Another was sitting in the left seat of a AH6 Little Bird where we shot a full load of rockets and mini guns. Another was we had an LNO that was a Little Bird pilot that needed some currency flight so he asked if I wanted to fly around Baghdad at night. Another was a C7 Caribou pilot let me have the controls on takeoff (it takes more rudder than you’d think) then he landed it with 40 deg of flaps on the front wheels. And that time I got to hover an S76
peterdeg@reddit
As he happened to be the ranking officer (not sure if he was Wing Commander by then) we sat up front on the crew bunk eating their lollies.
dr_stevious@reddit
A long time ago I was flying with my partner from Australia to Japan - I think it was MEL to KIX, cannot quite remember. In any case, we were flying with JAL and the aircraft was a tired old 747. As much as I love aircraft and flying (and this was my first - and ultimately, only - flight on a 747), I wasn't particularly looking forward to this overnight flight as we had the cheapest seats in economy and being taller than average, I was prepared to be jammed into the row like a sardine in a tin and get zero sleep due to being shaped like a pretzel for the whole flight.
We were in one of the last groups to be boarded, and as we were wearily heading into the aircraft one of the flight hosts looks at our boarding passes, looks at us, looks at the passes again, and then says, "we had a cancellation, would you like a free seating upgrade?"
My eyes lit up. "Yes please!"
We were led up the staircase, and we find ourselves in the upper deck of the 747. The only other people up there were flight crew. No other passengers. They let us choose our seats. Gosh, it was so spacious! Thus, our flight to Japan went from being jammed in with the masses to what was comparative opulence! We'd occasionally have a stewardess come sit with us to chat, and we got all the food and drink we could hope for, and were free to stretch out as we pleased. We were very much pampered up there, and I have no idea why just we were chosen (surely, I couldn't have been the only tall person boarding) but we felt like royalty that flight.
We arrived in Japan relaxed and very, very happy. I've never flown anything other than economy before or since, but that flight was by far the most comfortable that I've ever had.
Freddan_81@reddit
My time as a maintenance trainee with Scandinavian Airlines.
One of my best memories is that time we had done some engine maintenance on an A330 and finished the night with a high power test. This was done out on the runway. Instructor in the left seat, a new technician in the captains seat, and me, the trainee on the observer seat. The feeling of the aircraft shaking at 70% power, wanting to go, and the lit runway in front of us.
Another fond memory is from my first shift as trainee. I had just been introduced to my tutor and we set to work right away. Not in the hangar but down at a gate. Aircraft was boarding and one engine had signaled a valve not operating as intended. Being thrown straight into the ’real world’ of MX by going out to a live aircraft, lights blinking, engines about to start, soon ready to go, all of this in the dark of night and the snow falling. My tutor just said ”follow me and we’ll take any questions later”. I literally walked in his footsteps in the snow.
douglasbaadermeinhof@reddit
This reminds me of one of my most memorable moments as a 14yo ish avgeek at ARN. We were out planespotting when some guy walked past us, saw that we were young nerds and invited us to visit the hangar.
He took us there and said something like "sorry boys, but there's only a small Cessna in here". When we walked through the door to the hangar they'd just rolled in a massive A340 and he'd just played us. He showed us around the entire thing, including the compartment below the cockpit.
Still thankful for that day. It was incredible. If you worked at ARN in like 2007 you might have known the guy!
LarryBURRd@reddit
That is so cool
Fabulous_Pitch9350@reddit
Kind of challenging to explain but I’ll give it a shot:
I jump seated as an FDX employee. Once I found a weird routing that originated at airport X, stopped and offloaded cargo at airport Y and then continued empty to airport Z which was my desired destination.
I booked the flight two weeks in advance and was a bit concerned when the X-Y crew asked what plans I had in Y. When I said “None, I’m actually going to Z”, the FO was unequivocal that the aircraft was not going to Z.
Fast forward to landing at Y where I see a new crew on the tarmac. The first crew deplanes leaving me in the cockpit (727). I soon learn that the new crew was called out 15 minutes prior to our landing. The new captain is under the weather and all are visibly pissed. Finding a random employee already on the aircraft almost sends them over the edge:
FO#2: What are you doing here? Me: I’m going to Z. Capt#2: How did you find out about this flight? Me: I booked it on Freebird two weeks ago. Crew to each other: Can you believe this shit? This knew about this weeks ago and we get called out with a few minutes notice. This is bullshit and on and on.
At this point, I’m worried about getting kicked off the aircraft. The FO who does the jump seater safety briefing is still pissed but goes ahead with his bit which starts with: “Have you ever been on a 727 before?” to which I answer “I flew in on this one.” Which was the wrong thing to say for sure.
Long story long, they let me continue and I recall the Captain sharing that they had just flown in and gotten to the hotel prior to my arrival only to be woken up immediately to essentially fly me to my destination.
Which…was…awesome.
LarryBURRd@reddit
That line is 10/10 hahahahahah
Sam_A_1986@reddit (OP)
Y to Z must’ve been a long flight
Fabulous_Pitch9350@reddit
Nah. It was fine. They were mad at crew scheduling and I always followed a speak only when spoken to approach to jump seating.
Far_Dragonfruit_1829@reddit
In 1973 I rode on Concorde, for free.
(Serial 001 or 002, 200 meters at 5kph, from the ramp to the hangar, behind a tug.)
