Artifacts from my "younger years"

[steve1840]

I was doing some cleaning today and came across a box of stuff from my late pre-teen to early teen years. These were the years when my love for airliners was at it peak. Well, until the past year or so when I got back into the aerospace community and all the memories came back. I thought I would share with you guys some of the stuff that I had found.

First off I used to collect 1:600 scale diecast airliners. I spent a few hundred bucks on these things digging them out today made my day! I thought you guys might get a kick out of these.










These are the books I would read religiously everyday.


My first flight certificate


I also found some pictures that I took back then too. I will appologize in advance for the quality of these photos as I was young and didn't know anythign about photography and I was not using a SLR camera, and the scan into the computer was the greatest either.

American 727 at BDL


Continental 737-200 at BDL


Back when 767s were a common site at BDL


Please excuse the giant red blotch in the corner. I know the quality of this one is VERY poor, but I just thought it was nice to see a TWA 727 again


My first cockpit photo - taken on my first flight


The firsttime I ever saw a MD-11 in person


BAe 146



I found many other thigns today that I used to collect from the emergency instructions cards from teh backs of the seats. My father traveled at least 3 days a week and awould always bring that stuff home for me. He was lucky enough (in my eyes) to get to fly on a DC-10, something I'll never get to do.
I also found stuff from when I used to write to airports to get information about them. I even found the aerial photo that JFK sent me.

ANyway, I hope you guys enjoyed seeing some of my artifacts from my younger days. It feels so good to be re-living those memories and have the same love for airliners that I did then.

Feel free t oadd on with some stuff from your past!

[Idlewild]

Ironic that I see those pics as fresh rather than retro. My version of retro takes place between '77 & '83. Your stuff still looks brand spankin' new.

[727C47]

my retro goes back to '65, when the first generation jets still held sway,and the most exotic things flying into JFK were BOAC VC-10'S,Loftliedir CL-44s,Aeroflot IL-62s,and the last of the large props the Connies,and DC-7Cs. Our bread and butter was a steady stream of Pan AM,TWA, AA, NORTHEAST,Eastern,Braniff,TransCaribbean,Airlift Intl,SeaboardWorld,Aeronaves de Mexico et al,707,727,DC8,DC9,CV880,and 990s screaming overhead on the way to runway 13LEFT. Those are among my earliest aerial memories,under the pre widebody skies of South Ozone Park,and Howard Beach. It was very loud, smoky, and completely outstanding.

[Speedbird1]

Great memories. Sadly, I threw-away the boxes that the die-cast models came in but I used to save timetables from almost all the airlines. Unfortunately, as I reside in a small, cluttered apartment, I had to dump most of these. Most interesting was the Braniff timetables which had a different cover color every month. Somewhere I think I have the last PanAm printed timetable from the original PanAm. I even had a hybrid timetable: 1 side showed PanAm while the other showed National, after they merged. They used to have a gift shop in Manhattan at the PanAm Building (now Met Life). They sold tee shirts and other goodies for a few years then they moved the store down to Florida. I begged the kind saleslady for the timetable; she said it was the last 1 ever printed.

[steve1840]

Its funny you mention the timetanbles Speedbird. I used to call all the airlines and have them send them to me. At one point I think I had over 100 timetables sitting in my room. Over time I wound up getting rid of them. I used to get one a week from Northwest and American's were nice and thick. I still have one of the Northwest timetables from 94 I believe it is in crisp pristine condition. I also used to collect the airline magazines from onboard the aircraft. I still have a few of them too that I found with everything else.

I held onto the boxes from the diecast because I knew they would probably be worth something one day and having the boxes always increases their worth. Not that I ever plan on getting rid of them. I actually have been thinking of adding to the collection again with some of today's planes. I will have to see if I can find it somewhere, but I used to have a huge plotted map of Bradley Intl. It was gorgeaous and easily 3.5x4.5' in size. It used to hang on my bedroom wall when I was a kid. It showed all the airfield detail and construction plans for the runways and taxiway modifications and proposed new terminals. I also have SFO, PHX aerials, McCarran aerials.

[JDANDO]

Great stuff Steve! I love the pictures and the first flight certificate. Good memories!

[gonzalu]

If you no longer feel like a kid, feel free to send them to me ;-)

[steve1840]

Who said I didn't feel like a kid anymore? ;-) I was actually looking into getting some new ones off the internet this morning to add to them.

[gonzalu]

I never EVER got a certificate of first Jet Flight!! Who do I call to complain to?

[JDANDO]

I never EVER got a certificate of first Jet Flight!! Who do I call to complain to?

You were robbed!!!

[727C47]

remember all the airline offices on 5th ave,in midtown,with all those great models,and brochures, SAS,Sabena, Air Afrique,Alitalia,and of course Pan Am,and the building, and the newstand in the lobby with all those great British airplane magazines? talking late60s-mid 70s.

[megatop412]

I have those little plastic wings from flights on Northwest Orient, Eastern, and TWA. I also have a collection of the die-cast models called "Dyna Flytes" from the 80's. Every time I went into Kay Bee Toys I would check to see what new ones they got in. I never managed to get the 707.

[steve1840]

I got a pair of the plastic wings with that first flight certificate but they somehow got lost or broken years ago (believe my older brother had something to do with it), and I think I have two Dyna Flytes in my box of stuff too that I got at Kay Bee also.

[Mateo]

I should send for a retroactive certificate of my first commercial flight. Anyone have a current address for Eastern?

[I was 3 weeks old the first time I was in the air]

[727C47]

remember Voice Control Kennedy Airport?,that was my favorite Christmas gift long,long ago