Reserve life before cell phones
07-11-2024, 10:14 AM
#41
Prime Minister/Moderator
Joined APC: Jan 2006
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My great uncle flew for United back in the day. He had a 40 foot phone cord and a special loud ringer that was always turned up to 11. He was the only person I knew as a kid that had a phone installed in his detached garage. When the phone rang the entire household came to a halt and you thought commissioner Gordon was on the other end.
Basically like not being allowed to change your own light bulbs, or move a plug-in floor lamp from one room to another.
07-11-2024, 02:23 PM
#43
Nonsense Spewer
Joined APC: Jun 2015
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Reading this thread reminds me of how railroads operate present day with "pools" for staffing. I'm guessing the airlines modeled that system at some point.
07-11-2024, 02:58 PM
#44
Line Holder
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07-11-2024, 03:50 PM
#45
Gets Weekends Off
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Lots of airline crew scheduling is airline based.
A friend from many moons ago was a UA DC-8 FO in late 60's or early 70s. He told of going down to JFK to pick up his pay check (!) and crew sked grabbed to fly a trip. "Don't worry, we'll call your wife". Well, when Bill got home, his wife was madder than a snake, they hadn't called and, in those days, calling home wasn't the thing it is now. Long distance was expensive even for pilots.
i remember the same thing bootleg phones and ATT stopping by, "go hide the upstairs phone" from Dad
A friend from many moons ago was a UA DC-8 FO in late 60's or early 70s. He told of going down to JFK to pick up his pay check (!) and crew sked grabbed to fly a trip. "Don't worry, we'll call your wife". Well, when Bill got home, his wife was madder than a snake, they hadn't called and, in those days, calling home wasn't the thing it is now. Long distance was expensive even for pilots.
i remember the same thing bootleg phones and ATT stopping by, "go hide the upstairs phone" from Dad
07-11-2024, 08:14 PM
#46
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Nope, I think I'd remember that. Must have been prior to 1989. I was hired not long after the USAir-Piedmont merger so maybe it was the other airline's policy.
07-12-2024, 07:13 AM
#47
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07-12-2024, 01:39 PM
#48
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That seems too early for cell phones, at least for consumer mass market.
I had pagers in the 80's (military on call), I think the text pagers came in the early 90's at least for me.
Brick phones late 80's/early 90's but only for military ops, didn't carry those around town and none of my friends had anything like that.
Car phone early/mid 90's, it was actually a briefcase that would plug into the car or could be used standalone. Again not personal use but for work.
Pocket size handheld mid/late 90's, but again for work and most of my friends didn't have one. When I changed jobs around the turn of the century I actually didn't have a personal or work cell for a couple years, that came around 2002-ish.
I had pagers in the 80's (military on call), I think the text pagers came in the early 90's at least for me.
Brick phones late 80's/early 90's but only for military ops, didn't carry those around town and none of my friends had anything like that.
Car phone early/mid 90's, it was actually a briefcase that would plug into the car or could be used standalone. Again not personal use but for work.
Pocket size handheld mid/late 90's, but again for work and most of my friends didn't have one. When I changed jobs around the turn of the century I actually didn't have a personal or work cell for a couple years, that came around 2002-ish.
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