2002.03.TARPA_TOPICS

MARCH 2002

CONTENTS

TARPA TOPICS THE MAGAZINE OF THE TWA ACTIVE RETIRED PILOTS ASSOCIATION

FEATURE ARTICLES:

A MEMORABLE TRIPby Bob Dedman

CRONKITE'S SMARTESTMOVE

by Bill Dixon

OTIS F. BRYAN

DEPARTMENTS:

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGEBob Dedman

EDITOR'S NOTEJohn P. Gratz

SECRETARY/TREASURERufus Mosley

13

16

3

4

5

Exerpted from USAFOral History

COMMITTEE REPORTJohn Gratz

17 8

59

CHECKITIUSby Black Dog Davis GRAPEVINE

by Gene Richards49

A QUIET REMEMBRANCEby Jim Breslin

FLOWN WEST74

65

MORE SPEEDby Doug King 76

Material contained in TARPA Topics maybe used by non-profit or charitableorganizations. All other use of material mustbe by permission of the Editor. All inquiresconcerning the is publication should beaddressed to :

John P. Gratz, EditorTARPA TOPICS1646 Timberlake Manor ParkwayChesterfield, MO 63017

TOPICS is an official publication ofTARPA , a non-profit corporation.Editor bears no responsibility foraccuracy or unauthorized use ofcontents.

Otis F. Bryan

Cover Photo Courtesy:The Ed Betts Collection

Back Cover Photo Courtesy:V.M. Hassler

PAGE 1 ... TARPA TOPICS

EDITOR John P. Gratz 1646 Timberlake Manor PkwyChesterfield, MO 63017 (636) [email protected]

ASSOCIATE EDITOR David R. Gratz 1034 CarollSt. Louis, MO [email protected]

GRAPEVINE EDITOR Gene Richards 221a Levelland Ln.Modesto, CA 95350 (209) 492-0391

[email protected] Felix M. Usis III 1276 Belvoir Lane

Virginia Beach, VA 23464-6746 (757) 420-5445

[email protected] WEST COORDINATOR John S. Bybee 2616 Saklan Indian Drive #1

Walnut Creek, CA 94595 (925)938-349 2

INTERNET WEBMASTER Jack Irwin 2466 White Stable RoadTown and Country, MO 6

313 1 (314) 43 2-3272

[email protected] TOURS COORDINATOR Jean Thompson 11 Shadwood Lane

Hilton Head Island, S.C. 29926 (843) 681-6451

OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS, 2000 - 2001

PRESIDENT Robert W. Dedman 3728 Lynfield DriveVirginia Beach, VA 23452 (757) [email protected]

FIRST VICE-PRESIDENT Charles L. Wilder 14 Underhill Rd.Howell, NJ 07731-2316 (732) [email protected]

SECOND VICE PRESIDENT H.O. Van Zandt 1810 Lindbergh LaneDaytona Beach, FL 32124 (904) [email protected]

SECRETARY/TREASURER Rufus Mosley Box 1871Foley, AL 3553 6- 1871 (251) 955-

1080

[email protected] DIRECTOR Harry A. Jacobsen 848 Coventry Street

Boca Raton, FL 334 87 (567) 997-0468

DIRECTOR Rockney Dollarhide 1 Riverside Farm Dr.Crescent, MO 63025 (636) [email protected]

DIRECTOR Jack Irwin 2466 White Stable RoadTown and Country, MO 63 131 (314) 43 2-3272

[email protected] John P. Gratz 1646 Timberlake Manor Pkwy

Chesterfield, MO 63017 (636) 532-83 [email protected]


PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

Now that the holidays are past and we look forward to this year's coming events, I wouldlike to focus on what we, as TARPA, have to do to stay a viable entity and continue to dowhat we have done for some time now...have fun and Conventions. I have received a fewcalls in response to my letter in the November Topics supporting the need for our "get-togethers" but we will need a lot more voices to "keep the choir singing". Right now, thereare a dozen or more people arranging events, booking tours, researching things that willbe of interest to all so, I am asking you to set aside a few days of your life to come and joinus and support their efforts.

As you know, I have opened TARPA to ALL TWA pilots and I hope that we will see a largeincrease in our membership. This is our little haven in the turbulent world of aviation.After our working TWA pilots who have some years behind them leave, our membershipWILL continue to diminish until we will no longer exist. Our junior personnel will retireinto the Grey Eagles as their friends and associates will be of that genre. I am still pursuingthe need to start joining the Grey Eagles in our future ventures. They are wonderful peopleand like us they enjoy good company, jokes and a drink or two. Your voices are still vital tothis process and I hope to hear from MANY of you.

My wife and I have experienced the first of the new transitions, ordering medicine throughthe mail and I am happy to report, everything was first class. We have no complaints aboutthe system. We have yet to experience the medical side of this "buyout" but if all is as goodas the medicine delivery, I think we are very fortunate.

The subject of passes keeps coming up and my answer is, has been, and will always be, letsgo slow, be persistent and allow American Airlines some time to assimilate all our peopleand the associated problems. I still feel that down the "pike", we will eventually have thesame rights their retirees do. It makes sense and will surely decrease the paperwork re-quired to keep us as a separate entity.

My whole effort this year is going to be Convention, Convention, Convention! I have men-tioned in my last letter that so much work goes into making these things happen. I want asmany of you to show your support for those fine volunteers that take so much of their timeto give us the "final product", so, show up, participate and most of all, enjoy each other.When we read the Flown West list every year, we often think, gee, I would have loved tosee John Doe and his lovely wife one more time. Well, now IS the time.

We are very fortunate to have secured one of the nicest hotels in Chicago for our gathering,and yes, Chicago is expensive, but, I believe we have made a wonderful deal and I want youall to come and enjoy it. John Rohlfing is our Host this year and I know that he and hiscommittees will give us the "Chicago " welcome. Please sign up EARLY so we can get acount of noses and send your money in early as tours fill up quickly.

Will update you next issue.

Bob Dedman


EDITORS NOTE

The tragedies of last year affected all Americans deeply in many different ways. The effectswill be serious and long lasting. For us, it caused the cancellation of our Convention inPhiladelphia. That is admittedly but an inconvenience in the larger sense; still it has hadan effect on our 2002 Convention as well. The problem is that the loss of the last Conventiondelayed all the work, from site selection to Committee organization. These things havecaused a change for TOPICS to the extent that the usual Cover Photograph and sign upmaterials are not included in with this issue.

Downtown Chicago will be the site of the 2002 Convention. John Rohlfing will be theChicago Convention Chairman. He has gathered a group of helpers and they have beenbusy organizing all the many things necessary for your entertainment. John promises topost all necessary information and sign up sheets on the TARPA Webpage. The informationcan be read and downloaded until the July issue arrives.

You will notice that this is the second issue of TOPICS printed on improved paper stock.It is the first issue using a new font, or type style. It is called "Georgia " and we believe itwill improve readability. We hope that you appreciate these subtle improvements. Wealso have reduced the size of our Directory, which as usual includes the TARPA By Lawsand our "In Remembrance" Pages. This change results in a cost saving without sacrificingany of your information.

The cover story features an interview of TWA Pioneer Captain Otis F. Bryan. It was part ofa series compiled by the U.S. Air Force. I received a copy of it recently from a fellow studentfrom our grade school in St. Louis named Jim Schmitt. He is married to Captain Bryan

's

daughter. He also put me in contact with Captain Bryan 's son Otis Junior. The interview

was quite lengthy, and so we include the first half here. We plan to publish the second half

in the July issue of TOPICS.

As you know, we featured TWA Flight Wing One in the November 2001 TOPICS. It was astruggle to find suitable photographs. A couple of months later, we received a large numberof very artistic professional photographs of the TWA Landmark as a Christmas present.We have placed just three of them here inside the front and back covers.

We received a request from a young man, Brian Perry, seeking information about his

Grandfather Charles Clifford "Woody" Woodall. Captain Woodall was with TWA from 1945

until 1973. He was a JFK 747Captain until he suffered from heart trouble. If you can help,

contact Brian at 703-338-4285.

Because of errors in the appropriate dates in the last TOPICS, this issue includes a correctedFlown West Memorial for Captain Adolph Urbas. We sincerely regret the error.

We welcome, indeed solicit, your contributions of stories and photographs. The deadlinefor the July issue is May 15, 2002.

Photos in this issue of TOPICS courtesy of: B. Dedman, D. King and D. McIntyre


SECRETARY/TREASURER REPORT

JAN. 15, 2002

As of January 15, 2002, the membership is as follows:

(R) Retired:(A) Active:(E) Eagles:(H) Honorary: 403TOTAL: 2084There are also 55 subscribers to Topics, and 20 who receive complimentary copies.We have added 25 new members since the last Topics, they are listed in this issue.

Here is the financial report for the 4 'h Quarter and the full Year of 2001:

The 2002 dues checks keep coming in every day, thanks for sending them on time. On apersonal note, thank you to the many who sent messages to me along with your dues, itmakes opening the stacks of envelopes more pleasant. I forwarded the ones containingnews to Gene Richards for inclusion in the Grapevine.

Please note my new address for future correspondence: P.O. Box 1871, Foley, AL 36536-1871, Phone: 251 955-1080. E-mail: rufus767Cuu70s:inter.net . See you in Chicago-

95972

650


TARP

A, I

NC.

CASH FLOW 04 2001

TARPA, INC.

CASH FLOW 111101-12131

101

Welcome New Members

Al Hufford (spouse- Glenda)11225 E. Hedgehog Pl.Scottsdale, AZ 8

5255-5201

James Needham26 Foxbridge Village Rd.Branford, CT 06405

Laurie Woollett (spouse- Patricia)Box7782Breckenridge, CO 80424-7782

Ron Elmone (spouse- Pat)1428 Rockie Dr.Grove, OK 74344-49

10

Hoot Gibson1701 Fleetwood St.Boulder City, NV 89005

Arden Niswender (spouse- Sheryl)12 Olde Rd.Hampton, NH 03842

Bob Scheu (spouse- Pat)76 Wentworth Dr.Berkeley Heights, NJ 07922-1765

Bob Chapman (spouse- Vikki )201 Ocean Bluffs Blvd., #301Jupiter, FL 33477

Chuck Leshe (sp- Maryvonne)P.O. Box 301Moose, WY 83012

Ken Hill (sp- Maxine)25 White Birch Rd.Madison, CT 06443-2077

Hunter Ludwig (sp- Rosina)4710 Cranbrook Dr. W.Coffeyville, TX 76034-4367

Richard Saltzman34 W 74

th St. #2BNew York, NY 10023

Ian Duncan (spouse- Pamela)10 Edson Av.Rutland, MA 01543-1757

Joe DeCelles Jr. (sp- Irene)5171 Big Ranch Rd.Napa, CA 94558-1002

Warren Nuffer (spouse- Virginia)13219 W. Saguaro LaneSurprise, AZ 85374

Theodore White (spouse- Sonia)Box 97Oxford, MD 21654-0097

Lee Magnuson (spouse- Diane)17315 Billings RoadLawson, MO 64062

Ben Jones2036 San Marino Way S.Clearwater, FL 33763

Butch Lambard (spouse- Helen)8606 Bay View Dr.Foley, AL 36535-9051

Gary Lewis (spouse- Clara)6901 S. Adams WayCentennial, CO 80122

Larry O 'Day1700 NW N River Dr., #408Miami, FL 33125

Dennis West (spouse- Althea)2052 Lost Meadow Dr.St. Charles, MO 63303

Phil Pirrotta (sp- Leslie)14215 Bridge Ct.Lake Oswego, OR 97034

Robert Evans (s -Jovonne)8478 Mexico Rd.St. Peters, MO 63376-1104

Steve Zimbleman (Holly Hollander)35

19 Padaro LaneCarpenteria, CA 93013

Ron Huff (spouse- Lynn)15803 River Birch WayHouston, TX 77059-4075

Tom Damitz (spouse- Margie)2-B Ridgewood Terr.Johnson City, TN 37601-1146

Ingimar Thorgeirsson (sp-Judy)56o NW Riverfront St.Bend, OR 97701


TARPA AA TRANSITION REPORT

Shortly after the TWA Bankruptcy and acquisition was announced TWA organized an officialRetirees Committee pursuant to Bankruptcy Law. That Committee was, in this case, toreview Retiree Medical and Dental Insurance programs to be offered by American Airlines.TARPA President Dedman asked me to represent TARPA because he was unable to attendthe organizing meeting. The Committee was made up of the existing Retiree groups andthe IAM. The Committee members elected me Chairperson. As authorized by Law, theCommittee engaged the services of an experienced Legal team and an Actuarial firm. TheCommittee and their professional advisors were subsequently approved by the Court andhave been active ever since.

Not long after that, when AA indicated that TWA Retirees would not receive passes,President Dedman asked me to Chair a Committee, which he called "TARPA Compass".Other TARPA members volunteered their time and efforts to confront that problem. TheCommittee on passes which included, Fred Arenas, Al Mundo, John Rohlfing, David SaaksH. O. Van Zandt and Mal Yarke, with the guidance and assistance of Bob Dedman hasbeen active in formulating and implementing our response from the outset.

The Retirees ' Insurance Committee took issue with the Medical and Dental Insurance asproposed by American. At issue is the methodology used in the allocation of assets. Thecommittee petitioned the Court for approval to depose the TWA Benefits official mostclosely involved so that we can obtain verification of our position. The Court did approveour request but, for a variety of reasons, that deposition has not yet occurred. If informationgained from that deposition supports our position and if the Court agrees, it could result ina decrease in the amount TWA Retirees are charged for Medical and Dental Insurance. Webelieve in our case but it will not be easily won.

