London Banter - View Single Post - Victoria Line

Tony Polson[_2_] · April 4th 09, 08:39 PM posted to uk.railway,uk.transport.london

(Neil Williams) wrote:
On Fri, 03 Apr 2009 11:18:46 +0100, Tony Polson
wrote:

I particularly liked the Fokker F27 "Friendship" because of the high
wing which meant great views from every window.

Same with the F50.

When I was regularly using them from LCY, I thought of the F50s as
flying as it probably used to be. Most civilised, if extremely
rough-riding (fun once I got used to it!).

As it used to be before my time, then! I took my first flight in 1959,
in a Douglas DC-3, and the seats consisted of canvas on an alloy frame.
The noise of the radial piston engines had to be heard to be believed.
It was both frightening and exhilarating to a five year old.

My trips in the early 1960s were in Viscounts, a Vanguard, an
Elizabethan, an Argosy and more DC-3s. The Viscounts and Vanguard were
smooth and comparatively quiet; the others were extremely noisy.

My worst flight of all time was in the 1980s in an RAF Hercules, 17.5
hours between Ascension Island and the Falklands. My best would have
been any of my several trips in VC-10s belonging variously to British
Airways, Gulf Air and the RAF.

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