Sam_A_1986@reddit (OP)
That still counts
giggidygiggidyg00@reddit
Worked at a small airport doing paint/restoration. There was a fleet of crop dusters doing runs over some pine plantations in the area and they needed to fill a 500+ gallon tank with water and they said if we let them use our water they will let somebody ride along. I basically jumped out of my skin and said ME! It wasn't necessary though because everyone else was like noooo thanks.
Holy fucking shit what a flight. It was amazing. I got to see my home town from the air and the pilot was doing some badass maneuvers while spreading fertilizer.
I have a hard time relinquishing control like with driving and whatnot so I had to calm myself and prepare to just trust the pilot. When I got in the plane he was kicked back with one leg propped up eating chicken legs from a bucket of KFC. I immediately knew he was the shit and I would be ok.
Sam_A_1986@reddit (OP)
Your username reminds me of Glenn Quagmire, the pilot
dabarak@reddit
Former S-3A Viking enlisted sensor operator (SENSO)...
All of this in only two and a half years (training took a year and a half). I should have made it a career.
And as a civilian, a flight in an Osprey. The flight itself was uneventful - I fell asleep for part of it - but it was the lieutenant commander Hornet pilot that didn't look old enough to shave who spent a good part of the flight picking his nose in front of everyone. Seriously.
Sam_A_1986@reddit (OP)
Oh man you have some experiences there
drossmaster4@reddit
I always give gift cards ($5-10 Starbucks based on flight) to the crew. I gave the cards to my daughter (4) and told her to give them to the lead crew member. Halfway through the flight they got on the intercom and thanks my kid asked her to stand up then bring her a trash bag (literally) full of all their treats like cookies, candy etc. she was so embarrassed but glowing after the attention wasn’t on her.
Sam_A_1986@reddit (OP)
Cabin crew don’t get recognized much. They are mostly doing a thankless job. A polite thank you goes a long way. I sometimes take a box of chocolates with me on flights to give to cabin crew, with a thank you note.
neightn8@reddit
I voluntarily jumped out of one while it was at 15,000+ feet in the air.
Sam_A_1986@reddit (OP)
Skydiving?
neightn8@reddit
lol yes
Key_Sign_5572@reddit
I’m lucky, so many. But a certain experience comes to mind.
I was flying in the “opposite direction” in the winter for a, yes, Jet2 holiday. I live in the ski place and wanted to visit my friend in GLA to say hello.
First funny bit: Jet2 assumes you are from the UK. So when I boarded the automated announcement was “I’m sorry your holiday is over but we’ll get you home safely!” I truly believe I was the only one on the plane that was actually heading out on holiday and that already made me laugh and put me in a good mood.
Boarding complete, pushback, then we get sent to the penalty box. Parked at stand off-apron, engines shut down, announcement “we have to wait due to ATC issues. We don’t know how long. Sorry.” From the cockpit. And then they opened the cockpit door so the flight crew could chill and stretch their legs as well.
This was on the famous 7 Rocket (50) 7.
A F/A was wandering the aisle and I, a full grown adult, flagged her down. I asked, “would the flight crew enjoy a chat and cockpit visit with an enthusiast? As we’ve nothing else to do night now…” she responded “I’ll check”.
5 minutes later I’m sitting in the left seat talking to these guys about how much they love the airplane. A rare beast in Europe. This went on for about a half an hour. They were wonderful. It was truly an exchange of fans of aviation.
Finally the radio crackles and the FO says “sorry, see you buddy we’re getting out of here” I thank them quickly and head back to my seat.
On the way, EVERYONE looked at me like I was some new kind of life form. True shock and awe stuff. Some families with kids even. And all I could think of was, “why didn’t you ask?”
We took off like a rocket and on the way out of the aircraft the pilot clocked me and asked “So how’d you like that?” “Hope you had as much fun as I did! Thanks again!” I replied.
If you guys are reading this, thanks so much.
Sam_A_1986@reddit (OP)
You were a celebrity on that flight
Texas_Kimchi@reddit
As a kid in the 80's I got too sit in the jumpseat for an hour and eat with the pilots. Man pre-9/11 aviation was amazing.
beepbeepboopbeep1977@reddit
As a kid in the 70s not only did I get to go in the cockpit but I was allowed to hold the yoke while the captain or FO did a wee wing-waggle. Epic.
Was a 737, probably a 200.
Then I got to hand out the lollies (a time honoured tradition on Air New Zealand). Slightly less epic.
Texas_Kimchi@reddit
Or they gave some wings as a pin. Man being a kid back then and flying was top notch.
Sam_A_1986@reddit (OP)
Totally agree
ChinaCatProphet@reddit
I miss this. Visited the flight deck on so many commercial aircraft in the 70’s and 80s. 727, 737, 747, DC-10, Fokker F-27 are the ones I remember.