Our record on Passes and OAL Reduced Rates is quite a different story. From a start of "NoPasses" or Reduced Rates to our current situation of Passes and a growing list of OALReduced Rates, it now appears that we have a much better outcome than many thoughtpossible in the beginning of the year. Once the logjam broke, I have found the AmericanAirlines officials most helpful. They have been making a sincere and dedicated effort toenlist as many airlines as possible to provide TWA Retirees Reduced Rates. We have quitea few now. We will get more.

Finally, in the course of conversations with Bob Baker, it became apparent that we sharean interest in Airline History, and I was pleased to learn that American Airlines had beenin talks with St. Louis Airport officials to secure space for a TWA Museum. Naturally,American acquired a large number of things from the buyout, which can be considered"Memorabilia". They would like to have more. In several discussions with the Curator ofthe American Airlines C. R. Smith Museum in Fort Worth, we have agreed to work togetheron the TWA Museum in St. Louis and consider American's Museums a suitable repositoryfor longtime preservation of TWA Memorabilia. Since the American Airline 's C. R. SmithMuseum is a tax exempt institution, any memorabilia donated would be approved for a taxdeduction for the donor.Respectfully submitted: John P. Gratz


Dear TARPA Members:

As you may know, originally the 2002 convention was to be in San Antonio. The venuewas changed to Chicago in late November therefore the committee for "TARPA 2002Chicago" got a late start in setting up the convention activities and tours. Because of thislate start and the "TARPA TOPICS" publication deadline we were unable to have the toursand events ready for your review in the March "Topics" issue.

The dates for the TARPA 2002 Chicago are from Tuesday September 16 , 2002 thru thedeparture date of Sunday September 22, 2002.

If you want to make reservations at the Hyatt Regency Chicago the room rates are as follows:$130 for a single or double, $155 for a triple and $18o for a quad. If you're into suites theprice starts at $565 and goes up from there. All applicable taxes apply to the above prices.

For those of you that have computers check the TARPA website for an update as to ourprogress in setting up the tours and other interesting and fun things to do here in Chicago.We expect to have those activities available on the website by the time you read this.

Below is a little background information for the "TARPA 2002 Chicago" convention andwe hope to see you in September.

Sincerely,

John A. RohlfingCommittee Chairman.

TARPA 2002 Chicago Convention Committee

Convention Chairman: John Rohlfing (630) 968-8484Co-Chairman: Dave Saaks (847) 303-1425 Co-Chairman: Fred Arenas (847) 398-1331Registration: Terry Cummings ( 8

47) 837-0453Banquet: Barry Craig (847) 392-0238Activities: Jeff Hill (815) 33 8-3551

Check-in/Registration: Gene Corcoran ( 847) 683-4733

The Hotel:

Hyatt Regency ChicagoOn Chicago's Riverwalk151 East Wacker DriveChicago, IL 60601Reservations: 1-800-233-1234TARPA Convention 2002


HYATT FACT SHEET

Ideally located one-half block off Chicago's "Magnificent Mile"Near Grant Park, Lake Michigan, Chicago RiverWalking distance to some of Chicago's finest restaurants,attractions, theaters, shopping, nightspots, sporting and cultural attractionsClose to both airportsSeventeen miles to O 'Hare/Fifteen miles to MidwayPart of the 83 acre indoor Illinois Center complex featuring: 150 storesand services includingForty-three restaurants and parking for over 1,400 cars

FACILITIES: DELUXE ACCOMMODATIONS OFFERING THE FOLLOWING SPECIALAMENITIES TO OUR GUEST.

Guest Rooms of 2,019Over 175 SuitesOversized baths stocked with extra soap, shampoo, shower cap, lintand shoeshine mittWall mounted hair dryersLighted expandable make-up/shaving mirrorIn-room first run moviesNo-smoking rooms/floorsIn-room close caption television viewingSpecial telephones available for the hearing impairedIn-room international dialingState-of-the art life safety system"Forget It" program: Complimentary amenities for the forgetfultravelerSelf Service bars in guest roomsEvening Turn-down service - upon requestVideo and voice mail check-outValet Parking for over 900 carsRefrigerators available upon requestIn-house laundry and Valet ServiceVoice Mail in every guest room

All Season's Cafe: Regional cuisine in "Glass House Lobby"Stetson's Chop House and Bar: Specializing in steak and lobster withan exhibition kitchenThe Skyway: Light fare breakfast and lunch in the glass-enclosedwalkway connecting thetwin towersBig: A Brassesrie and Bar: Over 1,400 spirits at a 228-foot bar

Concierge staff on dutyMulti-lingual staffFull service Business CenterContinental Air Transportation bus service to both airportsTravel agents within Illinois Center complexAffiliated with the Athletic Club, state-of-art/spa facility


LOCATION:

RESTAURANTS:-

SERVICES:

The Hyatt is located on the South East corner of Michigan Avenue, the "Magnificent Mile",and the Chicago 's Riverwalk. This hotel is just minutes from Chicago 's Loop, shopping,entertainment, parks, museums, professional sports stadiums and other culturalattractions. It is an ideal location to experience the best Chicago has to offer.

The Weather:

Reputed to be the Windy City*, Chicago actually ranks 14th for wind velocity in the U.S.Weather from June until September is near-perfect for outdoor activities, but expect a fewtropically hot days with temperature and humidity both hitting 100° (38° C). By mid-Julyand continuing through late September, Lake Michigan is perfect for swimming. The Lake'swarm waters keep the city temperate throughout September with a high of 7o° F with thepossibility of some early morning lows in the upper 40 's F. Local weather reporters oftentalk of "lake effect" to indicate conditions near Lake Michigan where the water temperatureand wind make summer extremes more moderate and winter conditions may be moreintense. It can get a little chilly if the wind's coming off the lake so plan on that.

Windy City — Nicknamed for the politicians' ranting's and ravings and not the wind.

One thing's for certain there will not be a lack of people to see, places to visit, or things todo. The following is a sample of some of the proposed activities and things to do in Chicago.

Garfield Park Conservatory

Jens Jensen, "the dean of Prairie landscape", designed the conservatory in 1906. This 2-acre enclosed garden is the largest public horticultural collection under glass in the world.

Lincoln Park Conservatory

Located next to the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago's largest park, this horticultural collection,including a 50-foot tall fiddle leaf rubber tree dating from 1891, expands into fourgreenhouses and is well worth the visit.

Chicago Botanic Garden

Visit the Chicago Botanic Garden with its magnificent gardens on tranquil lagoons. On385 acres of spectacular beauty ever changing with the seasons, it is the third most-visitedbotanic garden in the United States. Owned by the Forest Preserve District of Cook County,the Garden is a living museum that you can stroll through daily.

Adler Planetarium & Astronomy Museum

Reach for the stars at the Adler Planetarium & Astronomy Museum! Discover the wondersof the Universe in exciting new interactive exhibit galleries. Embark on a voyage in theworld's first StarRider Theater or explore the heavens in the Sky Theater. Enjoy heavenlysnacks and meals set against the Chicago skyline in Galileo's.

The Field Museum

From Kremlin Gold to Star Wars to Sue - The Field Museum provides a unique and dynamicexperience for its visitors.


Museum of Science and Industry

Come visit Chicago's world famous original hands on museum. From your long-timefavorites to our dazzling high-tech exhibits, you'll make your own adventure. Explore theever-changing adventure at the Museum of Science and Industry.

Shedd Aquarium

Water your imagination at the John G. Shedd Aquarium, a mesmerizing introduction toaquatic life from around the world. From awe-inspiring whales, frolicking sea otters andlively penguins to streamlined sharks and exotic eels, Shedd Aquarium is home to a myriadof fascinating, colorful aquatic animals. The global collection includes more than 8,000aquatic animals representing more than 65o species.

Museum of Broadcast Communications

The Museum of Broadcast Communications is one of only two broadcast museums inAmerica, housing historic radio and television memorabilia, an extensive archive collectionof over 85,000 hours of television and radio programming and home to America's onlyRadio Hall of Fame. The museum offers state-of-the art radio and television studios; wherevisitors have the opportunity to go "on-the air," plus a wide array of interactive exhibitsand kiosks.

Architecture River Cruise

Marvel at the soaring towers of Chicago's Loop from sparkling river vistas. Presented bythe Chicago Architecture Foundation, this 9o-minute tour, aboard Chicago's First Lady,spotlights 53 historic and architecturally significant sites.

Navy Pier

Navy Pier, a Chicago landmark since 1916, re-opened to the public as a world-classrecreation and exposition center in July of 1

995 .


A MEMORABLE TRIPby

Bob Dedman

I always like reading about other people's adventures, interesting flights and events so Iwill throw this in the pile as "pretty exciting " to say the least. Back in 1972, I was a Reserve707 Captain at JFK and since I lived only 20 minutes away, I was very often used for lastminute quick "pop-up" trips. So is the case on Novermber 1st, 1972. I received the earlymorning call to cover a flight due to equipment substitution. I was to ferry a B-707-131B toPHL and then fly to STL- LAX, DH return (did a lot of that on reserve). When I checked inat JFK, I met my crew who were F/O Roger Meyers and F/E Ben Gregg plus a team of fourreserve flight attendants. Our aircraft was at the hanger and was N6784. I don't rememberif it had just come out of a check or not but it was ready to go.

Flight to PHL was routine and flown by Mr. Meyers. Upon arrival at the PHL ramp office,we were informed that the weather in STL was very marginal with low ceilings and rain.We were infromed that we would have 94 passengers so since we had lots of open weight,I added fuel so as to be able to hold upon arrival if necessary with MKC being our alter-nate. Dispatch called and told me that aircraft were stacked at STL so we both agreed thatthe extra fuel was the way to go. Departure was normal and the weather was nice untilaround IND when we started seeing large cells. ATC was very good at getting us aroundeverything and they also informed us that STL was holding all aircraft due to being belowlimits at times. We were finally cleared to the holding fix and I requested to stay highwhich was acceptable to ATC. Within 15 minutes of our arrival, the "stack" was starting tothin out as aircraft were going to their alternates to refuel. Low and behold, next thing weknew we were descended rapidly and cleared for the approach, landing to the NE.

Upon reading the Approach Check List, we found that we were just at max. landing weightand that called for a pretty high bug speed. Since it was also raining pretty hard and wasbumpy, I informed the crew that I would fly a Flight director approach to minimums andthen out if no runway. Approach went well and upon nearing minimums, Mr. Meyerscalled "runway". I then went visual and landing was smooth like all "water" landings. Uponselecting reverse thrust, a HUGE fire ball from #2 engine came by my side window imme-diately followed by the dreaded bell. (Mr. Meyers said that I called out "silence the %@ #&%bell!...Don't recall saying that).

The tower also informed us that we had a big fire ball (no kidding) and asked if we couldpull off on the NW/SE runway which we did. We shut the engine down and fired bothbottles at the appropriate time. I could hear screams of "fire" coming from the cabin. Sincethe Red light would not go out, I opened the side window and looked out to see what wasgoing on. #2 engine was a halo of fire still so remembering what happened in Rome someyears back, picked up the PA mike and ordered the aircraft to be evacuated. We shut downall engines and the F/E went back to his station in the rear. He really handled the passen-gers well and the only one that got away was a lady who climbed out on the wing and sliddown the still extended flaps...she fractured an ankle.

Mr. Meyers went back to aid the flight attendants and the crew got all of the people off


through 3 exits in less than a minute and a half. Remarkable work to be sure. Mind you, allthe flight attendants were reserve crew members. I told the tower to get fire equipment outpronto and was informed that they were there. Sure enough, as I made a final check of thecabin, and got my hat (mainly for recognition by passengers), I went down the R-1 doorand saw this brave fireman in a silver suit go right up to the burning engine with a foamhose and extinguish it.

I tried to gather up the crew and passengers but they were moving away from the aircrafttowards the hangars and terminal. I do regret not having taken the megaphone upon leav-ing as I could not yell loud enough to be heard over the sirens and airport noise. The portauthority sent out police vehicles and pickups and gathered the passengers. I finally gotthe crew together and we went to the terminal. I told them "don't make any statements tothe press" since they distort everything. We went to the station managers office. Then theshaking started. My legs were like jelly. We were all a mess with white powder stains (fromthe chutes) all over our uniforms plus wet to the bone.

The Media tried to interview the passengers but they could offer little except the Captainsaid evacuate due to fire so the Media went on a man hunt to find the crew. They went tothe Ambassador Club, Baggage room, hangar and Ops but never found us. That is why younever heard about us. It only made the St. Louis paper, not national media.

I called the Company and ALPA and gave them all I knew. We then found out that some-one had called in seeing an aircraft burning on final approach. Had to be us but the highbug speed did not allow the flames to catch up until we landed. We were told to go to amotel and they would contact us which we did. We also went for a couple of big "snorts" tocalm the nerves. ALPA Safety was first to call and very helpful. Company was also verynice to me.. I was told that the FAA would be contacting me. Next morning, the FAA cameto my motel room and asked me the routine questions, they were very courteous and toldme that due to the fact that all passengers got off safely, this would be handled as an inci-dent, not an accident. (They were not aware of the lady on the wing yet).

That morning, unbeknownst to me, the Company had rounded up the flight attendantsand deadheaded them back to JFK. I wanted to take them all to dinner for the wonderfuljob they did. The cockpit crew was told to stay around to see what would develop. I spoketo the maintenance chief at STL and tried to find out what had happened. Well, on the JFC(jet fuel control), the return line, about 1 1/2 " diameter, had backed out of the pump hous-ing and had sprayed high pressure fuel all through the pylon and the entire engine assem-bly. That is why we were burning in flight. Upon reversing, enough fuel got sucked in thefront and ignited and also tore a 2 by 2 ft hole in the nacelle ( that's why the bottles did notslow the fire down, it went outside). [an aside...about a month later another aircraft wasfound to have the same problem so there was a fix issued for all aircraft]. The aircraft wasgrounded for about 5 days for repairs.

