I used to be a stewardess on BOAC 707's back in the l960's. This brought back many wonderful memories. Libby Escolme who narrates at the beginning of the video once shared a flat in Earls Court with me and 3 other BA girls. Where are you now Libby? It was hard work on board and the cabin crew had no maximum hours in those days, you just kept going until the job was done. But the bonus was, we sometimes had 2 full days or more to recover, like Hawaii or Hong Kong! SarahJ
Having flown on Boeing 707s for the first 10 years of my life, I concur with Libbie that "It was an aircraft that you just loved," and that "it had a special sound." I still remember the sound, even though my last 707 flight was in 1983. I love the Boeing 707. No, I am obsessed with the Boeing 707.
As a kid in the 1960s my Dad would take me to Manchester (Ringway as it was known) airport to watch BOAC 707s. They flew to New York and Canada with a stop at Prestwick so they were very light on take-off from Manchester and absolutely thundered off the runway into a steep climb. The excitement and glamour of transatlantic travel was addictive, and the special song of those RR Conways whilst taxiing - I can still hear it today!
This just makes me nostalgic. We used to fly to Europe twice a year to see my gran with Sabena in their 707's. Those were the days when everything was so relaxed.
When I was a young cadet in the '70s, I was a passenger onboard 707. Food galore was fantastic and even had seconds. Loved those days. Today, in fighting among passengers and crew. Great history of this aircraft.
Got to fly the "Rolls Royce 707" back in 1963 and ride in the cockpit for a few hours. Also a member of The Junior Jet Club. And like the film notes, air travel was a whole different and classy thing.
I flew the 707 back in 1987 for a one hour trip, and i was allowed in the cockpit for a few minutes. As a 14 year old, i got infected with the virus at that exact time and i never healed from it :)
Thanks for uploading. Knowing how things are today, I'd love to step into a time machine and fly around during the 60s / early 70s, quietly enjoying it all incognito...
Wonderful film. I had the oppertunity to fly with the BOAC 707 from LHR to Kingston via Hamilton Bermuda as a kid and i still remember alot of details.
flying on a 707 airplane was a dream as a child, i never had the chance but now ive been travelling very often over the last 25 years. Pan am and the boeing 707 meant so much to me and i pretty much think of those times when flying was classy, people wore suits and very elegant women. I miss not having a chance to fly on a .concorde , its a shame it was taking out of the business.
VC10s were better than the trashy 707s. DC-8s were similarly worse. American aircrafts had a tendency to leave you very warm and dehydrated even at the best of times.
The most wonderful video about this era I have ever seen. It captures the real "aura" around and inside those times and flights. The "Cherry on the Cake", is that crew members of that time, make the chronicle. Excellent!
I was fortunate to make three round-trip transatlantic crossings with my parents in Rolls-Royce powered BOAC Boeing 707s. I was given the BOAC Junior Jet Club Logbook and Wings Pin which I always got signed by the Captain. Later I added flights in a Comet IV from Rome to London, a Manchester to Munich flight a VC-10, and a BEA Viscount flight from Munich to London.. It led to a career that I love and today I'm a delivery Team leader delivering Boeing 737s to their new owners
And as a retired airline ticket agent I can tell you that people were a lot nicer back in the 70s/80s. I am astonished at how surly, nasty, selfish and inconsiderate some people are now.
No doubt your jaded outlook and piss-poor attitude have NOTHING to do with those people being "surly, nasty, selfish and inconsiderate." I wonder what they say about you...
Yes, I'm sure dealing with the public is miserable, but the behavior of the airlines like United who decided to kick a passenger (doctor) off a plane because they wanted the seat for one of their employees, or have shrunk economy class seats to the degree they are miserable is inexcusable.
strafrag1 I’m sure the profit-hyperconscious airline industry has contributed to the entire climate, but it is also true that an entirely different pool of people are flying today. Flying has become entirely non-exclusive, which probably explains much of what you observe. Perhaps more importantly, though, some financially comfortable people these days appear to find it somehow desirable to act in an self-absorbed manner in public. Sure, I’m sure many rich people have always been that way in their private lives but they knew not to publicly display their idiosyncrasies 40, 50 years ago, I miss the day when “being rich” also implied courtesy, decorum, grace, etc.
People are the same now. Airfares are so much cheaper now and as a result people who didn't have the upbringing that your passengers had can afford air travel. Working an airline gate now is like working a bus station.
My first and only flight on a 707, was an American flight from San Diego to Los Angeles during the Christmas holiday 1977. Then we boarded a DC-10 for the flight back to Detroit; stopping for a brief layover in Chicago. (I always wondered if that was the same DC-10 that later crashed in 1979) I'll never forget the feeling of being pushed back in the seat and the screech of those four JT9D's of the 707. Wonderful times.
Yeah I was a member of the BA junior club ( sky flyers ) back in the mid 90's. My Dad lived in Germany so every half term and school holiday I used to fly over to Frankfurt and it was my birthday one time and they let me sit in the cockpit for the whole flight. They really were excellent you would never be able to do that now though unfortunately. So what was the skyflyers like back in the 70's? If you don't mind me asking of course .
+smith2781 How lucky you were to sit in the cockpit for the whole flight! A dream come true for any kid who loves flying. I was six when I flew for the first time. My memories are a bit vague but I recall I had a hardbacked blue flight manual (like a small autograph book) and a small metal badge shaped like wings. The stewardess would come up to where we were sitting and tell us the captain would like to see us. Then we got taken to the cockpit and introduced to the crew, shown the flight instruments and be allowed to look out of the window. We would get the crew's autographs and details of the flight logged into our books. I think we also got a periodic newsletter but I may be mistaken about that- it was a long time ago. I also remember that in 1979 when I was a teenager you could still visit the cockpit. We were flying to Miami and I was worried about the Bermuda Triangle. The co-pilot said, "look down there" and you could see the tiny shadow of our plane on the water and then he said "We should be approaching the Bermuda Triangle soon. Don't worry, nothing's going to happen." (Luckily nothing happened except me getting even more scared.)
