Weirdest Airliner You Ever Flew On?

THE PILGRIM

THE PILGRIM

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What's the weirdest Airliner that you ever flew on?
One day at LA I walked out on the tarmac on my way to Paso Robles.
There sat the smallest 4 engine airplane that I ever saw.
It was a de Havilland Heron.
This one was powered by 4 horizon-opposed motors.
I recall thinking, dam, just like on a Cessna !
It had 14 seats. It was flown by two pilots and a hostess.
It had a tall about 2 feet spar across the passenger compartment.
The hostess lady spent all day stepping over it!

de Havilland Heron - Wikipedia
 

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I flew on a WW II vintage DC3 from Puerto Rico to the Virgin Islands a few years ago. You had to literally climb up this tail dragger to get to your seat. Interesting flight since I doubt we ever climbed over 1000 feet.
The guy sitting next to me said the last time he was on one of these he was shot down in the Pacific Theater.
Jim
 
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Nothing too wierd, a Martin 404 once from Miami to Key west, Southeast airlines. 1973. Also a BAC 1-11 of Florida Express in 1987.

I rode in a Ford Trimotor at Sun N Fun in about 1991.

Cessna Caravan and Short 360 in Nicaragua.
 
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In 1979 I flew from Dubuque, Iowa to Chicago to catch a connecting flight. The airline was OZARK and they were Fokkers F27 high wing prop planes. These things rattle, banged and vibrated like crazy.
The trip back went to Peoria, Ill. then to Dubuque. I swore I would never fly again but I did.
 
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a couple of the charter airlines I flew between the states and Germany was the stretch version of the DC-8. in this version it was setup for about 250 people and it was cramped. if you walked towards the wings you walked uphill and downhill going the other way. it was one long airplane.
 
Extra points if you can tell me the model number:

100_2442_zps0b58aed6.jpg
 
I flew on a Russian 3 motor tail dragger, sort of DC3 sized aircraft from Tashkent to Termez in 1994 or 5. Weather in Termex was dense fog, no idea how the pilots landed since I doubt the a/c was cat I. II or III equipped. Maybe not even ILS. The seats were like folding metal theater seats bolted to the floor with U bolts and only about 1/2 had seat belts. The most unusual thing was after landing every one sat still and waited for the engines to shut down and the airplane to be completely de-powered and then the crew to file off. After that the passengers can leave....
 
THE PILGRIM said:
What's the weirdest Airliner that you ever flew on?
One day at LA I walked out on the tarmac on my way to Paso Robles.
There sat the smallest 4 engine airplane that I ever saw.
It was a de Havilland Heron.
This one was powered by 4 horizon-opposed motors.
I recall thinking, dam, just like on a Cessna !
It had 14 seats. It was flown by two pilots and a hostess.
It had a tall about 2 feet spar across the passenger compartment.
The hostess lady spent all day stepping over it!

de Havilland Heron - Wikipedia
Click to expand...

That's a Riley conversion with Lycoming engines for a 20% or more power increase. The original motors were inverted in-line six motors, the Gypsy Queen.
 
In 1951, as a military dependent, I flew on the first Trans World non-stop flight from New York to Heidelberg, Germany on I think a DC-4. It was the longest flight, I don't recall the exact time of flight but it seemed like two days. We were supposed to stop in Iceland to refuel but we caught favorable tail winds.
 
THE PILGRIM said:
There sat the smallest 4 engine airplane that I ever saw.
It was a de Havilland Heron.
de Havilland Heron - Wikipedia
Click to expand...

Most terrifying flight of my life was on a Prinair Heron from San Juan to St. Thomas.
Waited most of the day while Prinair cancelled flights until they had enough victims for a full plane.

Took off in the early evening for a normal ~20 minute flight to St. Thomas. Flew into a violent thunderstorm and flew and flew.
20-30-40-50 minutes. Bouncing around, constant lightning, woman behind me screaming and grabbing at me around the seat back.

Somehow finally made it to St. Thomas. Turns out the airport crew figured no more flights, switched the NDB off and closed the tower!

Pilot somehow found the airport.

My last flight on Prinair!
 
Going from Philly to Blue Bell PA (Unisys was a client). Was on a Wings plane out of Philly, Piper tail dragger. Never forget...I was the second seat...Pilot, me and the other guy and bags. Never again want to see exactly what the pilot sees! Oh did I mention we buzzed the field first to move the geese!
 
The plane wasn't weird, a 707, I think. But one hostess was the sister of a girl I knew in high school, and she moved me up to First Class on a late night flight and spent a lot of time talking to me. That was really nice.

On another flight back to the US from Newfoundland, I was talking to a hostess in a lounge before the flight. She was friendly and fun and I told her that she was the first American girl I'd seen in a year and that I was glad she was so pretty.

She thanked me for the compliment, but added, "I'm not American. I'm Dutch." :D
 
I don't know if it's what you think of as an airliner, but when I first started working offshore on the rigs in 1974 I flew out in a Sud Aviation Alouette II to an Exxon platform. That was the first commercially produced turboshaft powered helo. It could carry 3 passengers plus the pilot on a good day. ;)
 
Airline

For a number of years, we ( two of us and our four boys), flew into a fishing camp in northern Saskatchewan. Our pilot and plane owner flew a nice old restored Beaver. The name on his business card was "HARVEYS HOPE-SHE-FLIES. SERVING THE NORTH FOR AS LONG AS I CAN REMEMBER". He was a great pilot, and yes, a real character. :p
 
I don't know the model but I flew a turboprop from Orlando to Naples Fl. About 30 seats, I knew it was not 1st class when the flight attendant put plugs in her ears. Joe
 
Some turboprop puddle jumper from Cleveland to Dayton. Might have been an ATR-42.

I've traveled on some odd types overseas, but I think those journeys are still covered by confidentiality papers.
 
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