The next day, the company called us (3 flight deck men), and told us that we were going towork another trip since they had no crew available. I informed them that we had no uni-forms since ours were a mess. No problem you are authorized to fly in "civvies". That hadto be a first on TWA. We went STL-ORD-CMH-CVG-LAX. We tried to stay out of view ofthe passengers as much as possible but with 4 legs, it was hard to do. All was routine


except we sure got some strange looks when we went to the head or over to ops for thepaper work. Ah, security in those days was not a problem so we meandered across theramps to the aircraft. After LAX. it was Deadhead back to JFK.

I got a call from the FAA that they were changing the incident to an accident so could Icome out to JFK and fill out the necessary papers plus written statements from the other 2crew members. It seems that the lady who jumped off the wing (against Mr. Greggs plead-ing for her to come back in the aircraft and go down the chute) got herself a lawyer and hecalled the company. I then found out that you can "break" noses, toes and fingers and thatis no problem but any other fracture changes the nature of the event. Anyway, all thepapers were done and the FAA told me that the handling of the whole accident was exem-plary, well executed and offered us their congratulations. Believe it or not, none in TWAever told us that. I did find out that the Training Dept. at Bld 95 used my debriefing of thewhole affair as a class room guide on what to do and the importance of communicationswith the crew....without any names, of course.

After all these years, I still look back on that event and praise all of the training and thegreat instructors that we were so fortunate to have in TWA. for getting me ready just incase!!! They did a fine job often working well past their scheduled times to "help" students.That is why TWA had such a fine safety record.

Keep the blue side up.

TARPA President Bob Dedman Joins Farewell

Gathering as Last TWA Flight 3o3 Departs

Norfolk, VA December 1, 2001.

Bob Dedman along with Norfolk Station personnel and flightcrew members salute the last TWA flight from Norfolk. Boblobbied for and promoted all the Norfolk operations from thevery beginning. He was friends with all of the TWA people inNorfolk and he and his wife Ilse regret the fact the many ofthose friends lost their jobs.


WALTER CRONKITE'S SMARTEST MOVEby

Bill Dixon

Most people think Walter Cronkite, the eminent journalist, spent his entire working lifetimeas a reporter, announcer, and later as CBS 's distinguished TV anchorman. In fact, he prettymuch did, starting in high school. He attained his greatest fame and respect in TV, but inthe late 1930s, for about one year, he worked for Braniff Airways in Kansas City, Mo. Hissmartest move was not staying with Braniff! What a mistake that would have been!

He was working for WKY radio in Oklahoma City, and was tiring of it, when the publicrelations manager there for Braniff Airways suggested he should join the new airline. Heended up as traffic manager in Kansas City, Mo., not in public relations as he had expected.As Cronkite said in his fascinating book, "A Reporter's life", published in 1996, the title"traffic manager" was a misnomer. The job really consisted of selling tickets and handlingreservations out of the small downtown office in Kansas City's Muehlebach Hotel. That'swhere I met him. I was a ticket agent in the TWA office across the hall. We wereyoungesters. I was 21, he was 22.

Cronkite's new job did offer some interesting aspects in the 1939-40 days. Airlines were intheir infancy and the DC-3 was the coveted airliner, of which Braniff had none. It struggledto make a name, and eventually became a fairly well known airline, but went broke manyyears ago when it tried to expand too much. It overloaded on Boeing 747 'S.

As Cronkite reveals in his book, "I scored only one publicity coup in my year with Braniff.Sally Rand had won fame dancing nude behind a fan at the Chicago World's Fair. She hadmoved on to using a bubble to hide her charms. Personally I was confident that she wore avery thin leotard." But he wasn't able to prove it!

He approached Sally about a publicity picture. After appearing at the Follies Burlesque inKansas City, she was leaving KC for Chicago on a Braniff flight at the awful hour of 3:20a.m. She agreed and posed on the plane's steps holding a balloon. He suggested how sheshould hold it.

Fixing him with a withering look, she said: "Sonny boy. are you telling Sally Rand how tohold a balloon?" Chastised he was, but his picture made the papers.

A few months later he grew anxious to return to the world in which he felt most comfortable,and joined the United Press in Kansas City. In the middle of all this, he, and his wife Betsy,even took some flying lessons. After he kept leveling out too high, his instructor suggestedhe forget about being a pilot!

War clouds were gathering over Europe, and later covering the war from Britain gainedhim his first nationwide reportorial and radio prominence. TV fame was yet to come. Whata loss it would have been to him, the journalistic profession, and the public had he remainedwith Braniff. At age 85, he still appears on TV from time to time on special projects andcontinues to command high respect.


UNITED STATES AIR FORCE

ORAL HISTORY

PROGRAM

An Interview of Otis F. Bryan by Dr. James C. HasdorffDecember 14 -15, 1982 in Greeley, KS

FOREWORD

One of the oldest and oft-used sources for reconstructing the past is the personalrecollections of the individuals who were involved. While of great value, memoirs and oralinterviews are primary source documents rather than - finished history. The followingpages are the personal remembrances of the interviewee and not the official opinion of theUS Air Force Historical Program or of the Department of the Air Force. The Air Force hasnot verified the statements contained herein and does not assume any responsibility fortheir accuracy. These pages are a transcript of an oral interview recorded on magnetictape. Editorial notes and additions made by US Air Force historians have been enclosed inbrackets - When feasible, first names, ranks, or titles have been provided. Only minorchanges for the sake of clarity were made before, the transcript was returned to theinterviewee for final editing and approval. Readers must therefore remember that this is atranscript of the spoken, rather than the written word.

KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS:

That I, Otis F. Bryan have this day participated in an oral-magnetic - taped interview withDr. James C. Hasdorff covering my best recollections of events and experiences whichmay be of historical significance to the United States Air Force.

I understand that the tape(s), and the transcribed manuscript resulting therefrom will beaccessioned into the Albert F. Simpson Historical Research Center to be used as the securityclassification permits. In the best interest of the United States Air Force, I do herebyvoluntarily give, transfer, convey, and assign all right, title, and interest in the memoirsand remembrances contained in the aforementioned magnetic tapes and manuscript tothe Office of Air Force History, acting on behalf of the United States of America, to haveand to hold the same forever.

/s/ Otis F. Bryan Dec 15 1982Accepted on behalf of Office of Airline History /s/ James C.

Hasdorff

Mr. Otis F. Bryan

Mr. Otis F. Bryan was born 3 January 1908, near Seymour, Indiana. He attended theUniversity of Indiana and while there was active in the Reserve Officer Training Corps. In1927, he received an appointment as a flying cadet, and graduated in February 1929 as apursuit pilot. He was then assigned to the 2d Bombardment Group at Langley Field,Virginia.


Mr. Bryan left the Air Corps in June 1929 and became a co-pilot with Transcontinental AirTransport, later called TWA (Trans World Airlines, Inc.). TWA had the government mailcontract until January 1934, and he flew the mailplanes. He was promoted to AssistantChief Pilot for TWA and then served as Chief Pilot from 1939 to 1941. He later became vicepresident of TWA in charge of all war contracts. During his time with TWA, he was associatedwith the late Howard Hughes.

During various times in his 19-year career with TWA, he was recalled to active duty. He wasselected to set up the Eagle Nest Flight Test Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico, to trainAir Corps pilots. He also set up a school at TWA and trained pilots as celestial navigators.

While on active duty, he flew several conference flights taking President Roosevelt toCasablanca, Cairo, and Yalta. He also flew other prominent personalities such as GeneralEisenhower, General Marshall, and President Inonu of Turkey. In addition, during the warhe flew numerous trips overseas carrying supplies and personnel. He received personalletters of appreciation from President Roosevelt, General Eisenhower, General Marshall,Admiral Leahy, and several others.

Mr. Bryan left TWA in 1948 to go to work as vice president of Soriano and Company in thePhilippines. In this capacity, he served as executive vice president of the Philippine airlines,director of Muehlbach Brewery in Kansas City, and was also responsible for other worldwideholdings. Later he went to work for General Precision in Binghamton, New York, as vicepresident and assistant to the president.

Mr. Bryan retired in 1973 and now lives in Greeley, Kansas, where he presently is in thefarming and ranching business. He is married and has two children.

Oral History Interview #1(239.0512 1361 14 15

H: To begin the interview this morning, Mr. Bryan, I 'd like to ask you a few questionsabout your early family life. How large a family did you come from?

B: I came from a family of 11 children. I was about the middle the sixth one. We livedon a farm near Seymour, Indiana. My father was, of course, a farmer and I went tograde school at a country school. Then I went to high school at a little town, Tampico.Then I went to the University of Indiana for 3 years.

H: What year were you born?

B: I was born 3 January 1908.

H: What particular reason made you interested in going to college then?

B: I had an older brother who had graduated from Indiana University. Then my oldersisters had gone to universities, and I thought I'd go to the university too. So I selectedIndiana University and I majored in mathematics and minored in chemistry and.did some engineering work. I might say, as far as my family is concerned, the name


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Bryan, they came from Tennessee originally. My great-grandfather and WilliamJennings [Bryan] father were brothers. That information was given to me by mygrandmother before she passed away many years ago. The remainder of the Bryanfamily moved to Texas and southern Illinois. That's where William J. went to, wassouthern Illinois. With that background, it behooved all of us to do the best wecould there and go to the university and get an education.

Do you keep in contact with the Bryan bunch that went to Texas?

I've met a few of them down there, and it was only when I traveled in Texas quite abit—just as a casual acquaintance. They are located mainly around Bryan, Texas.

Was that named after them?

It was named after the Bryan group that went there.

It 's surprising that you didn 't wind up being an "Aggie" then. (laughter) Whatprompted your interest in aviation?

I remember that very clearly. At Indiana University, I was quite active in ROTC[Reserve Officers Training Corps]. I was one of the top group. In May or June 1927,my squadron - it was the Infantry - my company was taking ROTC training at FortKnox, Kentucky. In those days we were treated as privates when we began ourtraining. One of the things, among others, that we had to do was to carry a 43-pound pack around on our back, a rifle, and ammunition.

A good close friend of mine, A. B. Farb and I were there when the news came thatLindbergh (Brig Gen Charles A.) had flown to Paris. We were out on the field therewith the temperature about 110 degrees, carrying this weight around. I decidedright then and there that it might be easier to be in a cockpit flying over the groundthan it would be carrying that rifle around on the ground. So I came back to theUniversity that fall and contacted a gentleman who was the Dean of Law, Col. PaulV. McNutt. He wrote a recommendation for me to the Air Force - Air Corps at thattime and recommended me for a position as a flying cadet, which came to pass withthat winter.

What year was this?

This was in 1927.

Where did you take your flying training?

I took my flying training, basic training, at March Field, Riverside, California; thenmy advanced training at Kelly Field, San Antonio, Texas.

It was March and Randolph where .. .


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Excuse me, this was before Randolph was built. Randolph was not built until yearslater.

H: That 's right, 1932, I think.

8: Somewhere thereabouts, yes.

H: What types of aircraft did you train in back then?

B: We had PT-l 's and -3's. The PT-1 was a small biplane. with an Italian Hisso engine

in it. That 's what I soloed, and I took my first flight in that on 2 April 1928. Sixhours later, I made my first solo flight on 9 April 1928; a. 15-minute flight which I'llnever forget.

H:' Did you have any moments of doubt?

B: No, I don't think so.

H: You hear back then that the washout rates were tremendous. Yes. When I gotthe appointment as a flying cadet, I took my physical and mental examinations atRantoul, Illinois. There were 75

of us from Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Iowathat gathered there to take our physical and mental examinations. Of the 75, only 2

passed; I was fortunate enough to be one of them.

When I took this examination, before I went in - I was only 19 and you had to be2oto get this appointment or have your parent's written consent. Well, my motherwouldn't sign my written consent, so I automatically became one year older. I became20 when I went there.

Then we went to March Field for our basic training; 8 months. When we got there,there were 110 of us that started, and only 27 finished at March Field and went toKelly. That was the ratio, and they called them "washouts" in those days—the cadets.Of course you got washed out for practically anything.

H: Is there any particular reason why your mother wouldn 't sign this paper?

B She thought it was too dangerous back in those days for anyone to take up flying.

H: They did have a high attrition rate.

B: Oh yes, yes they did.

H: What was your first assignment then?

B: I went to March Field for 8 months and then I went to Kelly Field for 4 months andgraduated as a pursuit pilot. Today, you'd call him a fighter pilot, then in February1929 at Langley Field, Hampton, Virginia, as a pilot with the 2d BombardmentGroup. In June, I became associated with the airline, Transcontinental Air Transport.


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Who were some of your classmates in flying school that may have reached distinctionlater on? Do you remember?Well, there were several. One was "Possum" Hansell [Maj. Gen. Haywood S. Jr.],General Hansell, during World War II.

I know him.

"Tommy" Power [Gen. Thomas S.] he was head of Strategic Air Command for sometime. He passed away several years ago. Then there were several others, most ofwhich became involved in World War II. I remember a wonderful fellow, "Louie"Parker [Maj. Gen. Lewis R.]. He was a full colonel, and went to Europe to get hisfive trips over Germany, and then he was going to be assigned a group out in thePacific for the Pacific war. On his fifth trip, he got shot down in Germany and spentthe rest of the war in a prison camp. When he came back to Washington, the firstthing he did was to call me. It was, wonderful to see him. He spent practically 3years in a prison camp.

There were others; I forget their names, but here is a group. A fellow named Wallace;I think he just passed away. Hansell, Reed, Mickel, and there was a fellow namedSaunders who did quite a job. Most of them were promoted to colonel and some ofthem were killed in World War II. I guess Power and Possum Hansell were two ofthe outstanding ones.

Your son notes here, following your tour at Langley, that you had a flight in a freeballoon. What was the occasion for this?