March 1969 I first flew from London Airport to New York. I was 9. I had my JJC membership and badge, and I had this for years until my mum chucked it all out during a house move...
Heaens! The Junior Jet Club! I as a member, too. I used to get the captain to fill it in on every flight I took, BOAC or any other airline - BOAC didn't fly every route I took.
I remember my school friends who flew on BOAC all had the Junior Jet Club book in the 60s. I never flew BOAC in the 60s. Only in the 70s. I was too old already.
I wound up with two JJC log books - one from my first 707 roundtrip in '63 (which got misplaced and later found) and second one from '72 - '78. Can't find either one right now, much to my annoyance, but the tail numbers from the later log book -- those I remember! G-AWHU, G-AXXY, VH-EAH (from a QANTAS code-share), and some of the big birds - G-AWNA, G-AWNL, and G-AWNP. All long since gone to the breakers. :'(
The days before hijackers,terrorism, The days when aeroplanes with well-dressed passengers,excellent food,exquisite liqueurs,elegant,refined cabin crew,what a time that was,screw this era....
Beautiful work deportment presented with pride at the time BOAC. Vickers VC 10 was great as well. Special it was absolute experience same stature last encounter was with Swissair DC10-30ER 1986. Air New Zealand DC10-30 over the Pacific before then. All gone now. Quality exclusive save up and enjoy the experience! Ansett 727.
As a passenger , I actually preferred the VC-10 to the 707 - especially from mid cabin forward....Sooooooo quiet! The landings I remember were always feather soft on the VC10 as well, far less jarring than the 707. I was only a kid back then but I those observations stick with me to this day. The VC-10 was a superbly comfortable jet to ride on. The DC8 was comfortable enough but the landings always seemed less finessed again than the 707. Love the big windows though.
Its cool to see the sentiment about flying and air travel back then was something special and never to be experienced again. Air travel today is something I avoid if possible. I remember BOAC from when I was a kid but don't think I flew on them. Sure looked very classy and dare I say a notch up from Pan Am.
The Carvery service in BOAC first class, was my favourite. Then presented with a metal box of boiled sweets. Ah, the days before mass travel spoilt it all.
I also love how flight crews were properly deported. The hosties never had a hair out of place and the stewards impeccably dressed . Not like crews today - some airlines (looking at you US carriers) are the worst! frowsy , disheveled and wearing uniforms that are ill-fitting and wrinkled. Everyone dressed up to travel back then , crew and passengers alike. An trip on an airliner was an event to be savored.
flying on a 707 airplane was a dream as a child, i never had the chance but now ive been travelling very often over the last 25 years. Pan am and the boeing 707 meant so much to me and i pretty much think of those times when flying was classy, people wore suits and very elegant women.
flying on a 707 airplane was a dream as a child, i never had the chance but now ive been travelling very often over the last 25 years. Pan am and the boeing 707 meant so much to me and i pretty much think of those times when flying was classy, people wore suits and very elegant women. I miss not having a chance to fly on a concorde , its a shame it was taking out of the business.
No. The cocktails were NOT free. Alcoholic drinks were charged for in Y class. The announcement does not state that the cocktails were free does it? Also nothing special about Lunch after take off and then afternoon tea before landing on a longhaul flight.
My Wife and i , flew to Sydney , in 1964 as migrants , we to Kennedy airport, then San Francisco , then Hawaii, then , Nandi Airport Fiji, then Sydney, then up to Brisbane flying Ansett , Long journey but enjoyable , all for ten quid each.
To this day the 707 has aLways been my favorite aircraft. This is coming from a retired corporate pilot who has flown more types of aircraft than I care to own up to. This was when air travel was real, not whatever it is today.
My 2 favorite airplanes 1. Is the Boeing 707, and 2. Is the Lockheed L-1011 both beautiful planes on the outside and inside.....If I was a millionaire I would be happy to own both and deck out the interior's of both.....
It helps if the customer is alive to choose and the Comet managed to come along before there was a choice and killed enough people that they never would have a choice.
Airplanes of the past had character and distinction. Today's aircraft is like flying apples and samsungs for the most part. However, flying old gear was a helluva job for the crews, though nothing can beat sexy flight attendants of the past.
Yeah, they were pretty when I was a kid; flying in the mid - late seventies. Sometimes I'd fly alone from Detroit out west to Denver, or Albuquerque to stay with my Uncle for the Summer. The flight crews were great, but even the passengers themselves would look out for a kid. Those days are long gone, never to return.
It's interesting how BOAC crews were partial to the aircraft they mostly worked in. A lot of them, like in this video, took a shine to the 707, while others preferred the VC-10 or Britannia. Each aircraft had both good and bad traits. I've heard some stewardesses say the 707 landing is like a controlled crash.
The 707 was originally developed as a mid-air refueling tanker, so very precise control at high speed was a necessity. Some trade-offs had to be made, so the plane's low-speed control was not the greatest.
Those really were the golden years of air travel. Polished people all around, from the flight crew, the desk checkin staff and the flying public itself. Today, that is all lost and air travel is not a luxury but a dreaded necessity.
I enjoyed your Electra KLM video. I used to fly on this aircraft. It was very comfortable but I think there were technical problems. Also saw your Geneva / Zurich clips. Swissair was my favourite airline.
Nonsense. Did you notice the cramped 6 across seating in second class? That was Juan Trippe of Pan American Airways doing. That same cramped 6 across seating is in every airliner Boeing 737 in existence. Insufficient armrest space due to the seats being too narrow. Juan mandated that design so he could pack in passengers from Puerto Rico, Central America, and South America. The seats in first class were based on relatively honest ergonomic evaluations of what adult humans needed to be comfortable on long flights. The seats in second class were based on nonsensical rigged evaluations made to say that what Juan Triple demanded was good ergonomics.
