Readers Write: Flying in the good old days

The Island Now

There was very little commercial airline traffic before World War II. The airline business  really got rolling after the war. I began flying in earnest in the mid-1950s.  At that time, there were four engine propeller planes that could carry perhaps 120 people. They could fly across the Atlantic ocean.

The larger planes (Lockheed Constalations and Douglas DC-6s) flew between the approximately twelve major hub cities in the U.S.A. I can vividly recall the old Saint Louis airport.  It was hardly bigger than three or four houses.  From these hubs flew regional airlines covering smaller towns in the hubs’ vicinity. This arrangement often meant that it took two flights to get to your destination. Even three if you didn’t live near a hub.

These regional planes were mostly two-engined, Douglas DC-3s, which were the first really successful airliner. Most DC-3s had 21 seats, two on one side of the  aisle and one on the other side. Today, an Airbus 860 can be arranged to carry 800 though most are set up to accommodate 500 or so.  They had seven seats from front to back whereas today some jets have as many as nine seats side to side.

The DC-3 crew consisted of a pilot, a co-pilot and a stewardess. At that time, being a stewardess was a coveted job. They had to be under 30 years of age, single, attractive for sure, and even had to have some college. 

These planes were not pressurized so if upon descending too rapidly it would cause me temporary ear pain. 

It took much less time then to deplane and get your luggage in those days than today contrary to what you might  think. Here is a true story. The DC-3 was a “tail dragger”  (meaning it had a small tail wheel instead of a tricycle landing gear like all passenger planes do today). The DC-3 exit door had a built-in stair so when it was opened one would walk down just six steps to  deplane.  On that day, I was the only person departing at that  particular regional airport. Upon coming to a stop, the co-pilot walked back and opened the door. He exited first and I followed. He opened the cargo door, pulled out my suitcase and I was on my way. Total time. Less than  30 seconds before I was on my way with my suitcase.  I don’t think that record will ever be broken.

On some of these DC-3 flights they did serve a meal. On a few occasions I helped set up the food trays and the stewardess served the customers. Everything was so informal in those days.

I think it is safe to say that the “good old days” of flying are long gone.

Theodore Theodorsen

Manhasset

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