I believe that must be in error. My father-in-law, my wife's father, was a colonel inthe Signal Corps and he was a pilot of a free balloon. I think what my son might bereferring to was a parachute jump that I made one time at Langley Field. I neverhave been in a free balloon, I'm sorry.

What was the parachute jump all about?

They wanted someone to jump for the movies back in those days - practicejumps. They asked the last guy on the totem pole there - which happened to be meat that time, 6 - if I would jump and I said, "Sure." We had to jump tight over thecenter of the field, but there was a high-tension line on the east side of the field, andI had just enough drift for the edge of the parachute to hit the high-tension wiresafter I came down. And that was real exciting - not the jump. I forgot about jumping,but it's a beautiful thing to ride down. The high tension wires - the parachute fabricjust scraped them on the way down, everybody thought I was going into them. Ithink that's what he probably refers to.

Did you have any aircraft accidents?

Not during that period. I've never had any real bad accidents. I had one where someengines quit and made me mess up the landing gear or something like that. I was


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with a fellow, a classmate of mine, when he was checking out on the LB-5 bomber.Both engines quit and we landed out in the woods and tore it all to pieces, It's awonder it didn't kill both of us, but neither one of us got a scratch. I made that flightjust after I'd taken a physical examination. When the commanding officer andeverybody got out there, they were just amazed that we were still walking aroundwith nothing bothering US.

You must have had a rabbit's foot that day.

I sure did. That's the only major accident that I had, where we had a lot of damageto the aircraft.

How long were you on active duty during this period?

From February to June that year; about 5 or 6 months.

Is there any particular reason why you left the Air Corps at that time?

Well, they were coming around hiring copilots, us younger pilots, for the airlines.The representative of the airline had just been there and several of my friends wentto the airlines and I did too. I joined them. They resigned - in those days; you werejust on active duty. You could get out at any time you wanted to. So that 's how I got

out - I resigned my active duty and became a copilot with TAT, Transcontinental

Air Transport, in Saint Louis.

You hadn 't gotten a Regular commission?

No.

Is this one of the things that prompted you to go ahead and find work with civilianindustry, that you didn't have a "Regular" at the time?

Yes, that's one thing. You could get Regular commissions down the road, but itwasn't like they did later on, where they automatically gave you commissions whenyou graduated.

I know in the early days of the depression that it was very difficult to get a Regularcommission. Most of the young pilots served one year active duty and either revertedto enlisted status or had to get out altogether.I don't think there was a time limit on it, but today, I think three years on activeduty, and then you had to get out or had to have a Regular commission. At that timethere were very few aircraft, and I must remind you that the total Air Corps at thattime - the total number of officers in the Air Corps - was somewhere in theneighborhood of 300. You even knew them all, or you knew them by name. It was a

close-knit group.

They didn't have many planes and they didn't have funds to build planes. What wewere doing—the PT-3s and the DH's [De Havillands] we flew, and the old bombers


were old wartime, left over from World War I. They were scarce and there were nofunds to build new planes for these groups—a very small amount of funds. Theyhad Wright Field, and some companies, I guess, built a few airplanes for the AirCorps - a very few.

The morale was not high. It was a case where you would—you know, here is a goodjob coming along. The airlines just starting up, and getting in on the ground floor. Itlooked rather attractive to us.

This company you mentioned that you went with, is this what became TWA [TransWorld Airlines, Inc.] later on?

Yes. It had several changes. It was Transcontinental Air Transport, then it wasTranscontinental Maddux, then it was Transcontinental Western Air, and then itwas Trans World Airlines. Today I think it is just plain TWA, I think that 's thecorporate name. There were changes all through it.

Was this a pretty small company itself at that time?

Yes. We had 17 first pilots, the captain was called a first pilot then, and 17 copilots.That was the first group.

Where did you fly in particular?

Bryan, middle row 2nd from right

I was based in Saint Louis, and I flew mainly from Saint Louis to Waynoka,Oklahoma. I would also relieve some on vacation. Pilots would want to take time offfor vacation. Sometimes- I would go to Los Angeles, or sometimes I would go toWaynoka where we had a pilot base.

What type of aircraft were you flying then?

Fords, Tri-motor Fords.

Was this an interesting airplane to fly?

At that time it was. The Tri-motor Ford was a well-built airplane. As a matter of factit is said that Henry Ford said that the Tri-motor Ford, if they ever built one thatcaused a malfunction in the air to kill anyone, they would no longer be in the airplanebusiness. He would quit. Those Fords were really built; they were put together, and

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they were good airplanes in those days. The ones that crashed were the ones thatwere caused by weather, pilot error, or something of that nature. For the time, they

were excellent.

H: I wonder if you could speculate why Ford didn't continue in the aircraft business.

B: I could only harbor a guess. You must recall now that we're talking about the periodof 1929 and 1930. Right at the height of the worst depression in the world. I wastelling somebody recently that we think unemployment is high now, but in 1

933,unemployment in this country was 24.9 percent.

Henry Ford was busy building Fords, Model-A Fords. To answer your question, Ican only suspect that the economic conditions prevalent at that time forced, him toretrench, and he decided that he would do away with the airplanes because no onewas buying any. By that time, Fokker had come along—importing tri-motor Fokkersfrom Holland. They were making a dent. Really, no airline was buying any airplanes,so there was really not much use for a manufacturer to be in business in those days.That's about as good as I can guess as to what might have happened.

H: Your son noted that you also flew the mail.

B: Yes.

H: Could you go into some detail about that?

B: I must generalize some things here and ramble around over the years. First thing,

let me tell you how TAT came into being. In December 1926 - no, the fall of 1927,four men sat down to lunch at the Engineer's Club in New York City. They werePaul Henderson, who w as the Assistant Postmaster General. There was a lawyernamed Cuthrell, and there was a man named C. M. Keyes from the PennsylvaniaRailroad, and Lindbergh. Postmaster General Henderson was quite an avidenthusiast on aviation While at the table, he pulled out of his pocket an envelope,and on it he had sketched the possibility of an airline flying in the daytime—takingthe train at night—from New York to Los Angeles. Take the train at night out ofNew York to Columbus, Ohio. In the daytime they would fly from Columbus, Ohio,in tri-motor Fords with passengers to Waynoka, Oklahoma. At night they wouldtake the train from Waynoka to Clovis, New Mexico. Then from Clovis they wouldfly the next day into Los Angeles. That-would give a passenger the ability to go fromNew York to Los Angeles in 48 hours, an unheard of time in those days.

He passed this envelope around and said, "If you think this has merit, let's discussit. If you think it hasn't any merit, let's drop it." So they passed it around and theyall started talking, they all agreed it had merit, and they all decided that they wouldget the Pennsylvania Railroad and the Santa Fe to put up $5 million to start theairline. They were just talking, you know. Well that finally came to pass. C. M. Keyeswas made president of the corporate organization that was set up later in the nextyear. He hired Paul Collins. Paul Collins was an old airmail pilot—"Dog" Collins


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they called him. I don't know why he got stuck with that name, but he was a veryintelligent fellow but also had a tendency to be a little bit lazy.

The story goes that he was flying the mail from New York to Cleveland, across theAlleghenies. The weather got real bad and he landed at an emergency airport, calledthe Postmaster, and the Postmaster sent out a truck. The truck driver said, "Wellyou'll have to load the mail out of the plane into the truck." He said, "What?" Hesaid, "Yes, you'll have to load the mail out of the plane into the truck." He said,"Well, to hell with it." He took off and went on through the weather into Clevelandrather than unload the mail I don't think that happened, but that's the story theytold us.

He was a great guy, a wonderful fellow. He set up the necessary things. He bought10 tri-motor Fords. He built airports, he got the maintenance crew, he got the salesdepartment, he got the rights from Paul Henderson and the government - all thosethings had to be done and set up headquarters in the Scruggs, Vandervoort andBarney, building in Saint Louis. When he was assembling these people that's how Icame as a copilot, when he hired the pilots in June of that year.

What year is this now?

This was May or June 1929.

Right before the big crash?

Yes. The $5 million was gone within a year. Paul Henderson, as Postmaster General,came forward and said, "We'll give you a subsidy to fly the mail, but we will not giveit on any duplicate routes. Any two airlines that flies over the same route, you'llhave to merge. So, TAT, the first merger they made, was with both TAT and WesternAir flew from Kansas City to Los Angeles. Of course TWA flew onto Columbus,Ohio. So they merged and called it one company, Transcontinental Western Air.That was the first merger.

Then they said, as a result of that, youmust get some mail planes, strictlymailplanes, to take the mail throughwhen the passenger plane cannot fly onaccount of weather. So they acquired 14Northrop Alphas. They first hired abunch of pilots, just outside pilots, formailplanes. The results were very bad.They crashed two or three of them the first three of four nights, so they took abunch of us copilots off of the Fords and gave us some training, and put us on themailplanes. That's how I got to fly the mailplane.

How did this tie in with the military handling the flying of the mail? It was acatastrophe when they got involved in it.


B: We flew the mail in the Northrop and did an excellent job, if I do say so. We took upinstrument flying. We flew weather, and we flew long range. These Northrop Alphashad enough range that if we were going from Kansas City to Saint Louis and couldn'tget down at Saint Louis, we had enough fuel to go ahead to Indianapolis - this kindof thing. We put a lot of flights through when some of the other airlines flyingdifferent types of mailplanes didn't go through.

To answer your question, we had quite a reputation then of flying the mail - theairlines did. If you recall now, we were in the greatest depression, and Roosevelt(President Franklin D.) had come on stream. Then everything changed. Roosevelt'sPostmaster General (?) James A. Farley said that when Postmaster GeneralHenderson made these airlines get together that they had collusion. They divied upwhat they wanted. He said that was strictly illegal.

Then 19 January 1934,after we'd flown mail for 3 years, he cancelled all of the mail

contracts. Farley cancelled all of the mail contracts; every one of them. He said thatthe Air Force would fly the mail. He had checked with some officer and he said,"Sure, we can fly the mail;" Well the Air Force was not equipped to do any nightflying. They were-not equipped', they were not trained, they didn't have theequipment to fly, the radios they needed to fly by instruments and so forth, and inabout the first 2 weeks they killed 10 pilots or something like that. So then theyopened it all up for bids again. This time when they opened it up for bids, they said,"No more single-engine mailplanes. You have to carry the mail on your passengerplanes." That's when United used to fly from Chicago to Dallas, through KansasCity and Tulsa. Well Braniff underbid them and got that route. That's how Braniffgot in the airmail business. Of course it's unfortunate that they got out recently too.TWA got its routes back from New York to Los Angeles--

B: United Airlines received a route from New York to Chicago to Salt Lake City to LosAngeles and San Francisco. Northwest Airlines got the northern route from Chicagoto Washington and Seattle. American Airlines got the southern route. Then therewere other smaller airlines operating as regional air carriers—got mail routes—inthis new bid for airmail routes. Going back to the Air Force, it was unfortunate in away, but actually the things that came about because of the Air Force's inability tofly the mail, really made the Air Force at that time. People began to realize that theAir Force would have to have good equipment, it would have to be trained ininstrument flying, and the pilots would have to be trained in that, which evolvedfrom all of that.

H: So it did have some good after all.

B: After all. Some of those things seemed terrible at the time, but usually there is somegood that comes out of it someplace.

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No. We had to refinance a time or two. General Motors for instance had to come inwith money for TWA at one time. Lehman brothers, a little after that, bought outTWA. John D. Hertz bought the company. All these changes were brought aboutbecause they were losing money. They had put in $5 million but in a year the $5million was gone and they had to get somebody to put in more money. Of course theairlines being popular those days, we had a wonderful fellow at the head of it whenTAT was merged with Western became Transcontinental Western Air, a fellownamed Jack Frye was made executive vice president. And a fellow named RichardRobins was made president. Then when they had this airmail cancellation in January1934, Farley accused some of the presidents of being present at this meeting wherethe airlines divvied up the mail contracts in collusion, and he accused Robins ofbeing present.

Robins was not permitted to be in the new airline. Frye, who had been a very capableexecutive vice president, was made president of the company. Frye's ability—hewas a wonderful fellow—promotion, foresight, and hard work, that steered TWAthrough the World War II era and ended up with the best routes in the world of anyairline.

How were you doing in the way of promotions during these years?

I was very fortunate in being at the right place at the right time. I started in ascopilot, and six months later I was made first pilot. I flew first pilot on tri-motorFords when I was 21 years old. After the mail cancellation, I flew Fords for about ayear, and then I was made a division chief pilot of the eastern division. I had chargeof all the pilots flying east of Kansas City. I handled that for about 2 years and thenthe chief pilot wanted somebody to come in and do his paperwork more thananything else I think, so he selected me to come in and be assistant chief pilot of thewhole system.

In the fall of 1939, he was killed in an aircraft accident at Boeing. So I replaced himthen as chief pilot of the whole company in 1939. 1 served in that position for about2 years, and then the United States—before war was declared—was sendingequipment, airplanes, to England under lend-lease. Many pilots were trying to flyfrom Gander, Newfoundland to Prestwick, Scotland; fly these planes over. Becauseof the subs, they couldn't ship them over. The results were disastrous. They weren'ttrained properly to fly in that kind of weather. They just picked up at randombarnstorming pilots from here and there and expected them to fly across the AtlanticOcean. They didn't have the equipment, and in those days didn't have proper radios.

That's another matter. We navigated mainly by celestial navigation. General Arnold[Henry H.] came to Jack Frye in Kansas City in May 1941, and he said, "We wantyou to set up a school, a flight training school. You go find an airport at any Armybase you can use, take some of your pilots and crews, and set up, a school and trainthese civilian pilots to fly across the Atlantic. Train them at least as a workable teamand do what you can to get them in shape so that they can fly an airplane fromGander to Prestwick."


