Mile High Club

Similar to Upside Down Pineapple, the phrase may seem innocent at first, however, the slang term Mile High Club, sometimes abbreviated as M.H.C. is a popular slang expression referring to people who had any kind of sexual act during a flight.

“Mile High” applies to the high miles of air travelling, and “club” mainly corresponds to the fact that amongst adults it can be perceived as a status symbol because of the act’s rarity.

The exotic nature of the phrase led to its adoption by several bars and clubs, usually found at the top floor of hotels, such as the Mile High Club found in the Four Seasons Hotel in Chicago.

These Mile high club members hid it so well.

According to the comical website, MileHighClub.com, the first known person to ever join this exclusive club was Lawrence Sperry, who also happened to be the creator of the autopilot in 1914.

However, according to the article about “Mile High Club” on Green’s Dictionary of Slang, the term wasn’t used as a slang until the late 1960s.

Despite these facts, the act was referenced in a betting book for the gentlemen’s club Brook’s as early as 1785 (two years after the flight of the first successful air balloon ascent).

Another possible claimant to the first member of the “Mile High Club” is the German ace pilot Oswald Boelcke from World War I, who was chastised for bringing a nurse with him for a flight.

There are debates, however, whether it was possible to engage in coitus or if it was purely a joyride.

Green’s Dictionary of Slang also notes that the term was joined by “mile-deep club” refers to those who had intercourse while travelling through The Channel Tunnel between the United Kingdom and France.

Due to the affordability and convenience of travelling by planes, the popularity of the term increased heavily in the second half of the 20th century.

“Mile High Club” mainly spread around the 1980s-90s.

In the early 1900’s, an organization named Mile High Club was created in Denver, Colorado. It was a social club created by men for men who attended the University of Illinois.

For the sake of this organization, a nightclub called The Mile High Club was opened, which still stands in Denver.

The “Mile High Club” is often a common culture symbol, or plot point, and has also acted as titles for a variety of movies and songs.

Today, the popularity of the phrase is exploited by businesses all across the world, including Love Cloud in Las Vegas, whose main business profile revolves around getting their customers into the “Mile High Club”.

• Huffpost – How To Join The Mile High Club, According To A Flight Attendant
• Milehighclub.com – Stories