Remember your first flight?

Helen Shelver on 06 April 2014
Remember your first flight?

Way back in the 80's I took my first flight and oh boy do I vividly remember the breathless excitement of the moment my boss telling the then young, impressionable, naive, excitable me that I was going to Malawi. An involuntary screech erupted out of my mouth, cascading eventually into a giggling squeak, or squawk if you will! I had never been further than 500 kms by road to Durban. Oh wait I lie, I did once travel by car to Cape Town and that was 1400 kms - that's far you know. Imagine that ……. Malawi....oh my word....I was going to Malawi! I was going on an aeroplane and outside of South Africa……what….me? There wasn’t a person in my phone book that I didn't call, most of whom I later learnt, made no sense of the shrieking on the other end, but gathered they should make appropriate clucking noises of approval every few seconds or so.

I remember arriving at the airport. At once excited, feeling somewhat worldly-wise and yet in silent, shy awe of bag toting, very important and oh so sophisticated people scurrying around. Hah not for long …… clever me ……. I was going to document everything in sight! Oh did I mention everything!? From the snaking queue of bored businessmen, to the check in clerk, the baggage weight window, the newspaper man, the sweeper, even my colleague next her luggage, sitting on her luggage, behind her luggage – oh yes and even one of the roof for goodness sakes! I was leaving nothing to chance.

The noise, the smells, the hum of activity, people scurrying to and fro, the smell of coffee wafting by, the perfume of new luggage, exciting, exciting, exciting! Bags checked in and ticket in hand my colleague and I made our way through security - even this now laborious and much loathed necessity was exciting then. In fact, I'm almost certain that I sneaked a picture or two in there too.

Through passport control – exciting and terrifying at the same time. Passports stamped and handed back by a silent, unsmiling official, we ventured into a whole other world. Long mysterious corridors and closed doors, official looking people scurrying around with seemingly important intent. The bright light of shops. Shops? They have shops at the airport, oh look and a coffee shop too - who would have thought!

And then we were on the aeroplane and another brand new adventure! We flipped the tray in front of us, up and down, up and down, bounced the seat back and up, snapped the seat belt buckle open and climbed over each other to peer out of the window, snapped the seat buckle closed, we fiddled in our hand luggage putting away passports, taking out a book – oh the poor souls behind us. We inspected the weeny little ashtray on the armrest – yes you could smoke in those days. We checked out the loo, ooooh…. and we even got free headphones would you believe.

Surely these memories and the unforgettable rumbling roar of the engines as the plane taxied down the runway, the gentle, slightly wobbly lifting into the air, the excitement of gazing down at earth and out towards the horizon, clouds so close you could almost touch them, is what started the insatiable wanderlust that I have yet to fully satisfy. I'd love to hear your recollection of your first flight. Be sure to leave your comments on my Facebook page.