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Well that was not too difficult within itself if you had the basic pilot, because youcould almost tell him step by step what to do; get him a book. So he said, "I want thebest man that you have to head that up, because this is important. We can't do it—the Air Force can't do it—because we are not at war; we are not under lend-lease."I'm being a little immodest here, but he said, "You have, a fellow that has a prettygood reputation. I know that he's a celestial navigator and he did some work atSeattle on the Stratoliners that you built. He was up there for a while and I saw himand talked to him. I think he would be a good man for this." Jack Frye said, "Well,who's this?" He said, "Otis Bryan. If you can put him in charge of this school, Ithink we'll have it in good hands." So I was selected; I had no choice.

So, I set up Eagle Nest Flight Center out at Albuquerque, New Mexico. We gavethese people intensive training; the crews, the engineer, the navigator, and the twopilots, on B-24 's, a four-engine bomber, for 30 days. They got pretty decent and weshipped them up to Newfoundland where they started ferrying these aircraft across.

This was a contract thing?

Yes, with the US Government. That was 1941. That date when we set up the schoolwas May 1941. I served as chief pilot from 1939 to 1941 until I was transferred tothis.

When Pearl Harbor camealong and war was declared,we had five Stratoliners - we,I say TWA - four-enginetransports, the only landplanes that could fly acrossthe ocean. Pan Am could flytheir boats, but they wereslow and cumbersome. Wehad the only land planes. So

the Air Force came and bought them. They said, "We want you, Mr. President ofTWA, to set up an airline from Washington, DC, to Cairo, Egypt, with these fiveplanes. We'll furnish the fields. The fields will be there, but we want your people totake care of them, and all the work"—which was modified somewhat a little later,but basically that was it.

So I was out at Albuquerque at this school working night and day. This happenedjust before Christmas. After Christmas I came to Kansas City to go down on thesouthern reserve and do a little quail hunting while I had a few days off. When I gotoff the plane, the President's aide was there and he said, "Mr. Frye wants to seeyou." I was dirty and tired. I had been riding most of the night. I said, "Well let meclean up and I'll come down." He said, "No, he wants to see you now."

So I went down and he told me about selling these airplanes. He said, "We've got toget someone-to take this division over, get the-proper help and everything, and set


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this thing up. General Arnold, again has suggested you." I said, "Well I came here togo quail hunting." He said, "Well, how long are you going to be down there?" I said,"Well, 3 or 4 days." He said, "Take my plane, go down there, and come back thisevening." So that was how I got into that.

I set up that division at Washington DC. That later expanded quite large. We had7,000 people there when the war was over. After the first flight of Roosevelt toCasablanca—that was his first flight—they made me a Vice-President of TWA andput me in charge of all of their war contracts. We had that and we had twomodifications Centers here and then we had another unit that was doing some secrettest work. I had charge of all of that during World War II. After World War II, I wasmade general manager, and set up the international division flying as far as India.I set that up after World War II and then problems began to develop in the companywith Jack Frye and Howard Hughes, which is quite a story. Does that give you achronological order?

Yes. Was it during that time that you set up this school in Albuquerque that youfirst came into contact with Arnold?

No. I'll tell you how that occurred. The first B-17's - you're familiar with them. FlyingFortresses were assigned to the 2d Bombardment Group at Langley Field Hampton,Virginia. "Bob" Olds [Maj. Gen. Robert], who was a full colonel then, wascommanding officer of the Group. He invited me down to spend a month there onactive duty and to check out on the B-17. Up to that point, I'd never flown anythingbut Fords and mailplanes. He knew that I had technical experience in mail weather,and so forth, and he wanted me to give him a detailed report on my observation ofthese planes. That was his purpose in having me down.

So I did, I went there. I think it was in the month of June 1936 that I spent atLangley Field doing this. When I finished, I wrote a 15-page report on variouscomponents, how they fit in. Some were doing excellent, some were marginal, anda couple would be doubtful, which Bob Olds appreciated. These were things that hewas trying to get done and I needed a little help on.

On my report—and I gave a copy ofthis to Jack Frye. At the end of myreport, I said that this B-17, if theturbo superchargers wereeliminated and a different engineused, and a different fuselage, thishad the possibility of being a goodairline transport plane. I went onto tell why in detail. I didn't thinkanything more on that, and about2 years later Mr. Frye called me up to the office—I was assistant chief pilot at thetime - and said, "We're building this plane, the Boeing 307 transport," which wasexactly what I had suggested. It was the same wing; same structure and everything;


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different fuselage, different engines, and they put some other things in it. They putpressure—the first pressurized job. It was a Boeing 307. He said, "I've talked toHarlan"—that was Harlan Hull, chief pilot—"and I'd like for you to go up to Boeingand take over the design and engineering of the cockpit." I'd fussed at him at timesbecause you would get in one of those Fords, and some engineer who had neverflown and never been in a pilot's position, designed where the instruments wouldgo. He might have the turn and bank over here, and the rate of climb here, thealtimeter down here. It was sort of a hodgepodge of instruments.

So I spent quite a bit of time designing an instrument panel, with the basic flightinstruments, and then I put the engine instruments someplace else around. Thepilot had a basic panel. All he had to do was look at these six instruments to fly byinstruments. While I was doing this, they were building quite a few Flying Fortressesand General Arnold came by one day to look at the Stratoliner. I showed him whatI had done and spent quite some time talking to him about it. That was really myfirst contact with him. So when he wanted, the pilots trained to fly over fromNewfoundland to Prestwick, he remembered me from that. So that was my firstcontact with him.

What about "Tooey Spaatz [Gen. Carl]?

I didn't know Spaatz too well. I just net him and talked to him at times. I think I flewhim a couple of times. He was a great officer, "Tooey" Spaatz. He did a lot for us.

What was your appreciation of General Arnold?

General Arnold, to me, was the one man for that job during World War II. He was apilot. He had an excellent personality. He had a charisma that he could get peopleto do things, do the impossible at times. On the other hand, he was tough and ran atight ship and made people adhere to the rules. Then probably the most outstandingthing he had was General Marshall. He had a lot of confidence in him. You see, atthat time, the Air Corps was under the Army. He was very capable. He wasforesighted. He was big enough to see—so many officers in World War II had a toolimited vision. They couldn't see what was necessary, like Germany and all the thingsthat were going on over there; the logistics, the supplies, and the personnel. Afterall, we had about 13 million men fighting at the end of World War II, and thousandsand thousands of pilots and airplanes and so forth. So it took a man of that caliber.I don't suppose there were a half a dozen men in the Air Force that were capable ofdoing that.

Would you term him a "workaholic?"

Yes, I would think so. He loved to work. He didn't stay in the office; he got out in thefield. He got with the men.

You know that eventually caused him some severe health problems.


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Yes. I'm a little bit familiar with that. He had a heart attack—I don't know howsevere or how bad—near the end of the war. Marshall wanted him to retire, and Ithink Roosevelt did too. He talked them in—he said, "If I kick the bucket, that's allright. I want to finish this job." So he talked them into letting him stay in. He felt itwas his duty.

Were you actually brought onto active duty yourself during the war?

Well, yes and no. On the flight to Casablanca, I was running this division. We werecommercial pilots under contract to the Air Transport Command at that time, BobOlds' old outfit. I was a civilian on that flight. On the next trip, I was ordered toactive duty, and my crew was ordered to active duty. I selected my crew, and wasordered to active duty. I was a major on that trip. Then on to Yalta. I was ordered toactive duty as command pilot and promoted to lieutenant colonel.

Were you actually credited with any service time for doing this?

Yes, I suppose that I 've had a total of 2 years service time, counting my trainingtime and everything. And then active duty during some of the years after that; 2weeks a month active duty occasionally.

Before we specifically get into these various trips you made with the President, youmentioned Howard Hughes a few minutes ago. Would you go into some detail ofyour association with him?

Well, let me start again, back a little bit. This may be one of those sensitive areas—some of the things I'm going to tell you. You'll have to be the judge. I trust you to bethe judge on this.

Certainly.

I don't think there is anything here that is going to be obnoxious, but there mightbe. When John D. Hertz in 1938 owned TWA (I 'll call it TWA) it was TranscontinentalWestern Air. He ran it, they said, like a car rental agency. The two top men, JackFrye, and Paul Richter were executive vice president, a very capable man. Paul wasa solid, day-to-day type fellow. Jack was more visionary, planning-in-the-futuretype of fellow. They worked well together.

They became very discouraged with Hertz. It got to the point where they decided toresign. Without going into the details, it reached that point. So they talked and said,"Well what will we do?" Both of them had flown as pilots in "Hells Angels," whenHoward Hughes made the movie "Hells Angels." Both of them knew Howard. Theyalso knew that Pacific Air Transport, the airline that later became part of United,flying from San Diego to Seattle—a fellow named P. G. Johnson owned it—was forsale at a very good price.

So they called Howard and said, "We'd like to come out and talk to you." Howardsaid, "Fine, come ahead." They went to Los Angeles and met in one of Howard's


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houses. He always kept two or three extra houses around to hold important meetings,and had security around where no one could get into them, or make damn sure thatno one would be overhearing what they said. They came in there one Sunday morningand talked to Howard all morning. They gave him a plan, and told him that Hertz—they were polite about it. They said, "It's his airline. He can run it any way he wantsto, but we just can't stay there. We'd like to see you buy this airline running up anddown the coast here, and let us run it for you." So they talked about all the details,about buying it, the price, what they could operate, the aircraft, and problems likethat all morning. They finally went to lunch. After lunch they came back about 3:00or 4:0o and when they sat down at the table the first thing Howard said was—helooked at them and said, "Why don't we buy TWA?" It took them both back, youknow, because TWA was, by that time, a large company. They said, "Well we thinkthat's possible, but we didn't think you'd want to put that kind of money into anairline." He said, "Yes, I think that would be a good idea to buy TWA."

So Jack Frye came back to Kansas City—his office was here—and got the stockholderslist. So they talked this over in detail and I think they had further meetings. Howardtold Jack, "You buy all the stock you can of TWA. Buy it. Hughes Tool Company willtake care of the transactions and pay for it and so forth. You buy it as cheap as youcan, of course, but buy control." So Jack got the stockholders list. He got the namesof everybody and everything, and started buying this stock. I'm not just sure howmuch he bought, but it was a little over 50 percent for Howard Hughes at that time.An average share, I think, cost him between $7 and $8—an average of that. That'show Howard Hughes got into TWA. I got this story from Jack Frye himself who toldit to me. He told me details about this, so I know it's true.

How long did Howard Hughes retain these shares in TWA?

Later on, he kept buying himself and I think he finally got up to around 70 percentownership. The Constellation was an airplane that he and Jack Frye worked onprior to World War II. They would have had that airplane flying before anyoneknew it—the competitors. There were only four people in TWA that knew they weregoing to build the Constellation outside of Frye, Hughes, and Richter. They sworeLockheed to secrecy. At that time, Lockheed took a hangar and made two hangarsout of it. You had to go through the same door to get to-each one of them. But on theright was a huge bomber. On the left there was a secret door and that was wherethey built the Constellation. They had it just about ready to fly when World War IIcame along. Of course the Air Force decided to build the Douglas C-54 for thetransport during the war, and they put a stop on the building of the Constellation,until later on in the war. That airplane would have been test flown, and none of ourcompetitors knew it was even being built. Howard and Jack Frye did most of thework on this themselves. That's the kind of a fellow he was. He was leaning towardthe technical side. He was more of a technical man than anything else.

After the war, or later in the war, they got permission to go ahead and build it. Theybuilt it and flew it, and it became quite an airplane after the war. I suppose they didbuild hundreds of them. During this period, at the end of the war, Jack Frye asked


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me to make a memo on how many Constellations we would need for the airline afterthe war. I prepared a rough memorandum for him and estimated that it would takeabout $8o million to buy these aircraft, and get them to service the parts andeverything. He raised the figures to $10o million, and then went out and talked toHoward. Howard said, "Well, I think your $100 million is a little low. Let's make it$120 million." He said, "You let the company borrow $40 million from someinsurance company or wherever you can borrow it, and I will put in $40 million outof Hughes Tool, and we'll issue $40 million worth of common stock. That'll give us$120 million and we'll go to town.

Well, then at the end of the World War we had the pilot strike, which was distastefulto a lot of us. It cost a lot of money . Then the airlines were down just where theywere recently. They just didn't have any passengers practically. So they started losinga lot of money. We borrowed $40 million from Prudential Life Insurance Companyin New York. I know I was in New York at the time and I was an officer, so I signedthe papers on that loan. When it came time, there was a little difference betweenHoward and Jack. There was a little friction buildup. Howard held up on releasingthe company to issue the stock or to put in his own $40 million, and finally he decidednot to do either one. That put the company in an awful bind. They were strugglingand that caused friction within, and the pilot strike and everything. It caused aseverance between Frye and Hughes.

I'm not sure and I've never been told whether Howard fired Frye or Frye resigned orquit, but I know there was a lot of trouble there. In fact, Richter did too; Richterresigned, I know that. So several of the other officers left. Howard Hughes thenstarted to take more of an active interest in the airline. That put Howard in a positionwhere—well, he was rather difficult to get along with because he didn't work duringthe day. He started his work at 8:0o at night, and worked until 5:00 or 6:0o in the-morning. I asked him one time why he did that and he said, "Well I can't work duringthe day. If I'm out during the day, everybody wants to talk to me and I can't getanything done. If I get over there at 9:00 at night and work until 7:00 in the morning,no one bothers me and I get a lot done." Then the airline began to have problems.He started to finance this other $8o million and so forth and he had trouble doingthat. He brought in and put Lamont Cohu in as president. He stayed about a yearand went someplace else. Then Ralph Damon came in and he couldn't get anythingdone as president. He died. Then Carter Burgess came in as president, and he couldn'tget anything done. This is about the late 1950s . That's when the Mellon Bank atPittsburgh had always wanted to get a hold of - I've been told the Hughes ToolCompany.

