I grew up flying all over the place. My father was a commercial pilot and we flew for like $10. Of course we flew standby which was interesting, considering we had to get all 4 of us on a flight. And Eastern airlines had some strict rules about how employee’s relatives had to behave and dress while on the flights. We had to dress UP and be neat and clean. We couldn’t do anything which would tarnish their good name LOL. Often, we would be in first class, so we had to be really presentable and we weren’t supposed to mention that we were flying almost for free.
Of course, back then (1960s-1980s), people dressed up more to fly. It was kind of nice, it made it feel special, which I guess it still was then. Now, it’s roll on in with your sweatpants hanging down, very relaxed. Air travel is more like bus travel now.
Growing up a the child of a pilot was unique. He would be gone for days and I was never sure exactly where he was — he had a lot of connections sometimes. My mother had to fend for herself and for years she didn’t drive! It was weird. I had no concept of a white collar job or going into an office. My Dad’s “office” was the airport and the plane he flew.
He was home during the day a lot, which was fun and also weird. He taught me and my brother all kinds of sports and stuff. We had time with our father that other kids didn’t have. But it also meant that he was…
