Sitting in the airport waiting for our new Marine to arrive, MC and I started noodling about how many airports we have flown in and out of. It has been a few.
When I was a very young fellow, most of my travel was on trains. I rode the Super Chief halfway across the country, and several others, too. I wrote a couple articles about that awhile back.
My first memory of flying was out of Norfolk; our plane's engine caught fire on take-off and we had a nervous few minutes while the plane got into the air, and then had to make a big turn-around, and land. We were deplaned, replaned onto a different DC-6 (yes....one of those with the whirly things on the engines) and took off again...the second time we were able to go all the way to wherever we were going. I don't remember that part. Well, I do...we were bound for San Diego but I don't remember where we stopped along the way. I do have a vivid memory of watching flames flickering all over one of the engines on my side of the plane.
Since that spooky beginning, my world travels have been pretty tame: considering what I did for a living most of my adult life. I have flown from and to Lindberg field in San Diego more than any other, I imagine. Lots of arrivals and departures at LAX and SFO. I always liked San Francisco International...lots of stuff to do there.
My dad was in the Navy. We flew to Japan out of Travis AFB, through Honolulu Intl, and Wake Island, landing at Tachikawa, near Tokyo. We returned that same route in reverse. All the way on prop-driven planes.
I Flew to Hawaii from SFO, too. Same connections: SD to LAX to SFO to Honolulu. And back the same way. All on jets for the first time.
Leaving Fort Ord in 1964, I flew out of Monterey to San Francisco, then to Chicago and on to Philadelphia. I Went to Germany on a ship but flew back in 1965 through Rhein-Main AFB (across the runway from Frankfurt Intl). I Flew into McGuire AFB in New Jersey...then I left from Philadelphia to Chicago bound for LAX...due to rain and thunderstorms the flight to San Diego from LAX was grounded and continued on a bus.
When that leave was up, I flew out of Lindberg Field to San Francisco and was bused to Oakland Army Terminal. My boat trip to Vietnam was called off and they took me out to Travis AFB...same destination, different mode of travel. From Travis to Wake Island to Clark AFB in the Philipines to Tan Son Nhut in Saigon, RVN.
My return from Vietnam started at Tan Son Nhut. We went to Okinawa, skipped a scheduled stop in Hawaii because of a monster tailwind and wound up at Travis AFB. Then San Francisco to LAX to San Diego.
When that leave was over, I flew from San Diego to Phoenix to Tucson to Fort Huachuca.
My next flight was from San Diego to LAX to SFO to Chicago to Philadelphia to McGuire AFB to Rhein-Main AFB.
Coming back we went from Rhein-Main to McGuire AFB...we drove after that.
Next time it was Monterey to SFO to Cleveland to Philly to McGuire to Rhein-Main AFB. Then Stuttgart to Frankfurt Intl to JFK to Norfolk. Then Norfolk to Dallas then to San Diego. San Diego to Dallas to Norfolk. Then Norfolk to Washington National to JFK to Frankfurt Intl.
Next: Frankfurt Intl to Saint Louis to Phoenix.
Fort Leonard Wood to St Louis to Dallas to San Diego, then back from San Diego to Albequerque (unscheduled stop to let a heart attack victim off) to St Louis.
Next it was St Louis to Frankfurt Intl. Then I flew from Stuttgart to Rome to Rihad...and back. Then Frankfurt to St Louis to SFO.
The last time we flew was from Colorado Springs to Denver to San Diego and back.
I didn't add them up, but it is way too many. I think I am going blind because I just can't see me getting onto another commercial flight in this life.
(My father-in-law was a private pilot so he added Deer Valley Airport in Phoenix, Mesa Airport, and Lampasas airport to the list)
When I started this I didn't realize it was gonna be such a rambler...if anyone is still here, thanks for sticking it out.