TWA borrowed a large amount of money from some of the banks, including theMellon Bank. In the late 1950s, Howard then made a big order for jets from Boeing,Boeing 707 's. What actually became - the main trouble was that he got overextendedand couldn't meet his obligations, even though all the money his tool company wasmaking, the huge sums involved, not only within TWA itself, but with thiscommitment for these Boeing jets. At that point, the bankers moved in and madehim put his stock in escrow and they took over. I think that was in 1960 or 1961.


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At this point, the new management came in. Ernie Breech came in, I think, aschairman of the board. They had friction between Hughes and the management. Ithink it even went so far as suits were filed. To settle-it all, Howard, I guess, decidedto sell all of his stock. The stock that Jack Frye had bought for him in 1938 at $7 or$8 a share, he sold for right at $l00 , a share in 1961 or-1962, and got out of it.

Was Hughes a poor judge of character in naming these various presidents that youhave mentioned?

I don't think Hughes was a poor judge of character. He had a man that worked forhim that assumed a lot of responsibility named Noah Dietrich. Noah Dietrich was afinancial man. He wanted to run everything. He ran the board of directors even tothe point where they all looked at him as to which way a director should vote. Thisfellow would make these recommendations to Hughes. He was sort of the chiefexecutive of the company. Then Howard would acquiesce and they'd elect them.

No background in that sort of thing.

No. I don't think it was Howard, I think it was Dietrich. It got to the point whereHughes, later on, fired Dietrich. Dietrich wrote a book about it, and put hisbest foot forward, of course.

Did Hughes show any signs of the recluse he was going to become later on?

I can't answer that. The last contact I had with Howard would be probably in theearly 1950s. I did have a contact with him in the late 1950s, just by telephone. Totalk to him would be the early 1950s. My understanding is that Howard Hughes gotarthritis very badly in his hands and fingers. He was a very proud fellow, and he didnot want to be seen with arthritis. His physical condition caused him to become arecluse. That's the most plausible story. You heard all kinds of stories, but that's themost plausible one and Jack Frye told me that. Still he had this problem, but hemaintained contact with Hughes.

His hearing went too, I understand.

I don't know about that. See, I'm talking about what kind of a fellow he was when Iknew him in the late 1940s and early 1950s. He was a pretty wonderful fellow. A

little bit unusual.

bid you ever meet Dudley Sharp [Dudley C.] during these years? He grew up withHoward Hughes in Houston and he later became Secretary of the Air Force.No, I don't recall him. Robert Lovett [Robert A.] was Secretary of the Air Force in

World War II.

This was sometime later, under Eisenhower [President Dwight D.], that he wasSecretary of the Air Force.


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He told some stories about Howard Hughes in his early days that were quiteinteresting.

I talked to Howard at length. We flew together sometimes, the latter part of thewar, in the Constellation. I've got some pictures of him. He was reticent. He didn'ttrust people. He was a very plausible person to be around. If he were sitting here,you would enjoy talking to him the same as this, but he was suspicious of people.He'd been taken so many times, and he didn't trust many people. His first reactionwhen somebody he didn't know was, "What does somebody like this fellow want?"That could give people the wrong impression of Howard Hughes, which many ofthem had. He didn't like newspapermen, media people.

During your early years with what became TWA, you lived in various places. Yourson notes, for example, that you lived in Kansas City and Clovis, New Mexico. Whywere you in these particular places at that time?

Kansas City was headquarters of TWA; that's-where I was located most of thetime. When I was in Clovis, New Mexico, and Waynoka, Oklahoma, I was there ontemporary assignment for a few months to relieve pilots. I think we got a month'svacation each year, and if you had four pilots flying out of Clovis, New Mexico, andthey decided to take May, June, July, and August off, I would go out there on the 1stof May and stay there the 4 months and relieve each one of them for a month. Itwasn't really a permanent thing; it was sort of a temporary thing in Clovis, Waynoka,and Columbus, Ohio. My main home in the early days was Saint Louis, and thenlater I was moved to Kansas City.

When did you meet your wife?

I met her at Langley Field when I was with the 2d Bombardment Group there in1929. Her father was stationed, there.

Is she from a military family?

Yes, her father was a colonel in the Signal and Air Corps for 39 years and retiredjust before World War II.

What grade did he retire at?

He retired as a full colonel. Promotions were hard to come by in those days.He did very well. Your son has a note here about the Northrop Alphas. What type ofplane was this?

The Northrop Alpha was the mail plane we used when we got the mail contracts;single-engine, all-metal planes. You carried the mail; carried about 1,000 pounds

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of mail. A Wasp engine that would cruise around 140 miles an hour. You sat in theback—open cockpit—and on a parachute.

Did you get a little cold in those things?

Oh yes!

Your son has a note here also. When did you get to see or fly the first DC-1, 2, & -3?

The DC-1? Let me back up a-minute. After TWA and Western Air merged, JackFrye became executive vice president. Dick Robins became president. They madeplans to build a new aircraft called the DC-1. The Ford was the tri-motor Ford andcarried 10 passengers and 2 pilots. They wanted a plane that would carry at least 10passengers, have a retractable landing gear, and cruise at 165 miles an hour. TheFord would only cruise at 100. So they surveyed—I've got a copy of a letter someplacewe sent out for inquiries on this particular plane. He talked to various manufacturers,and finally they decided for Douglas to build it.

One of the things this plane had to do was to be a two-engine, was to take off atWinslow, Arizona—which is the highest field west of the divide-and on takeoff, afterhe got airborne, cut one engine and fly with a full load on one engine across thehump to Albuquerque, New Mexico. That was the requirement. So they built theDC-1 and it did. When they got to looking at the DC-1, it carried only 10 passengers.They decided they wanted 14 passengers. So there were several other changes theywanted to make in it after they test flew it. So there was only one of those built.

Then they went into building a, DC-2. That was the second; that was the main plane.The DC-2, the first two or three were delivered when Farley cancelled the airmail inJanuary 1934. That was the airplane that put TWA in business, and they made moneyfor a while—paid a dividend—based on the DC-2, because they actually did cruisearound 16o to 165 and carried 14 passengers.

Following that, when they got bigger engines-, the DC-3 was developed. Douglasbuilt the DC-3. It had larger engines than the DC-2 and the DC-3 would carry 21passengers, a twin-engine plane. That was the stage. First the DC-1, which theybuilt one and learned these things. Then they built a number of DC-2s. Then whenthey got larger engines developed and so forth, then they built the DC-3s. DC-3scame along in probably the late1930s . Of course as chief pilot, I flew them. I haveseveral hundred hours on each one of those.

I see in a note here that you had a reputation as a wild flyer in the early days.

I don't know where he got that. I didn't tell anybody that. (laughter) I think I earnedthat title with my airmail flying. I was very much interested in instrument flying,and I was leader in that area. Of course, pilots in those days flew by the seat of theirpants; they flew by looking out. Watch the horizon, and if you couldn't see thehorizon, you were in trouble. So when I speak of instrument flying, flying by the


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instruments through clouds and so forth, you couldn't see anything. I probably wasthe leading one in that area in the airlines. They probably interpreted doing thatkind of work a "wild pilot."

Were the affairs going on in Europe of any concern to you during this period?

Before World War II?

Yes. Did it appear ominous at that time?

Slightly, yes. I had some-friends from KLM [Koninklijk, Luchtvaart, Maatschappij],a Dutch airline—chief pilots—come over and visit with m and fly the line and getacquainted. We would exchange ideas. They told w then, right prior to World WarII, that the Germans had one of the finest fighter aircraft—and I being trained as afighter pilot, pursuit pilot—in the world. He said it was called a Me-1o9. He said thatthe top speed of that thing was almost 300 miles an hour. We didn't have anythingthat would go over 150 or 175 - not over 200. He talked about that at length.

Then we sent the vice president of our company, Tommy Tomlinson, who was aNavy pilot and a wild one, over to Germany - now there was a wild guy. He wasinvited over there to give a lecture or something and he went over to Germany. Whenhe came back and he was just excited about the military strength in Germany; theaircraft, the tanks, the infantry, the artillery, and everything just ready for war. Ofcourse when Lindbergh came back from Germany and said the same thing, theytook his commission away from him for saying that. These things were disturbingwhen Hitler went through the Low Countries.

He went into Poland first.

He took Belgium. France. I think that was in September 1938.

In 1939.

Then when they had Dunkirk—the evacuation of Dunkirk—this began to alarmpeople. Particularly so, when the President and everybody took up for the allies andlend-lease came along. Churchill (Sir Winston] came over and said, "We don't wantany soldiers, we just want pieces of equipment. We'll do the fighting." Those thingshad an effect. Of course the school I started out there, we started moving theseairplanes across. They'd get shot down occasionally by a sub [submarine] laying onthe surface. Those kind of things were disturbing, to answer your question, yes.

You mentioned that we weren 't keeping up in comparison to what was going on inEurope in the way of aircraft development. This same thing, of course, held true inWorld War I where we didn't have anything.

Now there I was speaking of military aircraft. This country was the leader and hasbeen, historically, in the airline aircraft department. In France recently, with the


Concorde, they've done something—the A-300-but always the European airlinesbought from Boeing or Douglas so that their airlines had airplanes. We were theleader in that field. Where we were not the leader was in the military field. TheGermans were ahead of us. The British Spitfire was a faster plane than what we had.

As you probably know, that during World War II, any plane that, the design of whichstarted after war was declared, 7 December 1941, * never reached combat duringWorld War II - Not one. The B-29 was the closest, but it was well underway whenwar broke out. You take the only one that probably got fairly close was the "ShootingStar," the jet Lockheed. It was close. That there tells you something about ourdevelopment. Fortunately we had planes like the P-51 and the Lockheed "Lightning,"twin-engine planes, and another fighter or two.

H: P-47's.

P-47, but the main thing we only had then was the P-4o and P-39, which werecumbersome, slow planes. But fortunately, we did have these others we could put inproduction. Everybody started building. That brings a little history—during Dunkirk,the Germans thought they'd go over there in a day and clean them out. Well whathappened was that the Spitfire defense—the Germans had their twin-engine bombers.They lost almost, I think, 3,000 of them in that period of the Battle of Britain tomaybe 700 or 800 Spitfires. Because the twin-engine bomber could not stand up tothe fighter. So General Arnold, right after that one time—Jack Frye and I would goover to his office occasionally—said that that brought forth the thing that they mustbuild a fighter and build the four-engine bombers with armor plate to protectthemselves against the fighters. That's when they settled on that. They built thefighters and the B-17 's with the armor plate, and then the B-24's.

Of course, they had a few others.They had the B-26 twin-engineNorth American, and the A-2o,which was a Douglas twin-engineobservation plane. I was inEngland. I flew Mr. Lovett over toEngland. When the B-26—theywere going to use them some inEngland. They sent ten B-26's in at low altitude across the channel, staying underthe radar, and they sent them into France for just 5 minutes, dropped their bombson the target and came back out; 5 minutes in, 5 minutes out. Ten of them. Just totest the pilots. They sent them all in and not a one came out. They were jumped bythese Me-109's. So all of that just strengthened this, "We'll build big bombers, armorplate, and fighters." During World War II they built over 300,000 airplanes in theUnited States.

Backing up a little bit, this fellow Hertz that you mentioned earlier, is he the sameone that got into the car rental business?

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Yes, that 's the same one, John D. Hertz.

You also mentioned this difference of opinion between Jack Frye and Hughes. Whatwas the nature of this?

It revolved around the financial area I discussed with you. Jack felt that Howardshould put up the $40 million and let them sell the $40 million of-stock and goahead. Howard said, "No, you're losing too much money. I think they had lost $8million dollars in 1946, or something like that. "We just can't do it. Even HughesTool Company couldn't stand that." So this was the air which caused the trouble. Itwas not the operations'—not the operating of the airline—it was a financial matterthat created the difficulty.

It wasn't a personality thing?

No. Jack liked Howard, and Howard liked Jack. They were very friendly. It wassimply financial.

In another note here, it says to ask you about the testing of the Stratoliner and thefreezing of the elevators above 23,000 feet. Would you like to discuss that?

It's always been amazing to we how simple some of our problems are in developmentwork, but yet are completely overlooked. Let me give you a couple of examples. Ispoke previously about the pressurization of the Stratoliner. All that means is thatall we did was to put an air pump, and put 5 pounds air pressure in the passengercabin. They built the plane so that it would hold air. They put 5 pounds of pressurein there. That would let us fly the airplane at 20,000 feet, but as far as the passengerwas concerned, with the added 5 pounds pressure, he was down at 20'000 feetwhich is the maximum limit. That gave us a lot of latitude in flying.

Any college, sophomore that's ever studied physics knows about Boyle's law. Boyle'slaw says that if you take a volume of gas, hold it constant, put it under pressure, thatthe temperature will rise. But these engineers that did this decided Boyle's law onlyapplied on the ground, I guess. When I brought the first Stratoliner in from Seattleto Kansas City, it was a huge thing. Everybody was out to see it; several hundredpeople out there watching it. All the employees and everything, because it had allthis history and so forth.

Again, as soon as I got out, the president had his aide there and said held like to seeme. So I went to his office after the hullabaloo died down a little and he said, "I'veinvited about 40 people to take a flight tomorrow, to have lunch with me, and thentake a flight in this new airplane. I'd like for you to get it ready and you fly it andtake us on a flight around town, so this would be a first. This is going to be a signaloccasion. This is going to make history." I said, "Well, that's all right jack, but Ihaven't been able to check the pressurization. I've had a lot of other tests to run onthe way down here from Seattle, and I haven't checked this thing out thoroughly. I


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think you might be better to wait a few days and give me a chance to check it out andmake sure "No," he said, "We'll just take a short flight. It's all laid on. I can't changeit now. "

Well it was a hot summer, day. Everything was just so-so, and he got his martini-drinking group after lunch, got them in the airplane, and I took off and went up. Iwas going up between 5,000 and 6,000 feet, bringing this pressurization in gradually,you know, and the hostess came running up. She said, "Mr. Frye wants to see you."