Sam_A_1986@reddit (OP)
Yeah, a lot changed after 9/11
-LordDarkHelmet-@reddit
Flying a CRJ, we had an FAA guy riding in jump-seat (we left late due to a last minute MX write-up). 10 minutes from landing at ohare the airport shut down for thunderstorms and we had to divert somewhere. Iowa I think it was. Small place, and they didn't have gate space so we parked in the run up pad near the end of the runway. After about an hour I jokingly said "man I wish we could just open the door and let everyone off for bit." The FAA guy said "I'm ok with that." The captain gave him a look of "is this a test?" So I asked ATC "hey do mind if we let everyone off here in the grass?" ATC said sure. So we opened the door and most of the pax took the opportunity to get off. I stayed outside with them with my flashlight (it was very dark) and the captain and the FAA guy stayed on board. I remember standing there and seeing Fedex take off and people cheered like it was the coolest thing they've seen. Some people wandered over to the edge of the cornfield and I could see them smoking. I was chatting with a few pax and I hear the FAA guy yelling from the door to get back on (ATC had told us to start up). He's got a big smile on his face and he's waving madly at us in a "come here" motion. So we ushered everyone back on and off we went. We got to Ohare severely late, but everyone was super cool about it. 4 days later some assholes flew a couple airplanes into the Twin Towers.
Old_Reserve_1919@reddit
10 Years old at the time, flying solo from Halifax to Ottawa on an Air Canada. The pilots found out that I was on the plane by myself and let me come hang out in the cockpit for a good chunk of the flight and I got a free business class meal and just sat and asked any questions I had to the awesome pilots who were more than happy to answer.
sailingtoescape@reddit
In Afghanistan in 2002, my unit wanted me to go back to the US for a different deployment. Flew back in a C17. Not many people on the aircraft and they had some aircraft parts loaded on the floor. While coming up the east side of Italy, I got to go up to the cockpit to check out the view. Saw another C17 heading the opposite way and got to see from the far left to the far right, the Alps. Beautiful view.
Fearless-Cold-7409@reddit
How long would a flight from Afghanistan to the US generally take?
Wdwdash@reddit
On C-130s, with mandatory down days due to time changes, it takes about a week.
sailingtoescape@reddit
Would usually end up going to Germany first while waiting for a flight back state side. I think the flight to Germany took about 10hrs. Maybe that long to get back to the US east coast too.
TickleTipsonella@reddit
Thank you for your service 🫡
srqnewbie@reddit
I was in Flight Service for AA for 20 years. For those who might not know, there's a government program called CRAF (Civilian Reserve Air Fleet) where during times of war, they can "borrow" passenger planes to fly troops and equipment. Our union's CRAF policies hadn't been updated since Vietnam, so they looked for management flight & cabin crew volunteers and I opted to do a couple of missions out of Rome to Al Jubal, Saudi Arabia. We flew American troops in under a fighter plane escort and it was wild to be on this military air base with so many cool helicopters and aircraft. We had a little down time before we ferried the AC back to Rome, so a nice soldier drove us around in a jeep and we got to check out a C-5, which was ginormous. Flying in, the troops all had their weapons beside them in the cabin, but ammunition was in the hold. It was nice that the pilots can keep the cockpit door open on a military charter, because both the F/As and the soldiers got some great views of the Nile River with its ribbon of green through the desert. We had to get dengue fever shots, DOD identification cards and the F/As were given the rank of Captain if we were taken as POWs. It was very cool for this civilian to see a big military operation like Desert Shield up close.
foolproofphilosophy@reddit
Tiger Cruise on an aircraft carrier. My brother was a helo pilot so I spent my time hanging out with his squadron. Flight opps was awesome. I got to see it from Vultures Row and a little from the flight deck. There were live fire demonstrations and supersonic F-18 flybys. Hanging out on the fantail while the air wing landed overhead was surreal.
Basic_Climate_2029@reddit
Demonstration flight by CATC on February, 19 2025
SnooPeripherals5518@reddit
Summer 2003 just before the invasion, my squadron, the 39th Rescue Squadron, were packed up and deploying to Kuwait for the big push. We took a bus convoy from our homebase at Patrick AFB, FL for the flight from ORL to portcall at McGuire to catch the (painful) 30+ hour rotator to Kuwait. When we got on the Southwest flight at ORL, the pilot was an old Mako Bud (93rd F.S.) and we chatted at the cabin door about how things were going with each others squadrons, civilian life, families, etc. When the plane started taxiing, he came over the intercom and explained to the pax what we did (Combat Search and Rescue) and that he, being a Viper jock, was glad we were on-board and heading over in case one of our guys or gals had to eject; we would go in and (hopefully) pick them up and bring them home.
I've never heard such a loud cheer and clapping as I did at that moment. We got all the champagne we could drink for the short flight to New Jersey and it was one of the proudest moments in my 34 year career.
redditreadreadread@reddit
First solo flight during flight training.
reefer_drabness@reddit
I was working at Sun n Fun in lakeland, when a customer found out it was my birthday. She wished me a happy birthday like any normal person (stranger) would do, and I went about my day like normal.
A few hours later and she showed up again and said I needed to come with her because her husband was taking me up in their T-6. I almost lost it. Best random gift ever.
That topped the Tri-Motor, and even Aluminum Overcast.
Crucial_Fun@reddit
I have 3. One was when I went to go visit my paternal grandparents in Florida, rode on a 727 window seat. 2nd is when my grandfather took us(my older brothers and i) to a flying circus and I got to have a ride in a biplane. And the third is my first flight in a Cessna when I was thinking of pursuing my pilots license.
