Why is a "Flighter" called a "Flighter"?

[fatehbajwa]

Was wondering if there was a story behind this name.

[OldGriz]

This is from the Parker 51 book

"Completing the range of all metal pens was the Flighter. It was inspired by Kenneth Parker's love of flying and the pen specifically targeted the male market. It was introduced in 1949 and since few pens, identified with a 9 imprint were manufactured that year they are rare and very collectible. The initial cap featured a gold band similar to the ones used on the first year pens. This band was subsiquently removed and such later models are rare. A matching pencin and later a liquid lead pencil were also produced."

 

Now with that all being said. The only true Flighter is the Parker 51 Flighter. No other pen has the right to be called a Flighter. This is a point argued by many pen collectors... so make your own decision... but that is mine.

For some reason in the pen community all pens made with all stainless bodies and caps have become known as flighters... this is not correct.

Therefore, there are no Sheaffer Flighters... those are just names given to the pens by people in the pen community.

[SquelchB]

I guess it's better to call them flighters than stainless steel and consequently SS versions. Flighter just sounds better.

[Splicer]

Hmmm. I've been calling my stainless steel Vector a Vector Flighter ever since someone on this board corrected me and instructed me to call it a Flighter. :hmm1:

[psfred]

"Flighter" was a specific model name for a Parker "51" in stainless. I don't know if Parker used that name officially on any other model line, but they did make stainless bodied pens. Tom is probably correct -- only the "51" was officially called a Flighter, as it was the only one with a true Aerometric filler (the one with the vent hole in the breather tube).

 

Peter

Edited March 30, 2008 by psfred

[jonro]

I'm glad that's settled. There's only one Flighter. The rest are stainless steel or flighter-style pens.

[KingJoe]

The only true Flighter is the Parker 51 Flighter. No other pen has the right to be called a Flighter.

 

Parker did use the term for the SS 61, but they officially listed it as the "Jet Flighter," not simply "Flighter." It was also marketed as suitable for airplane travel, much like the 51 Flighter.

 

Does all that make it a "Flighter"? Eh....maybe. Lol. But I would argue it's closer to being entitled than any other non-51.

Edited March 30, 2008 by KingJoe

[FrankB]

I learned something new today. Thank you for this thread.

 

I like Jonro's idea of calling non-"51" stainles pens "flighter-style."