Flash Back

I was recently taken back to my childhood, when the captain of the plane I was flying on invited me and my travel mates to visit the cockpit and chat a bit. The last time this happened I was 6 years old flying United Airlines to California from Philadelphia to spend my summer vacation with my father. I remember that trip well, because it was the first time I had flown on a plane, in addition to making the trip solo. The world was a different place then. Clearly my mother was not concerned about her only child being snatched and kidnapped, and neither was I.

I wore a matching studded blue-jean jacket and pants outfit that I especially picked out for the occasion. My mother took the precaution of pinning a name tag with my details on the front of the jacket.It reminded me of the big name tags the contestants would wear on the game show ‘The Price is Right’ with Bob Barker. I also remember the flight crew making a V.I.P. fuss over me during the entire trip. Until this day it remains the best trip I’ve ever taken, because of all the excitement and fun I had flying the friendly skies for the first time.