Those were the days.. 3:25 "People approached flying in a different way. People still got dressed up..." As Bob Dylan once sang - The times, they are a-changin'...
Not the USAF. These were special versions using Rolls-Royce engines instead of Pratt&Whitney engines. They were made to UK specifications. The USAF versions, C-137s, existed with Pratt&Whitney engines and USAF specifications. The E-3s AWACS are specials built to USAF specifications, similarly for the E-6 USN TACAMO aircraft.
Infinitely more civilized than today .... the journey was perhaps as special as the destination. Plenty of these passengers recalled traveling via horse and buggy in comparison to flying 600 mph in the lap of luxury. They actually flew significantly faster than we do today. No TSA, everyone wore their best. It was a very special thing. People used to actually really look forward to the flight. The next phase was supposed to be the Boeing 2707. New York to Paris in 90 minutes. It almost happened, except the 1970s happened instead
i was raised properly I remember on my first trip on northeast airlines new York to Portland Maine when civilization ruled and children listened to there parents not the opposite!!!!
1980 was the first time I flew on one and it was wonderful. Good food, proper service and friendly crew members. And the passengers dressed like they were going to a Broadway show. Now look at the industry. Backwards baseball caps, cargo shorts, and sandals pass for decent clothing. And the women are worse. Virtually half naked breasts and bottoms-and those are just the middle aged ones! Disgusting. Bring back the good old days.
@@tombodoh I understand not wanting to dress up, but then again, there were different standards back then. Not better, just different. You should feel comfortable on a long distance flight.
Hello, i have been trying to private msg you but something isn't working. I was wondering who owes copyrights for this video and if can I use parts of this for non commercial/educational purposes?
I'm pretty sure BOAC became British airways. I've always wanted to fly on a 747, a Concorde, and now a 707. I'm 18 and I just wish I could time travel back to 40-50 years ago and fly in style, with actual good food and elegance, minus the smoking. Imagine being on the same flight as the Beatles! That must have been awesome. I guess the modern day equivalent would be Emirates air with their good food, class and freaking beds on the planes. I wanna go on an Emirates A380
@@Ben-xe8ps I'm 20 now btw. My dad smokes and I physically can't breathe when I've been in small spaces with a bunch of people smoking. I've tried it and coughed up blood, sooooo yeah. Plus I see those commercials with former smokers with robot voice boxes. If others wanna smoke it's fine. It just really makes me particularly physically sick and with all the oxygen on a plane it's dangerous to smoke on a plane
@@renroxhrd I understand your particular problem and sympathise with you. However, let me tell it from the other side. Firstly, smoking on aircraft is not dangerous. There has never been a passenger fatality directly caused by a passenger smoking in the passenger cabin. NEVER. There have however been fatalities caused by secret smoking in the lavatory (which has always been forbidden) on non-smoking flights and passengers disposing of cigarettes in the paper waste. There is no more oxygen in an aircraft cabin than in normal atmosphere. Have no idea where you got this incorrect idea from. It looks as if you have been well indoctrinated with the anti-smoking agenda though. These days the atmosphere aboard aircraft is tense. Allowing passengers to smoke went a long way to create a much more relaxed and less tense environment. I was born in 1960 and have smoked since I was 17, having started smoking in 1978, still smoke, am fit and healthy for my age and suffer no ill effects. The ban on smoking on long distance flights has destroyed my life and the lives of many other regular smokers making such journeys absolute hell for us instead of the pleasurable experiences of the past. There is also the question of nervous flyers. Many people are nervous, even scared, of flying. That first cigarette after take off goes a long long way to calm such passengers. The same can be said in respect of calming passengers after any incident or event which can cause stress or anxiety during the flight. Also, the first instances of so called 'air rage' occurred when smoking bans were introduced, usually in the premium cabins. Air rage was unheard of when smoking was allowed. The ban on smoking was introduced primarily to allow airlines to save money by reducing ventilation. Fresh air taken into the aircraft requires heating which means more fuel is consumed. By banning smoking and reducing ventilation, less fuel is used. Even with smoking allowed the air in passenger cabins in the past was fresher than the dry recycled air of today. I too dislike being in an enclosed space with smokers but when aircraft were properly ventilated I never had any problem and, of course, there should be separate smoking and non-smoking areas..
@@Ben-xe8ps my dad is the same age as you, used to smoke on planes, been smoking since like 1972. Smokers not smoking on planes is uncomfortable just because they can't get a fix, as my dad puts it. He smokes before we go on the plane and after we land. It's not an airline problem as far as it being uncomfortable not to smoke on planes, its the smokers who are addicted and it calms them down. This is why I think don't do drugs so that isn't even an issue. But when I can't eat food to calm me down, I just find different outlets. I get nervous on planes and listen to music, fidget with stuff, use slime, watch stuff if they offer it, meditate. Anything for that dopamine release. Doesn't have to be nicotine. I see people on planes with nicotine patches or nicotine gum and they're ok
It's frightening when you see something this old and recognise most of the names. Dear Libby, where's the Oz twang? Georgie, you're still looking good, Bob too! Great to see you all. Long may our pension go on . . and on . . .and on. . .
I don't get it... Everyone says the VC-10 was faster, but everywhere I look, the 707 flies 1000km/h will the VC-10 only does 933km/h :/ what are the real values?
1:57 "Ladies and gentlemen you may now unfasten your seat-belts and smoke if you wish." Seems like a different era when you could smoke on a plane or any transport.