Schtweetz@reddit
Not my story as much as my dad’s. In 1975 we were flying as a family from YEG to the UK and on the long flight my dad decides he wants to have a look at the Wardair 747’s cockpit. Takes a business card out of his wallet and writes with his mechanical pencil on the back “Me262 pilot” is his German handwriting. Passes it to a stewardess (that was the correct title at the time) and says, ‘please pass this to the First Officer.’ She disappears for three or four minutes and returns with “Come this way, Mr. S*.” He spent probably a good ten minutes up there chatting with the flight deck folks and had a good old time. When he returned to his seat, he told me (15 years old) all about how their navigation and autopilot systems worked, to him it felt like the giant plane could pretty well fly itself. So ‘space-age!”
woodandjeeps@reddit
Coming back from gulf war in 91. Northwest 747 while crossing into Canada I got to sit in the left seat for 10 minutes and the upper flight attendant showed me the crew lounge. So freaking cool
No-Preference1285@reddit
Being offered by the pilot on Qantas to come up and see the cockpit. It was in 1995. I flew brisbane to Singapore to Bangkok, then Germany and Israel. Was a long trip.
Bastyra2016@reddit
I once got to attend “bosses day” with an Army reserves unit. The goal of the day was to show the employers of the reserves members what they did. For some crazy reason they wouldn’t let me and my coworker drive 2 hours north to fly in a troop transport plane from one airbase to the fort having the exercise-instead we had to drive 2 hours south directly to the base. However we all got to ride in one of those “transport helicopters”. I’m not a helicopter geek but I think it was a Chinook. That was the coolest ride I ever took.
ajyanesp@reddit
12 years ago, as a 13 year old, I got to fly in the jumpseat of an Avianca A320.
Best damn hour and a half I’ve ever had.
The_Creonte@reddit
On a flight in northern Australia one night & smoke started filling the cabin from the cabin air vents…..fun times
Think-Possibility340@reddit
Back in the 90’s I flew with Chuck Yeager one time. He was in first class, I was in coach. He was a very nice guy.
cocktailians@reddit
In 2000, I was flying LHR-IST on BA with my parents (I was 24, so not a kid.) After we boarded, the purser made an announcement that the first officer was running the London Marathon to raise money for something or other, and that the first two people to donate (I think it was something like £50) could sit in the jumpseat for takeoff. I've never rung the call button so fast.
The purser escorted me up to the flight deck where I met the flight crew, handed over the cash, and I got to sit there for pushback, taxi, and takeoff. After we got to cruising altitude, they sent me back to my seat, and gave all three of us mini-bottles of champagne
Then the purser came back about 45 minutes before we were to land, and told me that no one else had taken them up on their offer, and did I want to go back for landing? And did my mother want to go up front as well? Um, yes. So we got to sit in the jumpseats again for approach and landing and till we got to the gate. So very cool, and one of the best ways I've ever spent £50. We couldn't believe our good fortune and just knew that no US airline would've ever allowed that. (And then of course after 9/11, no airline would ever allow it.)
There was also a TATL when I was a little kid and was apparently the only person awake. A FA took pity on me and talked with me for a while, and showed me how powerful the suction is on a 767 lav toilet - she had us unrolling toilet paper down the aisle, putting one end in the toilet, and hitting the flush button to watch the long piece of TP get sucked in super fast!
ohsnap_hesback@reddit
A few to choose from.
Getting a vicious flu that tore through Lackland during basic. Missed graduation, and a couple of us had to bunk with a new flight while we waited for transpo to Sheppard. Ended up being a couple of us freshly graduated airmen with a brand-new butter bar on a tiny prop plane. Copilot stepped out of the cockpit, saw us all in our blues, and said, “Okay, we’re just gonna go.” Butter Bar turned out to be super cool, and it was a fun and unexpected flight.
Got to see a full military takeoff at Luke of an F16 that had received a new engine. We lined the runway and saluted the pilot. It was a hell of an experience.
Watched an early, possibly prototype F35 land at Luke, and the pilot walked to our squadron. Our pilots were freaking out, and fanboying over the pilot. To be fair, he did look movie-star cool: black flight suit, aviators, and a brand-spanking-new F35.
I was selected to recover F16s a handful of times. On one Black Hawk hop to a crash site, the pilots got into a bit with the major who was leading the team. The major asked if they could keep the doors open, and the pilots said know. Basically, they made fun of us, saying, “No, you’re Air Force. You’ll fall out.”
Finally, against either recommendations or direction, one squadron kept using rocket pods for training on the F16s. Well, one malfunctioned, and a rocket went live but got hung up and never left the pod. The pilot landed…and was permitted to park, which meant the plane and rocket were aimed at my squadron’s F16s. I don’t know why but I was rushed over to disconnect the pod. No pressure. Always super confidence building when EOD shows up and “supervises” from behind their armored Humvee and you’re only wearing a tee and BDU pants.
ThePurplePinto@reddit
Being retired ATC I've got TOO MANY memorable stories..... but here's a fun one:
I was riding the jump seat from DFW to MAF on [redacted to protect the guilty] Airlines. We had been given a couple of interim descents as we approached Midland, the last being below 10,000 MSL. At this point it's a "sterile" cockpit and I'm being as quiet as a mouse in the background. The pilots are happily chatting away, as they had been the whole flight, as we turn on final at a still ridiculously high altitude. They then realize the approach angle looks all wrong, they turn to me to ask if we'd been cleared to land.... and I burst out: "Yes! Yes we have!"
They proceed to turn that B737 into the craziest slip you've ever seen and land perfectly with what I will forever call the elevator approach!
