I was on the flight of that plane on Jan 13, 1991 into San Francisco. I remember it wasn’t very full - I had a whole row to myself. I had no idea about the plane or what was going to happen - something I’ll never forget and have talked about many times since.
After we were at cruise, the Captain came on and welcomed us and then said he was going to tell us a story. That single story lasted almost ten minutes as he talked the whole time.
He told us about a boy. A boy who was in love with airplanes. A boy whose father took him to (I think) the St. Louis airport in (I think) 1963. They went to see a new plane - an amazing new jet with three engines. The boy held his father’s hand and watched, in awe, as the plane landed.
The boy grew up, but never lost his love of airplanes. He became a pilot and eventually a captain for United Airlines.
The pilot then said, “As you might have guessed, that boy was me, but what you might not have known is that the plane I saw that day was this one - the first 727.”
My jaw dropped. There wasn’t a sound in the cabin. Even the flight attendants were standing still, listening.
He then said, this is the last day for this plane. It’ll go on one more flight, but after that, it’ll be sent to a museum. ‘
‘He apologized for talking so long. When the PA was quiet, everyone on the plane applauded.
That’s a cool story...thanks for sharing.
That’s why I love FreeRepublic. It’s amazing how often FReepers have a personal connection to a story.