Diary of an Airline Brat
- Susan Fisch Good
- a few seconds ago
- 2 min read
Updated: Mar 10
Growing up in Managua, Nicaragua in the 1970s
When I mention growing up in Latin America many people ask me if I was a military brat. I say no, I was an airline brat.
An airline brat is what the industry calls children of those who work for an airline. My dad was an area director for Pan American Airlines and his specialty was Latin America. It was the only life I knew growing up. I don’t like to think of myself as a brat, but I probably was. There are lots of perks to being an airline brat: Flying stand-by all over the world, meeting lots of different people, and experiencing many cultures. There were disadvantages too: Moving to different countries, changing schools, and learning a new language or dialect. Flying stand-by can be stressful too; not knowing if you will get a seat on the flight or getting stranded at an airport. My parents taught us to see life as an adventure.
I recently found a box of my many diaries and the year 1972 stood out to me. Many memories resurfaced - I was 14 years old, living in Managua, Nicaragua. It was the year Nixon visited China; we traveled to Portugal and Spain where I met Norman Rockwell and got his autograph. In December we experienced the devastating earthquake that leveled most of Managua.
In my diary, I stressed about grades and my love-hate relationship with school. My spelling and grammar showed it and I present it as is, although I might change some names. I mention boys, the social scene, and my appearance. Like a typical teenager, I was self-absorbed with lots of insecurities and fears.
I lived with my parents and my brother and sister in Nicaragua after moving from Barranquilla, Colombia in 1967. My father felt we needed to be part of the local community; our house was in a Nicaraguan neighborhood, not in the area where most Americans and foreigners lived.
My siblings and I attended the American-Nicaraguan school where many nationalities were represented. It was a K-12 school and in 1972 I was in the 9th grade.
Let me share some of my entries.
Your dad was instrumental in helping me, my sister and our mom leave Nicaragua. My mom was heavily pregnant, and at one point, we weren’t sure if she’d be allowed to fly. Rudy Gonzalez was on the same flight with his mom. I’ve often thought about him and what became of him.
What a great photo to lead the blog! That plane, a 727-200, went into service in 1966. Most folks still dressed up for air travel back then, but the writing was on the wall; with the new affordability, came the hippies, and the dress code never recovered.
You've done such a great job pulling all these memories together, keep up the good work!
E