Gotta love Southwest! [oops]
BasicallyAmused@reddit
This was back in the early 1980s. I was a 22 yr old(F) flying standby by myself from Miami to Zurich. My dad was a mechanic at PanAm so I got to fly free on standby. I got to my connecting flight in London at about 11:00 at night local time. The connection flight to Zurich was completely full. The standby guy ahead of me got the very last seat. I was the only person standing at the gate that couldn’t get on. The gate agent asked me a bunch of questions, was I traveling alone, what was my final destination, etc. and I explained about flying standby because my father works for PanAm. She said, “wait here” and went into the plane. She comes out a few minutes later and says let’s go, and proceeds to take me into the cockpit of the 747. She points to the jump seat behind the captain and says, you can sit here. I’m in shock and sit down and strap in. After we took off and the pilots weren’t busy they talked to me, and were super friendly. As we are approaching Zurich the pilot says it’s going to get bumpy for landing. We were landing in a storm. It was amazing to watch this team of professionals land this monster aircraft. They were very focused and no joking around during the landing. I was so scared, we were surrounded by lightning and the plane was really bouncing around. But we landed safely of course. It was an experience I’ll never forget.
_speakerss@reddit
When I was about six or seven years old, Air BC (one of the predecessor companies of Jazz Aviation, they do regional stuff for Air Canada) used to do Christmas sight seeing flights out of CYYJ using a Dash 8 (this predated the Q series by a few years). I think it was a fundraiser for a local charity if memory serves. Very festive atmosphere, Santa on board, everyone just having a good time. If you were young enough they'd take you up and sit you on the first officer's lap and actually have you hold the yoke for a few minutes, which I got to do. Made for an interesting ride in the back depending on the enthusiasm of whatever kid was at the controls. You would never get away with something like that in this day and age. On that same flight I was invited back up front to sit in the jump seat during landing. Definitely an experience I will never forget.
Dear-Regret-9476@reddit
Back in Christmas 2021, I flew Delta airlines 737-800 N3745B from SEA to SAN, and I got to sit in the cockpit of it
Sam_A_1986@reddit (OP)
Wow, that must’ve been an experience
Dear-Regret-9476@reddit
I was 12 at the time if I recall correctly, I now visit cockpits whenever I can every time I fly now
Pale-Eyes-666@reddit
Same with me, I always ask before we pushback if I can check out the flight deck, and it's always great.
Dear-Regret-9476@reddit
I always do it after everyone is out of the plane and take a decent amount of time gazing at the gauges
forgottensudo@reddit
I was traveling … somewhere, and had to change planes in Cleveland. As I was walking to the plane I thought I saw someone familiar through the windows.
As I boarded I haded the FA my driver license and asked her to give it to the captain and took my seat. A few minutes later, before push back, she came and said to follow her. I rode jumpseat (with radios) the whole flight.
My dad was the captain, neither of us knew the other was going to be there that day. :)
The pre-days were great. As a kid I spent a lot of time on the flight deck on international flights.
Kemerd@reddit
Wholesome? My Dad letting me as a kid climb around Black Hawks on base (he wasn’t really supposed to bring us in there but it was a different time).
Most memorable? Probably my engine out off field landing.. would’ve been perfect if there hadn’t been a damn fence there too!
Pale-Eyes-666@reddit
I was 12 and on my first solo flight back a few years ago. I was sitting near the exit row on an Alaska Max 9 out of SMF, and there was a man about his fifties sitting across the aisle. After we had taken off, he pulled out a magazine that I recognized. I asked, "Are you a member of the PCA?" and he said yes, and we started gabbing about Porsches for the next half hour. And at some point he brought up the fact that he was a pilot, and I was beginning my Avgeek era at that point, so we talked for the rest of the flight. He told me so much about flying, and he taught me how to identify all the acronyms and stuff. To this day, I am still a true avgeek and aspire to become a pilot someday, all because of the man across from me (who I will leave unnamed).
MBAdk@reddit
Travelling to Greenland from Denmark for the first time since I was born in Greenland, back in 2013. I'm adopted. I was hoping to meet my biological mother that I was in contact with, and hoping to find out more about my biological father's family. I knew he had passed away back in the 1990's, so that was nothing new.
Because I was deeply afraid of flying, I asked for help at the check-in. The personnel was very kind and helpful. During my flight from Ilulissat to Upernavik, the sweet male greenlandic flight attendant took good care of me, so he knew that it was my first visit to Greenland since I was born, because we had talked about it. Later, he told me that he had to go get some coffee for the pilots, so that's what he did.
What I didn't know was that he had planned a surprise for me. I was then invited to the cockpit after the other passengers had had their turn at a visit and photography.
At first I was pretty ambivalent, because I was still anxious about the whole flying thing. But then I realised that this was actually a once in a lifetime chance for me to get one hell of a wonderful experience - I then pulled myself together, thanked the sweet flight attendant, and said yes. I was allowed to bring my camera, as well.
I was then taken to the cockpit, I was welcomed and received instructions from the pilots about where to sit, where the safety belt was and how it worked, and about how to get out in case of an emergency landing.
I was given a headset that I put on, and then we chatted and had a good time. The pilots showed me where the different cities and villages were, that we flew past, and seeing the coastline and ice sheet from the cockpit was a wonderful experience. I was deeply moved - all of that amazing beautiful land was the land that I was born in.