'Course, in later years (and maybe even when this film was produced), smoking seats were at the back of each cabin - as mum and dad smoked, we were corralled down by the loos and galley, other than when younger siblings still needed to use the bulkhead bassinette.
all multitalented artist and great work on leading a plane to move on the air , let fly multi cusines airs all that move same to same food , announcement, speech , documenting , y , toilets , what does it does not have it has everything , it has heart it has blood great dialogues we just love that plane
Back then the cost of a round-trip ticket was the cost of a car. The 747 introduced the more fuel-efficient turbofan engines for better or worse making flying accessible to everyone
They were still flying Super VC-10s on the LHR - Bermuda - Nassau - Kingston run in '77, so they did keep the type in service almost as long as the 707 (we flew home on G-AXXY in '78).
No the VC-10 was designed for special flights into certain African and Middle Eastern nations. Supposedly did better on hot days with shorter runways than the B707s did.
back in the Day, everyone preferred flying on the VC10 - indeed, if BOAC had two flights departing within an hour of each other, bound for the same destination (which they often did), passengers would frequently delay an hour just to switch flights so they could fly on the VC10. Throughout their long service with BOAC, the VC10s enjoyed load factors that were on average 15% higher than those on the BOAC 707s And the VC10 was faster than the 707, setting at least one transatlantic record..
This was real quality flying. Yet you would fly on a single aisle aircraft long haul, with no flight entertainment or WIFI which is all demanded today.
The experience was so pleasant and special that you did not need to be distracted away by ancillaries. And they had in flight movies on planes in the 1960s too. Except you got free buttered popcorn, served by supermodels.
Service and flights were more pleasant in those days and there was much more space but only the upper middle classes and above could afford to fly. Much less glamorous now but now everyone can fly and see the world.
+Fran Camino Especially given how insecure early jet flights were. Companies, including BOAC, had quite a few massive crashes because of CFITs or, even, this one BOAC 707 (flight 911 in March 5, 1966) that merely broke up in mid air over Japan : 124 dead. The debris field was 16 km long.
What airline had the 720B flying across the Big Pond? I remember British Eagle having the 707-138B which was a similar aircraft but I have no recollection of the 720B.
A good question. I believe the 1970's Monarch Airlines charter flights to St Lucia from Luton on behalf of Pegasus Holidays were 720 operated. There was a refuelling stop, probably Gander.
samibar5555 The 707 was such a huge leap forward. It was actually far faster than today’s jets. We have slipped backwards in the pursuit of economy. And the difference between it and the prop liners that came only 10 years before was far beyond anything we have experienced since. It was like stepping onto a starship. And it sounded like a starship .
I used to be a stewardess on BOAC 707's back in the l960's. This brought back many wonderful memories. Libby Escolme who narrates at the beginning of the video once shared a flat in Earls Court with me and 3 other BA girls. Where are you now Libby? It was hard work on board and the cabin crew had no maximum hours in those days, you just kept going until the job was done. But the bonus was, we sometimes had 2 full days or more to recover, like Hawaii or Hong Kong! SarahJ
Thanks for sharing!
Having flown on Boeing 707s for the first 10 years of my life, I concur with Libbie that "It was an aircraft that you just loved," and that "it had a special sound." I still remember the sound, even though my last 707 flight was in 1983. I love the Boeing 707. No, I am obsessed with the Boeing 707.
wonderful flight, wonderful meals, and wonderful passenger (fully dresses/suits and really polite), i miss that day.
I do dress when I fly.
As a kid in the 1960s my Dad would take me to Manchester (Ringway as it was known) airport to watch BOAC 707s. They flew to New York and Canada with a stop at Prestwick so they were very light on take-off from Manchester and absolutely thundered off the runway into a steep climb. The excitement and glamour of transatlantic travel was addictive, and the special song of those RR Conways whilst taxiing - I can still hear it today!
This just makes me nostalgic. We used to fly to Europe twice a year to see my gran with Sabena in their 707's. Those were the days when everything was so relaxed.
When I was a young cadet in the '70s, I was a passenger onboard 707. Food galore was fantastic and even had seconds. Loved those days. Today, in fighting among passengers and crew. Great history of this aircraft.
Got to fly the "Rolls Royce 707" back in 1963 and ride in the cockpit for a few hours. Also a member of The Junior Jet Club. And like the film notes, air travel was a whole different and classy thing.
I remember having a junior jet club log book and being invited into the cockpit! Those were the days ...
The back of the engines look so spiky cool.
Emirates is still like that
I remember the 707s and it was dry and hot, horrible experience.
@@bmc9504
Are you the ghost of the trashy COMET? ✈️☄️☄️☄️☄️🔥🔥🔥🔥
Such a classy and lovely looking BOAC paint scheme...
I flew the 707 back in 1987 for a one hour trip, and i was allowed in the cockpit for a few minutes. As a 14 year old, i got infected with the virus at that exact time and i never healed from it :)
Virus?
Thanks for uploading. Knowing how things are today, I'd love to step into a time machine and fly around during the 60s / early 70s, quietly enjoying it all incognito...
Wonderful film.
I had the oppertunity to fly with the BOAC 707 from LHR to Kingston via Hamilton Bermuda as a kid and i still remember alot of details.
flying on a 707 airplane was a dream as a child, i never had the chance but now ive been travelling very often over the last 25 years. Pan am and the boeing 707 meant so much to me and i pretty much think of those times when flying was classy, people wore suits and very elegant women. I miss not having a chance to fly on a .concorde , its a shame it was taking out of the business.
VC10s were better than the trashy 707s. DC-8s were similarly worse. American aircrafts had a tendency to leave you very warm and dehydrated even at the best of times.
@@bmc9504
And what about the "trashy" early COMETS...✈️☄️☄️☄️🔥🔥🔥
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
The most wonderful video about this era I have ever seen. It captures the real "aura" around and inside those times and flights. The "Cherry on the Cake", is that crew members of that time, make the chronicle. Excellent!
