P3D Nighttime

[ryanbatc 12,833]

dal3747night by ryan b, on Flickr

[John_Cillis 2,406]

Nothing more breathtaking than a nighttime landing above the city lights.  I used to love flying westbound into San Francisco Intl at night as the lights of six million plus residents lit up the ground below us as we made our approach to 28L or 28R.  And I remember flying over Boston at night in 1984 outbound to London from JFK, the big city which I visited years later to work in looked so small and serene from FL350 in our majestic 747.  In the mid 60's I used to fly between Socal and SFO a few times, visiting my father and uncle, since my father worked at Mare Island while we lived in Socal, he was looking for a home for us. 

The day I graduated Kindergarten my Mom hustled me and my brothers to Burbank airport and I left Socal for the final time, at night, a breathtaking day for a six year old, as our PSA Lockheed Electra soared north towards Oakland airport.  From there we drove to my new home in Napa, where I lived until the early 90's in a few homes.  So I associate night flight with that sublime change in my young life. 

That night in 1967 was the last flight I flew until 1975.  With the exception of a couple of years, I have flown in something in almost every calendar year since 1975, most recently last year to and from Heathrow out of Phoenix.  One pic of yours brings back so many memories, of a young boy, eyes glued to his Lockheed Electra's window, listening to the distinct deep bass of the four engines as they took us northward from the LA Basin into Northern California.

John

[ryanbatc 12,833]

I always enjoy reading your stories!  Thanks