The first time I flew in one of those, I heard a large CLUNK just after the pilot rotated. I swore it was the tail hitting the ground. In retrospect, it was probably the gear retracting. It was quite a thrill, though.
I flew an L-1011 and then a 747 across the USA and then the Pacific to Sydney, Australia.
The aircraft from Sydney to Adelaide was an MD-80/DC-9 variant and the pilot flew like an combat pilot. The flight disparity between the big birds to this one was huge.
It was right at dusk. I had a window seat. He did a left-hand bank and climb at at least 45 degrees. I looked down and saw two huge lights coming right at us. Just as I was about to scream like a woman I realized it was a football field with its lights just turned on.