I was fortunate to make three round-trip transatlantic crossings with my parents in Rolls-Royce powered BOAC Boeing 707s. I was given the BOAC Junior Jet Club Logbook and Wings Pin which I always got signed by the Captain. Later I added flights in a Comet IV from Rome to London, a Manchester to Munich flight a VC-10, and a BEA Viscount flight from Munich to London.. It led to a career that I love and today I'm a delivery Team leader delivering Boeing 737s to their new owners
And as a retired airline ticket agent I can tell you that people were a lot nicer back in the 70s/80s. I am astonished at how surly, nasty, selfish and inconsiderate some people are now.
No doubt your jaded outlook and piss-poor attitude have NOTHING to do with those people being "surly, nasty, selfish and inconsiderate." I wonder what they say about you...
Yes, I'm sure dealing with the public is miserable, but the behavior of the airlines like United who decided to kick a passenger (doctor) off a plane because they wanted the seat for one of their employees, or have shrunk economy class seats to the degree they are miserable is inexcusable.
strafrag1 I’m sure the profit-hyperconscious airline industry has contributed to the entire climate, but it is also true that an entirely different pool of people are flying today. Flying has become entirely non-exclusive, which probably explains much of what you observe. Perhaps more importantly, though, some financially comfortable people these days appear to find it somehow desirable to act in an self-absorbed manner in public. Sure, I’m sure many rich people have always been that way in their private lives but they knew not to publicly display their idiosyncrasies 40, 50 years ago, I miss the day when “being rich” also implied courtesy, decorum, grace, etc.
People are the same now. Airfares are so much cheaper now and as a result people who didn't have the upbringing that your passengers had can afford air travel. Working an airline gate now is like working a bus station.
strafrag1 that is because people were much more classy back then
As cabin crew on the VC10 and B707, I never felt as though it was work. It was so enjoyable and so much fun.
My first and only flight on a 707, was an American flight from San Diego to Los Angeles during the Christmas holiday 1977. Then we boarded a DC-10 for the flight back to Detroit; stopping for a brief layover in Chicago. (I always wondered if that was the same DC-10 that later crashed in 1979) I'll never forget the feeling of being pushed back in the seat and the screech of those four JT9D's of the 707. Wonderful times.
P&W JT9D high bypass gas turbines were fitted on wide-body jets, not on 707s.
I flew on the 707 a few times as a child in the 1970s. I was a member of BOAC's Junior Jet Club :)
Yeah I was a member of the BA junior club ( sky flyers ) back in the mid 90's. My Dad lived in Germany so every half term and school holiday I used to fly over to Frankfurt and it was my birthday one time and they let me sit in the cockpit for the whole flight. They really were excellent you would never be able to do that now though unfortunately. So what was the skyflyers like back in the 70's? If you don't mind me asking of course .
+smith2781 How lucky you were to sit in the cockpit for the whole flight! A dream come true for any kid who loves flying. I was six when I flew for the first time. My memories are a bit vague but I recall I had a hardbacked blue flight manual (like a small autograph book) and a small metal badge shaped like wings. The stewardess would come up to where we were sitting and tell us the captain would like to see us. Then we got taken to the cockpit and introduced to the crew, shown the flight instruments and be allowed to look out of the window. We would get the crew's autographs and details of the flight logged into our books. I think we also got a periodic newsletter but I may be mistaken about that- it was a long time ago.
I also remember that in 1979 when I was a teenager you could still visit the cockpit. We were flying to Miami and I was worried about the Bermuda Triangle. The co-pilot said, "look down there" and you could see the tiny shadow of our plane on the water and then he said "We should be approaching the Bermuda Triangle soon. Don't worry, nothing's going to happen." (Luckily nothing happened except me getting even more scared.)
+Teobi1 was lucky to fly the 707 for a charter airline back mid-80s. Enjoyed every minute of it. A great airplane. One of the best that I've flown.
No they didn't.
I'm American and born in 2000, sooo can't relate lol
March 1969 I first flew from London Airport to New York. I was 9. I had my JJC membership and badge, and I had this for years until my mum chucked it all out during a house move...
Heaens! The Junior Jet Club! I as a member, too. I used to get the captain to fill it in on every flight I took, BOAC or any other airline - BOAC didn't fly every route I took.
Nicole K g
I remember my school friends who flew on BOAC all had the Junior Jet Club book in the 60s. I never flew BOAC in the 60s. Only in the 70s. I was too old already.
You lucky so and sos . I got as far as LHR roof gardens 😀
I wound up with two JJC log books - one from my first 707 roundtrip in '63 (which got misplaced and later found) and second one from '72 - '78. Can't find either one right now, much to my annoyance, but the tail numbers from the later log book -- those I remember! G-AWHU, G-AXXY, VH-EAH (from a QANTAS code-share), and some of the big birds - G-AWNA, G-AWNL, and G-AWNP. All long since gone to the breakers. :'(
Those retired hostesses never lose that grooming and manner.
The days before hijackers,terrorism,
The days when aeroplanes with well-dressed passengers,excellent food,exquisite liqueurs,elegant,refined cabin crew,what a time that was,screw this era....
@rick frenay Apparently trolls like him don't see their intelligence and personality deficiencies. The reason not to feed into them.
Not to mention that economy class back then costs more than first class today!
This (Y class then costing more than F class today) is a myth and simply not true.
You can still get that on emirates
VC10s were better than trashy 707s tho.
Beautiful work deportment presented with pride at the time BOAC. Vickers VC 10 was great as well. Special it was absolute experience same stature last encounter was with Swissair DC10-30ER 1986. Air New Zealand DC10-30 over the Pacific before then. All gone now. Quality exclusive save up and enjoy the experience!