Of course I photographed as well, how could I not? XD A great side effect of spending time with the pilots was that their mood of relaxed attentive self confidence rubbed off on me, so I started relaxing, and I actually thoroughly enjoyed the experience. That was definitely an unexpected but very welcome side effect. XD
The pilots also prepared me for whenever they did something, by simply explaining what they did. Once we were approaching UPV, they explained that they were going to fly north of the town to turn around, because of the wind direction that day, and so the plane would tip lengthwise as we went around in a large curve to approach the airport correctly.
The pilots really were a great help in reducing my fear of flying a lot that day! I cannot thank them enough for that. :)
We landed, and as we waited for everyone else to get off the plane, I talked with the pilots and thanked them quite a lot for the wonderful experience.
Then it was our turn, I got my bag and left the plane, a wonderful and - to me, wild experience richer. Of course I also thanked the kind and thoughtful flight attendant profusly. XD What a welcome to Greenland!
Oh, I did get to meet my birth mom, and I found my father's family. I now have family and friends in Greenland, that I stay in touch with. :)
Photo: Coming in for landing at UPV (799 meter runway) in Air Greenland's Dash-8.
QuillsROptional@reddit
I have some memorable experiences in microlight aircraft.
After flying into an airshow and getting ready to take off, and at the holding point of the runway, getting to see the Dakota of Dakota Norway taking off in front of us.
That time the pilot forgot to turn off the carb head before take off, and the plane had a few fewer horsepower than normal, and a wind gust from the side caused one wing to almost scrape the ground before we lifted off.
Landing and taking off on a small gravel road in a Kitfox because the pilot decided he wanted to say hi to his friend who lived at the end said road.
new-to-reddit-20@reddit
Favorite… no…. Memorable for sure. I used to be an avionics tech on CH-53E’s. After months deployed we started getting complacent with pre-flight checks. I was tasked to do a “daily” and decided to not pre flight the APP (APU to other platforms). Threw the handle forward and the APP started to spool up. Exactly when it hit 100% I heard a massive explosion 💥. “F$?! I blew up the aircraft!” I thought. I immediately shut down.
I turn around to exit the aircraft and to see how bad my mistake was and I see people sprinting towards the hangar… “weird” I thought. Then all of a sudden I see a second and third explosion on the flight line.
Biggest relief of that deployment knowing we were getting rocketed and I didn’t destroy a bird…
Grimol1@reddit
Flew up the east coast from Miami to Delaware and back in a Piper Cherokee in 2000 with my 12 year old nephew and no GPS. That flight was…interesting.
Ashamed-Resource1908@reddit
Cherokee was an awesome plane. Manual and proud of it 👍🏻😂 always had a unique smell to them 😳😂😂
Sam_A_1986@reddit (OP)
My only experience with Piper Cherokee is on MS Flight Simulator
Speedbird223@reddit
About ten years ago I took a flight on an AA 757 from the Caribbean and was connecting up through MIA.
My wife and I were the first passengers in the boarding process and we walked across the apron and up the stairs to door 2L. The captain greeted us and said the FAs were just finishing their cabin preparations and we made small talk for about 30secs. Flight continues as normal and we board our next 757 and sure enough, the same guys. The captain recognizes us and grabs us out our F seats and invites us to the cockpit. My wife references some time I spent in the Royal Air Force (briefly) and the captain puts his hat on me and tells me I can help out today. He puts me in the left seat and introduces me to the FO. He asks if I can help him with his pre-flight checks and we start working our way round, getting as far as firing up the APU. The purser comes in and informs him that the cabin is basically ready to go and we should return to our seats for the flight..
Nicserack@reddit
When i was 10 i was flying by myself and had to board the airplane first, the pilot let me sit in the co-pilot seat and explained all the switches, I'll never forget how cool i thought they were.
Aeson_Ford_F250@reddit
I was high on acid and I thought the flight crew had yellow happy faces . A bad trip.
Ashamed-Resource1908@reddit
Another good memory was flying with the parts caravan (twin). Complete POS plane but a laugh to fly. Managed to completely blow an alternator that ceased and spat the belt into the spinny bits. Frantic couple of minutes and a call to ATC and we arrived unexpectedly onto the tarmac at Birmingham international airport (UK), closing the runway for a bit with the fire trucks chasing us. So stuck miles from home with a jump suit and not much money, me and the driver took the tram to the concert bowl to grab a McDs, realised Def Leopard were already on stage, Blagged two cheap tickets off a tout and had a great evening. Birmingham is pretty crap when your stuck with little cash, the clothes you were working in, smelling of burned fan belt and can’t go far because the techs were fixing the plane but we did good 😂
lovemesomewine@reddit
Wow a few different ones
First - flying the Embraer 145 when it was still an experimental aircraft. It did not have FAA approval yet- we did like. 50 minute flight as we wanted to see if we wanted to purchase it
Flying Jump seat into LGA - we are on final and a delta flight cleared to TO on cross runway - it was slow to start rolling and I hear the captain say to FO - let me know when it clears - so he could decide whether a go-around was needed
Flying 747 LHR to SIN and seeing Mt. Everest/Himalayas - so awesome.
Flying YVR to YEG - looking down and wondering if any human had actually been in some parts of those Rockies.
During takeoff roll - not far from V1 - loud bang and then the hard brakes. Emergency equipment called out. Long slow tug ride back to the terminal.
