Photo: CVG, 1967.

TRAVELLING FROM CINCINNATI TO THE WORLD

by John T. Dietz 

When I was growing up in the late 1960's and early 1970's, October was always a special month for two reasons - Halloween and Pan Am!

I grew up in Erlanger, Kentucky in the shadow of the Greater Cincinnati Airport (CVG) and our house was on the approach to Runway #9L/27R, so I fell in love with airplanes at an early age.  On sunny Saturdays, I would climb onto our patio roof and sit for hours watching the big jets (707's, 727's, DC8's, and DC9's) landing at CVG.  In those days, CVG was primarily served by 3 majors (American, TWA, and Delta - although Eastern operated a few flights) and smaller airlines (Allegheny and Piedmont).     
 

But in the 3rd week of October every year, there was a special visitor - a Pan Am 707. My father was vice president of a local HVAC contractor and each year, the Carrier Corporation offered a charter trip on Pan Am to some exotic destination for its dealers in the Greater Cincinnati area (Because CVG was not given International status until 1979, all of my parents' trips made a stop at JFK before proceeding on to the final destination).  Each year's trip was to some new and different faraway place and was anticipated with great excitement in our house.

My Mom on Pan Am 1967

My brothers and sisters and I eagerly accompanied our parents to the airport (we did not get to go along on the trip) to see them off.  In those days, there was only a single terminal at CVG and loading was via a mobile stairway after walking across the tarmac - so visitors got up close and personal with the planes!  I had seen other 707's before, but for some reason, the Pan Am 707 seemed bigger and more impressive. It was love at first sight.  We would always arrive at the airport around 5:00 PM and the plane's departure was always around 6:30 PM as the sun was setting - a spectacular image and memory that will remain with me forever.