Ansett 727.
As a passenger , I actually preferred the VC-10 to the 707 - especially from mid cabin forward....Sooooooo quiet! The landings I remember were always feather soft on the VC10 as well, far less jarring than the 707. I was only a kid back then but I those observations stick with me to this day. The VC-10 was a superbly comfortable jet to ride on. The DC8 was comfortable enough but the landings always seemed less finessed again than the 707. Love the big windows though.
Only 54 airframes were built; the jet was fast but its RR Conways guzzled too much fuel.
I'm not a serious aviation nut but I like things like this...especially about the 1960s
British Eagle had such a lovely logo. The 'E' shaped like an eagle, just lovely.
Those were the days. I loved my seven years on 707s!
The food footage at 3:43 and 3;54 was taken from Pan Am 707 marketing video, NOT BOAC. Very cheeky.
That's true, but don't kid yourself, BOAC had superb cabin service as well.
Its cool to see the sentiment about flying and air travel back then was something special and never to be experienced again. Air travel today is something I avoid if possible. I remember BOAC from when I was a kid but don't think I flew on them. Sure looked very classy and dare I say a notch up from Pan Am.
When airline travel was prestigious
The Carvery service in BOAC first class, was my favourite. Then presented with a metal box of boiled sweets. Ah, the days before mass travel spoilt it all.
I also love how flight crews were properly deported. The hosties never had a hair out of place and the stewards impeccably dressed . Not like crews today - some airlines (looking at you US carriers) are the worst! frowsy , disheveled and wearing uniforms that are ill-fitting and wrinkled. Everyone dressed up to travel back then , crew and passengers alike. An trip on an airliner was an event to be savored.
@Mark O'Cain Yes, women were treated as sex objects back then......... and how do you dress when you fly?
Hear hear. Absolutely spot on
@@Consrignrant yawn. Yes back then people had good self esteem and enjoyed looking good. Even woman. Unlike your hang ups.
flying on a 707 airplane was a dream as a child, i never had the chance but now ive been travelling very often over the last 25 years. Pan am and the boeing 707 meant so much to me and i pretty much think of those times when flying was classy, people wore suits and very elegant women.
I'm very glad that my maternal grandfather was also part of this airline in 1950- 1975. In India. I ve also some unique item pieces of spoon of BOAC.
flying on a 707 airplane was a dream as a child, i never had the chance but now ive been travelling very often over the last 25 years. Pan am and the boeing 707 meant so much to me and i pretty much think of those times when flying was classy, people wore suits and very elegant women. I miss not having a chance to fly on a concorde , its a shame it was taking out of the business.
Gorgeous videos !
Wonderful services. Passengers sure deserve the best
Free cocktails and lunch with afternoon tea? holy hell times have changed.
No. The cocktails were NOT free. Alcoholic drinks were charged for in Y class. The announcement does not state that the cocktails were free does it? Also nothing special about Lunch after take off and then afternoon tea before landing on a longhaul flight.
My Wife and i , flew to Sydney , in 1964 as migrants , we to Kennedy airport, then San Francisco , then Hawaii, then , Nandi Airport Fiji, then Sydney, then up to Brisbane flying Ansett , Long journey but enjoyable , all for ten quid each.
She’s gorgeous!!! I wish I can time travel to the era of luxurious air travel in the 90s damn!!
To this day the 707 has aLways been my favorite aircraft. This is coming from a retired corporate pilot who has flown more types of aircraft than I care to own up to.
This was when air travel was real, not whatever it is today.
My 2 favorite airplanes 1. Is the Boeing 707, and 2. Is the Lockheed L-1011 both beautiful planes on the outside and inside.....If I was a millionaire I would be happy to own both and deck out the interior's of both.....
Nothing beats the 707. The comet was a good plane too, but you know what they say, the customer is always right.
It helps if the customer is alive to choose and the Comet managed to come along before there was a choice and killed enough people that they never would have a choice.
Comet was a flying coffin
@Meh K It's still a mistake, doesn't matter if they didn't know or not
Airplanes of the past had character and distinction. Today's aircraft is like flying apples and samsungs for the most part. However, flying old gear was a helluva job for the crews, though nothing can beat sexy flight attendants of the past.
Yeah, they were pretty when I was a kid; flying in the mid - late seventies. Sometimes I'd fly alone from Detroit out west to Denver, or Albuquerque to stay with my Uncle for the Summer. The flight crews were great, but even the passengers themselves would look out for a kid. Those days are long gone, never to return.
It's interesting how BOAC crews were partial to the aircraft they mostly worked in. A lot of them, like in this video, took a shine to the 707, while others preferred the VC-10 or Britannia. Each aircraft had both good and bad traits. I've heard some stewardesses say the 707 landing is like a controlled crash.
The 707 was originally developed as a mid-air refueling tanker, so very precise control at high speed was a necessity. Some trade-offs had to be made, so the plane's low-speed control was not the greatest.
1:50 - on the right , who is that ?
Jimmie Nicol, he replaced Ringo for 2 weeks during a tour when he was sick
Those really were the golden years of air travel. Polished people all around, from the flight crew, the desk checkin staff and the flying public itself. Today, that is all lost and air travel is not a luxury but a dreaded necessity.
Boeing used to advertise that a 707 has such a smooth ride you can balance a nickel on the armrest.
In 1962 we flew from London to New York on EL AL.
I enjoyed your Electra KLM video. I used to fly on this aircraft. It was very comfortable but I think there were technical problems.
Also saw your Geneva / Zurich clips. Swissair was my favourite airline.
oh bring back those days !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
that was when I was proud to work for a airline and it changed when became british airways
Back when air travel was a luxury rather than a commodity
Nonsense. Did you notice the cramped 6 across seating in second class? That was Juan Trippe of Pan American Airways doing. That same cramped 6 across seating is in every airliner Boeing 737 in existence. Insufficient armrest space due to the seats being too narrow. Juan mandated that design so he could pack in passengers from Puerto Rico, Central America, and South America.