Probably a few others …
Ashamed-Resource1908@reddit
During the 1st gulf war we had to avoid the area so went ‘the long way round’ which involved going directly up and over the North Pole. Stunning scenery watching the ice flows and fishers in bright sunshine for several hours.
boredclaudius@reddit
First time I flew solo (as a passenger) when I was young, captain allowed me to sit in the cockpit for the last hour of the flight including landing. Was pretty awesome. Was pre 9/11 (2000) and a 747
Pier-Head@reddit
Flying through the Bermuda Triangle in a thunderstorm in a six seater to Kissimmee
Sam_A_1986@reddit (OP)
Oh that reminds me of the crew who flies into the eye of the hurricanes to collect weather data
YELLOW_TOAD@reddit
I'm a huge aviation nut, and have been since I was a little boy. I would ride my bicycle three miles and sit in a corn field at the end of our local regional airport watching planes take off for hours. My Mom would pack me a lunch - usually a tuna fish sandwich and a can of 10¢ rootbeer and I would sit and watch as long as I could.
Lucky for me, I have friends in "high" places in the aviation industry.
One friend was able to take my son and I into F-16 simulators for 3 hours. We had a blast, and my 13 year-old son smoked me in dogfighting the whole time. I wasn't allowed to take any photos though.
Another friend more recently took me into a 737 simulator and we flew around for almost 4 hours. I had the time of my life! This time, I was allowed to take all the pics and video I wanted.
What a day it was!
PermissionAny259@reddit
Crewing a Huey in Fallon NV, practicing calling in air with fixed wing since the world at a few hundred feet looks different than at a few thousand feet when we had a droop. Fortunately wasn’t bad, just hit, bounced, and landed.
Crewing a different Huey in Somali when some clowns fired an RPG that went between us and the lead Huey. We quickly circled and killed the RPG team with some minigun fire.
Got to fly front seat in a Cobra from Camp Pen to 29 Palms. After we exited the pattern I had the controls all the way while the pilot navigated. He of course landed us out at the EAF.
Watched a Cobra TOW shoot from a 53 out in the IO on the way to Somali.
Always thought 46s were trippy with the flex/torque in the cabin overhead due to the counter rotating heads.
Loved my time in the wing. Always wanted fixed wing until I was blessed as a World Famous skid kid.
Notaraisin@reddit
I was on a flight from Edmonton to Vancouver in … 1994 or 1995 and I had a very fancy brand new video camera. The flight attendant asked if I wanted to see the flight deck (the good old days) and of course I did. Hung out taking cool shots of the ice fields and Rockies. They let me turn the plane using a knob in the middle. (I’m not an aficionado so I don’t know what plane this was) THEN the pilot says, wanna stay up here for the landing?
I had to be quiet but that was very hard for my adhd ass. It’s still the coolest thing I’ve ever had happen on a plane.
layne54@reddit
The 2 times I was in private planes. They both crashed and killed the pilots only a month or so after I was in them.
JustHereForTheFun_@reddit
Student pilot in a C172 flying from Bakersfield to Chino and LA Center called me and said "traffic 2 o'clock, 5 miles, 650 knots, Two F14s." They buzzed right below me and the speed and sound were awesome. Never forget that day.
Just_Here57@reddit
I'm a boy scout. Some of the adults in my troop are loaded. One such adult owns a medical company which is in possession of a private jet. A Cessna citation to be precise. He let the whole troop come out and fly his plane for our aviation merit badge. The Senior Patrol Leader even got to take off.
deleted_by_reddit@reddit
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sporkemon@reddit
in 2001 my family went on vacation to disney world, which was awesome...except we were in universal studios when my parents were told the twin towers had fallen and america was under attack right before we got sent away on the log flume ride. that wasn't great! that saturday, the airport was absolute chaos with everyone trying to rebook their flights and security being extra enhanced. the orlando sun-sentinel interviewed my parents and little brother about how they were feeling, and I remember meeting daisy and minnie who disney had sent to the airport to calm kids down. I was too little to fully understand what was going on but it was surreal how crowded and stressful the airport was with all the families trying to wrangle their children and bags to get home.
CaydeTheCat@reddit
Back in the late 90s, I was traveling with my British boss (son of a Duke and had his own title) from LHR to JFK. Couple of snafus happen and he pulls the "my father is a Peer of the Realm" card and we end up on Speedbird 1. I sat behind Charlie Watts.
Weak_Duty_8237@reddit
my first ever flight. It was at night in a C172 over 58N and hersheypark. We went and saw christmas lights and i flew the plane for the first time. Now ive gone up 5 times and am wanting to be a commercial pilot
Odoyle-Rulez@reddit
Climbing over my entire unit in a Lockheed C-130 Hercules over Afghanistan, to pee in a funnel before a combat landing. 2011.
qua77ro@reddit
Flying private on the company jet and realizing quickly something wasn't normal. We took off and turned west/southwest vs the normal east (on the west coast). Then we began to circle over the ocean for a while and leveled off without continuing the climb like normal. It was 15 minutes later before the flight lead was signaled to go up to the cockpit and came back to inform us that upon take off, the tower noticed smoke trailing one of the engines and we were overweight for landing so right now we're currently burning off fuel. We were at near max fuel heading to Boston. As we burned off some fuel to get below max landing weight, we were told that we were going to do a low pass over the airport to see if the tower can spot smoke.. so we enter the pattern and do a low altitude <200ft AGL fly by of the tower. Towards the end of the runway pilots gave it full power and quickly came back around for a landing. They couldn't see any smoke initially on the fly by but then at full power, the smoke returned. At that point we had priority to land and we immediately circled back around. Upon touchdown, we were met with the airports emergency vehicles. This ended up shutting down the airport with all of the ground crews and everyone else looking at us. About 10 minutes later we were given the clearance to taxi over to the FBO under police escort. Ended up being a seal that was allowing oil to bypass at full power.