I said, "Tell Mr. Frye I'll be back in a few minutes. I'm busy with this pressurizationright now." She went back and told him and here she came rushing up and said,"Mr. Frye wants to see you now." I said, "All right." I got out and told the seniorcopilot, "You hold the controls and hold this here until I get back." Just as I wentthrough the door I looked at the thermometer and it was 128 degrees in the passengercabin, all because of that pressure you see. Everybody was perspiring and sweatingas they would in the humidity, and stink from those martinis they had had. (laughter)It was a very simple thing. All you had to do was to take this pressure, put it up to 5pounds pressure, and put it out and put it in a cooler where the cold air could blowthrough it, and cool that pressure, and then dump it in there, and control thetemperature. They didn't think of that when they put it in.

Getting back to what you said there. This Stratoliner also had boost controls. Thereason the controls themselves - they were so heavy and so large on this largeequipment that it's difficult for the pilot to pull the wheel. So they put on a littlebooster—a little hydraulic cylinder booster - that whenever you'd move the controla little bit, the booster would help you move.

Am I making myself clear? They'd have a little cylinder on each elevator and eachaileron. I took it up one day, the first one, up around 23,000 feet, and the controlslocked. They absolutely locked. I couldn't move them. The temperature there wasabout 200 below zero. So I finally got it eased down, and I got down closer to theground, and when I got down into a little warmer atmosphere, it began to work allright. What happened then, we found out, was that these cylinders—pistons theyused—that coefficient expansion of the piston was different than the coefficientexpansion of the cylinder. When it got down real cold, the cylinder would lock onthe piston. You couldn't move it. That's what he is referring to there.

Did they redesign them?

They put in a different cylinder. Someone just didn't think about those kinds ofthings, you know. They were simply little things, but they could have caused - youcould have taken off on a flight where it was 200 below zero, you could have had aterrible crash and no one would have ever known what happened, because youcouldn't move the controls.Well it's a good thing you didn't panic in that situation.

No, as a test pilot, I've done a lot of test work. Really you don't think about things—the danger—when you're in working with things. You're too busy trying to handlethings and figure out things.


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How did you get tied in with flying Roosevelt around? What was the occasion forthis?

I was running this division flying from Washington, DC to Cairo [Egypt]. I was inmy office one Sunday morning—I'd been gone. I had just come back from Africa. Ihad been up through Casablanca and up through that area up to Tunis, around inthere across the Sahara. General Arnold's aide came over and said, "The old manwants to see you." He always referred to the general as the "old man." I was just insort of sport type clothes on Sunday morning and I said, "Well when does he wantme, tomorrow?" He said, "No, he wants you now."

So we went over to see him, and he talked a little bit. He was very friendly. He said,"Otis, the President"—no he didn't. He didn't say the President. He said, "A veryimportant person is going to take a very important trip overseas. Pan American willhandle the flights over water, but I want you to handle the rest of them. I want youto fly him over the land and into the combat zone at Casablanca." He didn't sayCasablanca. He was very careful about that because he said, "He's going to take animportant trip and I want you to be ready to go, to handle it." Just the day before wegot started, well he called me back and told me exactly what we were going to do.

General Arnold called me in and told me exactly what we were going to do. He said,"General Marshall and I are going over to Casablanca first. We want you to take usover there. He's going by boat down to Trinidad, and Pan American will take himover to Bathurst. You pick him up at Bathurst and fly him into Casablanca. Thenyou will fly him back to Bathurst and Pan American will take him from Bathurst toNatal. Then you get to take him from Natal back up to Trinidad. Then he will comeby ship from Trinidad back to Washington. That was how that was laid on.

I flew them over, and had my crew and everything, and then came back and pickedhim up at Bathurst. The President being in the physical condition he was, we had tobuild a ramp to roll him up in a wheelchair to get him in the airplanes.

H: They built a special elevator in .. .

B: In the Sacred Cow, the last plane we had,yes.

H: I understand that he was partial to goingby ship, that he only flew as a last resort. Isthat correct?

B: Yes, that's true. He liked ships. I think thatwas exaggerated a little. He always seemed toenjoy flying. I think the reason he wanted togo by ship was because he had so muchpressure put on him at home during these


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things that when he got in the ship it would give him a time to relax. I think that wasmainly it. He was always very interested in flying. On the second trip to Cairo andTehran, I flew him over the—he always liked to know what he was doing. We had awindow fixed by that time in the plane.

I told him that I had a couple of places I'd like for him to see over there and he said,"Wonderful, fine. " I said, "One of them, I 'm going to circle the city of Bethlehem ata fairly low altitude. I'll circle so that you can see it. Then I'm going to circle the areawhere the Euphrates joins the Tigris River. " In early days that was supposed to be,as far as we know, the Garden of Eden.

Cradle of civilization.

So I did that. He was excited about that. When he came home, he started his speechto the nation. He started it out and he said, "On such and such a date, at an altitude,I circled the beautiful city of Bethlehem." He spent 2 or 3 minutes discussing that.He couldn't do that—he didn't really dislike flying. I think the relaxation he wouldget from resting on a ship was what he liked.

Some people attribute this to his early association with the Navy. I think he was anUnder Secretary of the Navy during World War I. They think he developed a partialityat that time.

I think so. He was Navy-minded. There is no question about that. Of course he hadquite a bit of Navy people around him. He had Admiral Leahy [William D.], theChief of Staff of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who made all major decisions. Then hehad Admiral Ross McIntire, his doctor, and then two or three other naval peoplearound him. About the only one he had from the Army was "Pa" Watson [Maj. EnEdwin M.]. "Pa" was his aide, a likable character.

The first flight you went on then was the Casablanca flight?

Yes.

Could you give me a little detail about that?

Well, I picked the President up at Bathurst, which is on the west coast of Africa, andflew him about 4 or 5 hours northeast, up to Casablanca. We stayed there, I think, 4or 5 days and then I brought him back from Casablanca to Bathurst. Then he caughtthe Pan American plane at Bathurst and they flew him across the south Atlantic toNatal. Then I picked him up at Natal and flew him to Trinidad. At Trinidad he tooka, surface vessel into Washington. That was, in essence the itinerary of that flight.

At the Casablanca conference, is this the first time that you encountered Churchill?

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Could you give me your first impressions of this gentleman?

My impression of Churchill then, and is now, was that he was a very intelligent,foreseeing individual in international affairs. He had an excellent personality if hewanted to charm you. He was a delightful person to be around, when he wanted todo that. He was normally sort of a grouchy type of individual. He was very vain.Before held get off of an airplane, held get his hat just right and then get that newunlighted cigar in his mouth, and then step off. That kind of thing. He was probablythe most intelligent man I have ever met on international affairs. If we had listenedto him and done some of the things he wanted us to do in World War II, I don'tthink we would have had all the problems we had at the end of the war.

If you recall, he wanted us to go in through the soft under-belly of Europe, throughGreece, Turkey, and that way, to eliminate what Russia did when Russia took overthose eastern European countries. He saw that. He wanted to avoid it. But we tookthe position where strictly military—our job was to win the war and get out. He wasa pleasant fellow to have around.

President Roosevelt told me one time that he spent about three-fourths of his timewhen Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin [Joseph] were together, keeping Churchilland Stalin apart. They were bitter enemies, they hated each other. Churchill hatedStalin for the 20 million people he killed prior to World War II, and Stalin neverfor-gave him for it. He said, "That creates a real problem." That came from Roosevelthimself.

Some historians allege that Roosevelt got too "buddy-buddy" with Stalin duringthat period.

I don't think that's true. He may have, but I don't think it's true. Roosevelt wasproper in his conversations, and he was very careful of choosing his words. I don'tthink he got "buddy-buddy" with anyone, you know, real friends. I think he wasmore of an intelligent man than that. That could lead to disaster, you know, ifChurchill thought Roosevelt was tying in with Stalin on things. That could lead tointernational disaster.

After the Casablanca flight, what was the next flight that you took Roosevelt on?

This was the one to Cairo and to Tehran. When General Arnold told me about thisone he said, "He's going to take the cruiser Memphis to Oran and you pick him upat Oran and fly him to Tunis, where General Eisenhower is." Then he said, "Go onto Cairo, and then up to Tehran." Which we did. I picked him up at Oran and weflew up to Tunis. Then the next night we flew on to Cairo.

One of the problems I had in those days, you see, was when we would fly we wouldalways be escorted when we were within range of the German Air Force by a groupof P-38's, fighters. They were awful difficult to control. On this trip from Oran toTunis, `we had I the fighters, and one group missed us and I had to wait for them.All this kind of trouble. So when we I went from Tunis to Cairo, I suggested to the


commanding officer that I go at night, go out over the desert, and stay away fromthe Germans, out of range of them, and there would be no problem. So we did that.

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That was one of the things—in taking the President on a flight like that, every regionalcommander wants to get in and be a part of the show or something. Those areproblems that just naturally existed.

According to the book, The Flying White House, you developed hydraulic pumptrouble in a C-54 during your approach to Malta. Could you describe that incident?

Yes. When we started to put the landing gear down to land in Malta, the hydraulicpump failed. Usually you would pump it up and down. The hydraulic pump failed,so we had to pump it down by hand as an alternative. We got the landing geardown, but then we couldn't get the flaps down. So I told the President that we wouldland there, but we would land 20 or 30 miles an hours faster than we normallywould. He said, "Well go ahead, take all precautions, and we'll all have a good time."He was that kind of a fellow. So we did and we landed. Of course Malta had beenbombed and bombed, and the runway was pretty rough. But it worked out all right.We landed a little faster, and stopped all right. No particular problem, just landingfast on a bombed-out airport. It could have caused some trouble, but it didn't.

Were you able to get maintenance there?

Yes, we fixed the pump. It was a small item. The flight engineer, who was a well-trained mechanic, went back and did some work on the pump. I forget now justwhat it was. It was some item they had to change on the pump that broke. We put anew one on and went on.

You also, during that period, were dispatched to Turkey to pick up the Turkishpresident. Would you discuss that a little bit?

Yes, that was a little hair-raising. President Roosevelt, at Cairo, wanted PresidentInonu [Ismet] of Turkey to come to Cairo for a conference. President Inonu, youcan understand, being neutral, wasn't very anxious to come. I suppose he thoughtthe Germans might retaliate. So he said that he couldn't come. The President said,"If you'll come, I'll send my own personal plane and pilot after you to bring youdown here." So he agreed to that.

Once more we had the problem—the Germans had fighter aircraft on Crete withinfighter range of Turkey and so on. There we had the problem, again, of taking the P-38 fighters with us or not. They wanted to send the fighters up with me. Well I knewthat if they sent the fighters up there and the Germans picked them up on radar,then we sure would have problems. They'd send all the fighters in the country outthere. So I suggested that we go alone and I would go out east of Cairo, over theeastern end of what is now Israel and up the river there, until I got even with Turkey,and then fly west to this airport where I would pick up the president of Turkey,which was at Adana, Turkey. I would land at Adana between sundown and dark. He


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was to be there at 3:00 the next morning. Then we'd take off before daylight andcome back to Cairo. We'd stay low so that the enemy radar couldn't pick us up. I felt,and the commanding officer felt, that was the best thing to do. The fighter pilots andtheir commanding officer thought that was ridiculous. I thought that was the onlyway to do it, because if you ever got in trouble, and the German fighters attacked,hell, they'd knock an old C-54 out of the sky in nothing flat.

So we did that. I landed at this airport between sundown and dark, about 10 minutesafter sundown. I taxied over and the Turkish commanding officer met me. I parkedthe plane and he took me over to the Officers' Club to have coffee—awful coffee, thatTurkish coffee—and a bite to eat. We hadn't been there 15 minutes till the wholeroom exploded. The radio was on. Lord Haw Haw had come on and said, "Col. OtisF. Bryan, American Air Force, has just landed at Adana and is going to pick upPresident Inonu and take him to Cairo tomorrow morning." About 15 minutes afterwe had landed - all the work we had gone through to keep this secret.

So the commanding officer almost fainted. What happened was—we got to thinking.We wondered how in the world that ever occurred. What happened was that theyapparently had a spy in the control tower, the Turkish control tower. The Germansdid. All he had to do was go out to wherever his transmitter was, tell Berlin, and theyphoned it over to Haw Haw and they put it on the air.

Who was this Haw Haw that you are talking about?

Don't you remember? . He was the famous, Englishman that broadcast out of Berlinfor Germany. He spoke in English mainly to the allies from Berlin, broadcasting forthe German Air Force. And some of the stories he would tell! That was a bit exciting.Then the next day, the President didn't come there until 8:00 the next morning andthere wasn't a cloud in the sky. So I took off with him anyway and we went east andwent around there. He was a very nice fellow. He sat up in front in the copilot 's seatmost of the way. He had been a colonel in World War I over that area, and he showedme battlefields where he had been in fights.

He spoke English?

Yes. So that was my trip to Adana.

But the Germans didn 't give you any opposition then?

No, I never saw a sign of them. Come to think of it, I think the military had itoverexploded, overextended. When you think of it, the Germans aren't going toknock down any neutral President. They want to keep on his good side just as muchas he wanted to stay friendly, or stay neutral. They had the ambassador who was thegreatest crook in the world there, Von Papen [Franz]. Does that ring a bell? He wasa master at spying stuff like this and getting information. After I thought it all throughand thought about it several times, I thought that they just didn't want to interfere.Had they done it, that would have created a terrific amount of cohesion among the


allies. They would have put every effort they had then to wipe the Germans out andso forth. Something like that—and it wouldn't have done them any good. What ifthey'd knocked him out? It wouldn't have affected anything. Because he was at thetop, somebody else would have moved right in. I just felt that they knew about it,but didn't want to take any action.