The seats in first class were based on relatively honest ergonomic evaluations of what adult humans needed to be comfortable on long flights. The seats in second class were based on nonsensical rigged evaluations made to say that what Juan Triple demanded was good ergonomics.
No Ringo in the Beatles pic. The other guy was Jimmie Nicol, who replaced Ringo on their Australian tour while he recovered from tonsillitis
My very first flight was on a British Caledonian 707 in 1973.
Just wonderful times golden Age of Airlines and Passenger - BOAC that I flew on a super fast 707 RR engines from Montrealto London in 5h 20
Those were the days.. 3:25 "People approached flying in a different way. People still got dressed up..." As Bob Dylan once sang - The times, they are a-changin'...
"Flew in from Miami, B.O.A.C"
Amazingly the Air Force still uses these 707s today.
Not the USAF. These were special versions using Rolls-Royce engines instead of Pratt&Whitney engines. They were made to UK specifications. The USAF versions, C-137s, existed with Pratt&Whitney engines and USAF specifications. The E-3s AWACS are specials built to USAF specifications, similarly for the E-6 USN TACAMO aircraft.
Infinitely more civilized than today .... the journey was perhaps as special as the destination. Plenty of these passengers recalled traveling via horse and buggy in comparison to flying 600 mph in the lap of luxury. They actually flew significantly faster than we do today. No TSA, everyone wore their best. It was a very special thing. People used to actually really look forward to the flight. The next phase was supposed to be the Boeing 2707. New York to Paris in 90 minutes. It almost happened, except the 1970s happened instead
Brings back memories when civility ruled. No more, unfortunately.
jslasher1 Sadly it never will again.
Back in 60's and 70's air hostess's love their job. Today air hostess's hate their job.
i was raised properly I remember on my first trip on northeast airlines new York to Portland Maine when civilization ruled and children listened to there parents not the opposite!!!!
School of Frankfurt has been doing the nasty job through Hollywood and TV network in order to run down USA. Keep your eyes wide open.
When I have kids they better damn well listen to me. It still exists to an extent, I sure as hell listened to my parents and im 20
Those were special days, the food was good, flight attendants dressed appropriately and people acted responsible
A wish it was still like this
@AirlinerGuy It is. Fly business class. The airfare is the same as economy was "back then"...... in the "good old days".
Preachin' to the choir. SAC Tanker Crew Chief here.
1980 was the first time I flew on one and it was wonderful. Good food, proper service and friendly crew members. And the passengers dressed like they were going to a Broadway show. Now look at the industry. Backwards baseball caps, cargo shorts, and sandals pass for decent clothing. And the women are worse. Virtually half naked breasts and bottoms-and those are just the middle aged ones! Disgusting. Bring back the good old days.
Those were the days. Airplanes are so uncomfortable and I must dress down. I couldn't imagine flying those days
VC10 was better.
@@tombodoh I understand not wanting to dress up, but then again, there were different standards back then. Not better, just different. You should feel comfortable on a long distance flight.
@@bmc9504
You're like Droopy 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Hello, i have been trying to private msg you but something isn't working. I was wondering who owes copyrights for this video and if can I use parts of this for non commercial/educational purposes?
My first encounter with a black olive was on a Cyprus Airways 707 my parents told me it was a cherry, I was not amused.
I heard one of these ladies dosed Paulie Walnuts. Uncle June had laserbeams shootin out his eyes.
I'm pretty sure BOAC became British airways. I've always wanted to fly on a 747, a Concorde, and now a 707. I'm 18 and I just wish I could time travel back to 40-50 years ago and fly in style, with actual good food and elegance, minus the smoking. Imagine being on the same flight as the Beatles! That must have been awesome. I guess the modern day equivalent would be Emirates air with their good food, class and freaking beds on the planes. I wanna go on an Emirates A380
I see you have had the anti-smoking agenda drummed into you. Why minus the smoking? It made the flight much more relaxed.
@@Ben-xe8ps I'm 20 now btw. My dad smokes and I physically can't breathe when I've been in small spaces with a bunch of people smoking. I've tried it and coughed up blood, sooooo yeah. Plus I see those commercials with former smokers with robot voice boxes. If others wanna smoke it's fine. It just really makes me particularly physically sick and with all the oxygen on a plane it's dangerous to smoke on a plane
@@renroxhrd I understand your particular problem and sympathise with you. However, let me tell it from the other side. Firstly, smoking on aircraft is not dangerous. There has never been a passenger fatality directly caused by a passenger smoking in the passenger cabin. NEVER. There have however been fatalities caused by secret smoking in the lavatory (which has always been forbidden) on non-smoking flights and passengers disposing of cigarettes in the paper waste. There is no more oxygen in an aircraft cabin than in normal atmosphere. Have no idea where you got this incorrect idea from. It looks as if you have been well indoctrinated with the anti-smoking agenda though.
These days the atmosphere aboard aircraft is tense. Allowing passengers to smoke went a long way to create a much more relaxed and less tense environment. I was born in 1960 and have smoked since I was 17, having started smoking in 1978, still smoke, am fit and healthy for my age and suffer no ill effects. The ban on smoking on long distance flights has destroyed my life and the lives of many other regular smokers making such journeys absolute hell for us instead of the pleasurable experiences of the past. There is also the question of nervous flyers. Many people are nervous, even scared, of flying. That first cigarette after take off goes a long long way to calm such passengers. The same can be said in respect of calming passengers after any incident or event which can cause stress or anxiety during the flight. Also, the first instances of so called 'air rage' occurred when smoking bans were introduced, usually in the premium cabins. Air rage was unheard of when smoking was allowed.