One of the most exciting experiences for sure.
The other fun one was flying in the same plane, shortly after take off, realization from the pilots that the landing gear wasn't going up. We fly low and slow for some time and I'm called up to the cockpit. I speak with the pilots and they confirm that there's a mechanical issue and the landing gear wasn't retracting. While we could in theory limp along to get home, we'd burn a lot of fuel and take a lot longer. Decision was made to burn off fuel until we were underweight to land. ended up being the landing gear safety retract pins weren't removed during pre-flight. They were circling tight and making some of the passengers nauseous. The preflight was incorrectly run and it was cold.
Sam_A_1986@reddit (OP)
Wow, I would definitely get nervous in such situations
qua77ro@reddit
You do get a bit nervous then you realized/remember how good the pilots are. The first incident we stayed below 10k ft so the APU could keep running. Had we gone above 10k, they would have likely shut off the APU per SOP and pulled in the smell or actual smoke into the cabin at higher power levels. incredibly smart thinking. They are dedicated pilots to the company and the owner's family so they are some of the best.
Ok_Reading245@reddit
Flying in the Goodyear Blimp over Toronto in 1986
Purple_Vacation_4745@reddit
the first close contact I had with an plane
Was bout 6 yo kid, father took me and my brother(8 yo) to airport so we could watch the army airshow visiting our town. There was an parked AC-130, me as a kid watching, what was to me, an behemoth of a plane with camouflage paint, that was magical.
One guy in army clothes come asking us "will you guys fly?"(He asked in a dubious manner, we didn't knew if he was inviting or if he mistook us for someone who was supposed to fly) Me and my brother looked around for my father, couldn't see him, then we were like "uh?! I guess not?". Dude in the army clothes "ok, bye." Went away, with some kids into the plane and went for a ride (early 90's stuff that probably will never ever happen again lmao).
Only for few minutes later, my father found us, he looked surprised and came asking what we still doing there and why we didn't went flying. We answered didn't knew we could/suppouse to. Turns out, previous to the invite, my father reached for some guy from the army for small talk, got informed that would be a "air plane ride" for kids, and asked the guy responsible for it to pick us up in the crowd(turns out, we were supposed to fly).
Despite that, we didn't care much about loosing the Hercules ride(a ride that now I deeply wish I could boast about). Also one of the few good memories with the old man.
yorhatypeanumber2@reddit
got caught in the southwest meltdown of winter 2022, 0/10 would not recommend.
besides that probably my first solo flight, clear skies and a beautiful march day. went up with my instructor a few times just as prep and then did 3 touch and go. i'll never forget landing and thinking "holy shit i really just flew a plane solo"
Sam_A_1986@reddit (OP)
Must’ve been a great sense of achievement
koinai3301@reddit
Best captain ever.
Sam_A_1986@reddit (OP)
Indeed
Deer-in-Motion@reddit
When I was 12 I took a summer aviation class. Teacher took everyone up in his 172 at the end. Got to sit in the right seat and took the yoke for a bit.
Hot_Net_4845@reddit
One of my first aviation memories is watching one of XH558's last displays at the 2015 Ayr Show. Chucking a Vulcan around like a fighter will never not look badass. It was even better in real life
Terrible_Log3966@reddit
When the Vulcan flew in for a display she came in low power and was very silent. We were camping just outside of the dunsfold aerodrome grounds. She came in behind the trees at display height taking is by surprise! It was glorious!
LuuDinhUSA@reddit
My 6 year old almost rolled an SR-22. That was funny, he still talks about it and laughs.
Sam_A_1986@reddit (OP)
A great childhood memory indeed
AOC_rocks@reddit
25 years ago I flew as a non-rev from NYC to Milan upstairs on a 747. It was like heaven.
I fell asleep and woke up right before landing and looking out the windows as we passed over the country-side I felt like I was in a dream.
No other flying experience has come close (even though it’s been recommended that an A-380 is a similar experience)
Sam_A_1986@reddit (OP)
B747 is called Queen of the Skies for a reason. Love that aircraft. Unfortunate that very few airlines are left flying that, and it’s being phased out. A380 is a different experience. I’ve flown 20+ flights on A380, to Europe and Asia Pacific, and each time it gets me amazed due to its size, and feat of engineering. Too bad that it’s not very economical for many airlines and no more in production. The current fleet might last for another 15 years before it’s phased out too.
AviationNerd_737@reddit
Got to fly front seat in a Caravan as a kid. The PT6 sounded amazing and it was super fun overall.
Jet-Rep@reddit
Single engine min T/O thrust with full aft CG take-offs out of Edwards AFB.
Right on the edge of things going very bad but required to build the flight envelope for commercial service
pantone_mugg@reddit
The time three members of a family were escorted off a VERY delayed flight due to an argument caused by them taking photos on the plane pre departure. Off we taxid to the end of the runway, then all the way back to the gate. 6 massive armed cops escorted the family off the plane. There was a round of applause, and eventually off we went.
airport-codes@reddit
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