The R.101, the last great British airship — a luxury liner three and a half times the length of a 747 jet, with a spacious lounge, a dining room that seated fifty, glass-walled promenade decks, and a smoking room. The British expected R.101 to spearhead a fleet of imperial airships that would dominate the skies as British naval ships, a century earlier, had ruled the seas. The dream ended when, on its demonstration flight to India, R.101 crashed in France, tragically killing nearly all aboard.
The 1950s and '60s are often regarded as the golden age of airlines, offering luxurious seating, fancy meals, and beaming flight attendants. But while it was certainly roomier than today's modern sardine can technique of travel, there was also a fair share of less desirable details unseen in the black and white evidence left behind. So what was it really like to fly during the Elvis era? Let's take a trip through the many ups and downs of getting around in the olden days.
An Electric Cheese Wedge From the 70's.
