My Father's best friend at West Point took the Navy option and became an A-6 Intruder pilot after tours in A-1's, etc.
He owned his own Cub and I flew with him a lot as a kid. I worshiped him and wanted to be an Intruder pilot. At 6'4" that was not going to happen. I probably had 100 hours in small planes the first time I flew in a commercial airliner.
My Dad became the Head of the Savannah River Nuclear Plant (
https://www.srs.gov/general/srs-home.html) in 1973. He moved first and geobached since we owned a small ranch in California that needed to be sold.
I came out next, late summer, in time to start at a new to me HS in Aiken, South Carolina.
My Mom makes sure I am in khakis and a blazer, tie and polished shoes for the trip. I flew out of LAX on a 747 to Atlanta. My first ride in a commercial airliner. I vividly remember how smooth and seamless the flight was in comparison to all the little planes, the wonder of 35K feet.
That and everyone was dressed well.
The flight from ALT to Augusta, GA was a mess. I think the plane was a DC-6, piston powered. Not sure, but it was not a jet.
What a ride: Afternoon turbulence with big, fat, high aspect ratio wings adding to the party. The Cub would have been a better ride.
I remember that Augusta didn't have passenger ramps to the plane...you walked off and down on stairs provided by trucks.
By the time I got to the terminal I was soaked - August in GA: My first experience with air you can wear. I sweated like a glass of iced tea in the sun.
Fish tank.