The ban on smoking was introduced primarily to allow airlines to save money by reducing ventilation. Fresh air taken into the aircraft requires heating which means more fuel is consumed. By banning smoking and reducing ventilation, less fuel is used. Even with smoking allowed the air in passenger cabins in the past was fresher than the dry recycled air of today. I too dislike being in an enclosed space with smokers but when aircraft were properly ventilated I never had any problem and, of course, there should be separate smoking and non-smoking areas..
@@Ben-xe8ps my dad is the same age as you, used to smoke on planes, been smoking since like 1972. Smokers not smoking on planes is uncomfortable just because they can't get a fix, as my dad puts it. He smokes before we go on the plane and after we land. It's not an airline problem as far as it being uncomfortable not to smoke on planes, its the smokers who are addicted and it calms them down. This is why I think don't do drugs so that isn't even an issue. But when I can't eat food to calm me down, I just find different outlets. I get nervous on planes and listen to music, fidget with stuff, use slime, watch stuff if they offer it, meditate. Anything for that dopamine release. Doesn't have to be nicotine. I see people on planes with nicotine patches or nicotine gum and they're ok
It's frightening when you see something this old and recognise most of the names. Dear Libby, where's the Oz twang? Georgie, you're still looking good, Bob too! Great to see you all. Long may our pension go on . . and on . . .and on. . .
I liked 707s'. I remember no movies. and then the first movie projectors on TWA.
PARIS?
I don't get it... Everyone says the VC-10 was faster, but everywhere I look, the 707 flies 1000km/h will the VC-10 only does 933km/h :/ what are the real values?
1:57 "Ladies and gentlemen you may now unfasten your seat-belts and smoke if you wish." Seems like a different era when you could smoke on a plane or any transport.
'Course, in later years (and maybe even when this film was produced), smoking seats were at the back of each cabin - as mum and dad smoked, we were corralled down by the loos and galley, other than when younger siblings still needed to use the bulkhead bassinette.
Which sequences specifically? Thanks.
God's love ❤️❤️❤️❤️always beautiful and strong
the Good Old days
I got model BOAC VC-10 and Boeing 707 planes.
all multitalented artist and great work on leading a plane to move on the air , let fly multi cusines airs all that move same to same food , announcement, speech , documenting , y , toilets , what does it does not have it has everything , it has heart it has blood great dialogues we just love that plane
Back then the cost of a round-trip ticket was the cost of a car.
The 747 introduced the more fuel-efficient turbofan engines for better or worse making flying accessible to everyone
A round trip ticket from where to where to where was the cost of a car? London to Sydney First Class or London to Manchester Economy?
I think the 707 was put in the fleet to replace the VC10
They were still flying Super VC-10s on the LHR - Bermuda - Nassau - Kingston run in '77, so they did keep the type in service almost as long as the 707 (we flew home on G-AXXY in '78).
No the VC-10 was designed for special flights into certain African and Middle Eastern nations. Supposedly did better on hot days with shorter runways than the B707s did.
No it wasn't. We PRECEDED the VC10.
back in the Day, everyone preferred flying on the VC10 - indeed, if BOAC had two flights departing within an hour of each other, bound for the same destination (which they often did), passengers would frequently delay an hour just to switch flights so they could fly on the VC10.
Throughout their long service with BOAC, the VC10s enjoyed load factors that were on average 15% higher than those on the BOAC 707s
And the VC10 was faster than the 707, setting at least one transatlantic record..
very enjoyable thanks
This was real quality flying.
Yet you would fly on a single aisle aircraft long haul, with no flight entertainment or WIFI which is all demanded today.
The experience was so pleasant and special that you did not need to be distracted away by ancillaries. And they had in flight movies on planes in the 1960s too. Except you got free buttered popcorn, served by supermodels.
It's so boring without in flight movies or games. I like watching directv on jetblue
those RR Conway bypass turbojets that came on the 707-420 sound like a real screamer
Those were pure jets - "straight pipes" without a fan section.
They were brutal as heard from LHR ground
Like I'm only 12 I'm just curious
smoke if you wish
Great plane.... But so was the L1011
Ahh those were the days
How old is this plane
For BOAC 1960s to early 80s I think
Service and flights were more pleasant in those days and there was much more space but only the upper middle classes and above could afford to fly. Much less glamorous now but now everyone can fly and see the world.
+David Barnes But much safer nowadays. So probably not everything have gone to worst.
+Fran Camino Especially given how insecure early jet flights were. Companies, including BOAC, had quite a few massive crashes because of CFITs or, even, this one BOAC 707 (flight 911 in March 5, 1966) that merely broke up in mid air over Japan : 124 dead. The debris field was 16 km long.
+julosx oh yes it is much safer now. and so much more affordable!
+julosx Mount Fuji one?
En los años 1969, por vez primera vi uno que tenia aspecto de muŕcielago un boin
What airline had the 720B flying across the Big Pond? I remember British Eagle having the 707-138B which was a similar aircraft but I have no recollection of the 720B.
Lufty, but with a fuel stop at Shannon westbound. FRA-SNN-IDL
A good question. I believe the 1970's Monarch Airlines charter flights to St Lucia from Luton on behalf of Pegasus Holidays were 720 operated. There was a refuelling stop, probably Gander.
I really liked the 707. My first flight on the 720B was from London to New York in 1962.
samibar5555 The 707 was such a huge leap forward. It was actually far faster than today’s jets. We have slipped backwards in the pursuit of economy. And the difference between it and the prop liners that came only 10 years before was far beyond anything we have experienced since. It was like stepping onto a starship. And it sounded like a starship .
i knew a girl named Sharon..flew with TWA as i remember it but could have been United..late 60s
the year was 1960
Thanks
Not a single word about VC10 (((
I always preferred the DC8.