"The Jet Age Arrives in Vienna" by Harry W. Frahm, Boeing 707 Purser

I was the Purser of the very first Boeing 707 jet aircraft to arrive at Vienna airport.

A crowd of thousands was present to witness the historical event. It must have been everybody in Vienna, able to move, who was there. After the welcome ceremony by dignitaries, the crowd was invited to enter the airplane aft, to exit at the front door. It took a long time until everybody had completed the walk through. 

The Press and TV of Austria was invited to a flight around their country and every seat was occupied. Two Pan Am stewardesses where assigned to help us serve Champagne and hors d'oeuvres for the one hour trip. I must have been opening Champagne bottles close to 100 and the popping corks sounded like a little fireworks all of my own! 

For the landing, I grabbed one of the TV cameras and filmed the landing at Vienna from the cockpit. I was not able to turn off the camera and walked back to the man I took the big heavy contraption from. He turned it off and thanked me with a lot of gratitude, all in German of course, which I speak and have done so in all the announcements of the flight. Later on another trip to Vienna, I learned that the whole episode of my taping was broadcasted the same evening on Austrian television, including my walk back from the cockpit to the camera man, whereby I had held the camera to capture the highly impressed faces of passengers.
     
              Harry W Frahm
  Vice President Miami Chapter
  Worldwingsinternational, Inc.

* Pan Am historical records show introduction of jet service to Vienna was 12/22/1959.  Vienna International Airport history reads that a runway extension was built to accommodate this arrival.