H: According to the note here, in addition to the President of Turkey, you also flewboth Eisenhower and Churchill.

Eisenhower several times, but not Churchill. Churchill had his own plane and hadhis own pilot, who was a good friend of mine, an American pilot who flew him. Inever did fly Churchill.

When did you fly Eisenhower then?

Read the note. [Hands note to Dr. Hasdorff]

"To Captain Otis Bryan, my first trans-Atlanticpilot, and my friend. With lasting regards."

That was my first one. He flew with us severaltimes.

Dwight Eisenhower.

He had one star when I took him over.

What year was this?

This was in March 1942. 1 had quite a load on that trip. General Arnold called meover and said—as he did—"We've got a load of brass going to Prestwick. Can youtake them personally?" I said, "Sure." You always had to say, "Yes, sir." On this tripwe had Harry Hopkins; Averell Harriman; Mark Clark [Gen. Mark] W.1, who hadone star; Eisenhower, who had one star; Admiral Towers [John H.] Hoyt Vandenberg[Gen. Hoyt] who was only a colonel and later Chief of Staff and a couple of otherimportants. All on this flight.

According to the note here, in addition to the President of Turkey, you also flewboth Eisenhower and Churchill.

Eisenhower several times, but not Churchill. Churchill had his own plane and hadhis own pilot, who was a good friend of mine, an American pilot who flew him. Inever did fly Churchill.

When did you fly Eisenhower then?

Read the note. [Hands note to Dr. Hasdorff]

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regards--"

That was my first one. He flew with us several times.

Dwight Eisenhower.

He had one star when I took him over.

What year was this?

This was in March 1942. I had quite a load on that trip. General Arnold called meover and said—as he did—"We've got a load -of brass going to Prestwick. Can youtake them personally?" I said, "Sure." You always had to say, "Yes, sir." On this tripwe had Harry Hopkins; Averill Harriman; Mark Clark [Gen. Mark W.], who hadone star; Eisenhower, who had one star; Admiral Towers [John H.]; HoytVandenberg [Gen. Hoyt S.], who was only a colonel and later Chief of Staff; and acouple of other importants. All on this flight.

I took them over. We ran into bad weather right off the coast of Greenland. Theplane got iced up. I had to take them back and lay overnight at Gander. We didn'twant to take off from Gander until later in the afternoon. We shot skeet while atGander. I was a pretty good trapshooter. I think I got 24 out of 25. That was the topscore. I beat General Eisenhower. If I had it to do over again, I'd never do that.(laughter) But he got a big kick out of that. He was with us on several of thePresidential trips. He flew with us on the trip from Oran to Cairo.

How did you appreciate his personality?

I liked him immensely. I think Eisenhower was one of the finest men this country'sever produced. His strength was in—we're all intelligent in certain ways, entirelydifferent fields. I can best illustrate that by a Kansas City reporter. One of the toppapers in Kansas City during my early days with TWA—he thought pilots were dumb,and I agreed with him. I wouldn't argue with him against that. He got a littleobnoxious about it. One Sunday morning I had to test flight one of these Stratoliners.It was a very easy plane to fly. If you would just leave it alone, it would fly straight.

So I invited him to go along. He said, "Sure, I'd like to." So I got him in and we tookoff. I did my test work and I said, "Here, you fly it." He was in the copilot's seat. Hetook over the wheel and I got up and went back in the passenger cabin. The firstthing he did, he started to over control. He got the plane going like this. He startedsweating and I was standing over there looking over his shoulder. If he had justtaken his hands off, it would have straightened out. When he looked like he wasgoing to get in trouble, I went up and slapped his hands and said, "Just hold itsteady." (laughter) He did, and of course the plane leveled out. I said, "Surely a manas intelligent as you should know more than a dumb pilot, to hold that wheel steady."(laughter) He laid off of us after that.


Getting back to Eisenhower—we all have our knowledge in certain fields. A doctor'sa good doctor, and a hell of a poor lawyer. A lawyer's a good lawyer, but some thinkthey know a lot about everything, and it sometimes gets them in trouble. Eisenhower,his ability was to get people to work. He told me one time, he said that when hewent to London—first with the British—there was quite a cleavage between Britishand American soldiers. He said, "My biggest job was to get American officers andBritish officers working together." So he said, "Whenever I had a vacancy to fill, Ihad to put a colonel in some place, I would put a British colonel and an Americancolonel together, and assign them both to the job." He said that they would startworking together and in a few days they found out they we're a lot alike and they'dbecome close friends—no problem. He said, "I took care of that. That's the way I gotaround a lot of little things." His ability was in the areas probably best described-asthe chairman of the board, to get people to work together. He had an excellentmilitary mind. You will recall on the invasion when it looked bad, and he wrote hisspeech out there on the beach. He said, "This disaster was my responsibility, andmine alone." That's the type of man he was.

This oral history is based on interviews from 1982. Captain Otis Bryan passed away in 1989.Editor


A couple of months ago my com-puter club put on a program about per-sonal digital assistants (PDAs.) I listenedintently and left the meeting thinkingmaybe I would investigate this PDA thing.I investigated by mulling it over in mymind and deciding that the little paperbook that I have used for 35 years did justfine.

There are astrikeouts andpages are taped inbut each little flawhas meaning. Ican track my kid'slives by thecrossed out addressesand phone numbers. Old friendsthat I haven 't seen in 25 yearsare still there. There is a note to pick upmedicine for a sick dog that died years agoand took a piece of my heart with her. The1972 calendar isn't much good but thereis a circle on it where I took my oldestdaughter out to dinner when she com-pleted junior high school.

So the pocket notebook was safeuntil this Christmas when I queried mystep son as to his favorite electronic gad-get. I questioned him because he is one ofthose boomers that are more than some-what knowledgeable about electronics. Heprogrammed the first VCR he ever sawand from that I knew he had potential. Atany rate, he was quick to say that the onepiece of electronics that he uses most ishis PDA. Many other things give him more

pleasure or do more work but the PDA sitsright on his hip and is used a dozen timesa day.

My wife and I have a very good ar-rangement concerning Christmas gifts toeach other. We are at an age where wehave most everything we need and nowit's just things we want. Trouble is, beyonddiamonds, I have no idea what she wants.And she doesn't know what to get me ex-cept sweaters and I have enough sweat-ers. So we each shop for our own gift,

wrap it nicely and put it under thetree, andon Christ-mas we

are each utterly surprised atwhat the other has bought. This

year she got her diamond and I got myPDA.

I am enthralled and amazed at whatthis handheld computer can do. It cameequipped with a Magellan Navigator and I'mdriving around town on 99—cent gas just towatch it work. So far it's gotten me toSafeway and Costco without a hitch. I havedownloaded a 1000 page book so I canamuse myself while my wife shops. Thereare attachments that make it a telephone ora camera. What I could have done with thisthing in my working days! ! My greatest fearis that I may die before I get all of the toysand how sad that would be.

Maybe I can get them to do thatprogram again. I think this time I ' ll paymore attention.

lot of crossovers andsome of the


From Jack Koughan

AT INTERSECTIONSLOOK EACH WAYA HARP SOUNDS NICEBUT IT'S HARD TO PLAYBurma Shave

Cont'd

Jack writes: For the last decade of my retirement from TWA I have composed a poem forChristmas which you see here. I have never had them published, but according to Bob Dedman , youcould use more material.

Here it is Jack, and a good one too. Jack notes that we live in the same area code. He inClements where he lives with his daughter on a horse ranch and me a few miles south in Modesto. It'stime we get together. GR

When the season's last apple has fallen to EarthAnd the last pumpkin has grinned it's demise,

We are accustomed to try to sweep the world dryAnd prepare for a festive birth,

All Nature is cheering the ripened grainAnd the riotous red of the leaves,

But nobody notes the dissenting votesWhispered to the wind overseas.

Soft as a sigh, with completion nigh,Before they sought glory in death,

They burst on the World, their scheme unfurledWithout even taking a rest.

What the World saw was beyond any law,Was cruel and horrible, too.

And the nations agreed to challenge this creedThat threatened a civilized view.

So as we approach the hallowed HostAnd burst forth with joyous Noel,

We glance once more at the burgeoning scoreAnd the proximate vistas of Hell.

We slowed the marching down the roadAnd made the world safer, we shout,

We welcome the Fall and Christmas and all,But keep a sharp eye and LOOKOUT!!!

From Lew Whitaker

I really enjoyed reading your Grape-vine column and decided to respond to yourrequest for "thoughts, stories, hopes, andfears" by relating one of our recent adven-tures.

On September 11th my friend Joanand I had just crossed into northern Paki-stan from western China via the KarakoromHighway and were staying in a small hotelin the Hunza valley. Although not one towatch much TV while traveling I somehowgot the urge to see if I could make the re-mote control work the strange looking sethigh up in the corner of the room.

When the picture came on my firstthought was "I want the news not a movie"and it took a few seconds to realize that whatI was seeing was video only a couple ofhours old! We now all know how the world

reacted with shock to the attack, but what asurprise it was then to have so many peoplein that remote corner of the world offer theircondolences to us as America's representa-tives. They were as heartbroken as the restof us.

During the next six days we contin-ued on to the Swat Valley, Peshawa, andIslamabad without any problem before fly-ing out to Bangkok right on schedule. Youmight be wondering why one would want togo to such unusual places when there areplenty of nice beaches around the world. Theanswer is " The Silk Road". Some years backI realized there was a lot of history I had notbeen exposed to in school so I set out to seefor myself. If you are curious I recommendthe first twenty-five pages of Peter.


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PASSING SCHOOL YARDTAKE IT SLOWLET OUR LITTLESHAVERS GROW

Hopkirk's Foreign Devils on The Silk Roadas well as his. The Great Game for inter-esting reading.

We really haven't avoided going tosome of the world's beaches. There is thestony one on Baffin Island at 73' N wherewe went snorkeling, the sandy one in the

Indian Ocean that is good for Scuba div-ing, and the volcanic one in the Antarcticthat is only good for a quick dip. The ad-ventures go on and on lots of fun and Imust admit I don't miss the drive to workat all.Sincerely,

Lew Whitaker Class of '64

Well Lew, I was going to write a piece about throwing rocks into the Stanislaus River duringhigh water, which is somewhat adventuresome, but I'll hold that for another date. Keep upthe good life.

from Bob "Bear" Beck

ALS gets $1500 from TWA golfersThanks in part to your notices in TARPA we had a large turnout for the 27 th Annual TWABearly Open Golf Tournament. 85 Pilots and sons, showed up and raised $1500, withthe help of our TWA cabin attendants in the Beer carts.

This years winners:

1S t placeGary HrubyJimmy AdamsRick Molinario

2nd placeWendell RoneBrent RoneTom Hammack

3rd placeJerry HealyRod BentsonPaul Palmer

Derby winnersJohn HardingJ. T. HardingJack Machette

See you next October for the 28 th Bearly.

Bob lives at Lake Quivira, KS, so that must be where the golf was played. Not manytournaments can boast about 27 straight years and you know that ALS certainly appreciatesthe help. Who would have thought that Wendell Rone could swing a golf stick?

Bob also notes that he has many relatives in Hughson, CA, which is just a goodalmond throw from me. GR

From Teddy Holden

My husband, Verl Holden, passed away on November 3. Although I was offered a freemembership, I know Verl would want me to pay the Eagle membership fee, and I do wishto continue receiving the TARPA magazine


Cont'd

ONE WHO DRIVES WHENHE'S BEEN DRINKIN'DEPENDS ON YOUTO DO HIS THINKIN'Burma Shave

From Norm Cook

Thought you might enjoy seeing this photo of Jud Goodspeed taken at the tip of thePalos Verdes Peninsula during the Whalewatch season. (You can tell by the hat, he hasn'tforgotten TWA.)

For the last 16 years Jud, along with other members of Whalewatch, has worked onthe annual whale census, counting the whale population as it travels from Alaska to Mexicoand back each winter. He's been a guide, as well, on the local Whalewatch boats.

Jud also works as a docent at the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium here in San Pedro, pa-tiently guiding school children around the aquarium one day a week. Recently he won theMargie Frank Award, which I've been told is the aquarium's equivalent of the Oscar's Life-time Achievement Award.

From Derrell Merrill

Thank you for taking over the job Of"Grapevine Editor". I enjoyed the "flyingboats of World War II article by DaveRichwine. I flew co—pilot for many PBY pi-lots and I believe that Frank Timosheck flewa "Mars" at the end of the War.A surprise attack on the Naval base at

Ceylon by the rampaging Japanese fleet wasfoiled by a Canadian PBY's radio report.They were shot down, with half of the crewbeing killed and the others captured, butthey denied sending off a radio—alert to theBritish base. Subsequently, the Hurricaneswere ready for them and put up a good fight.Churchill honored these brave PBY crew-men for preventing a "British Pearl Harbor.As an ex—fighter pilot (F—102 ), I thought

105 knots for fifteen hours would not be mycup of tea, but have since changed my mind.Three years ago, we fell in with a small groupof airline pilots that fly Cessna 185's on am-phibious floats. We take three to six aircraftand fly around Montana, Northern Idahoand British Columbia. We camp out on thebeaches, fish, etc.. Having both water andland capabilities, we have more options incase of forced landings, as well as being ableto land on airports to get 100 octane fuel,avoid rough water landings and moorings.The aircraft are slow (105—120 knots in

cruise) look ungainly on land, have high in-surance rates, high maintenance, etc, butprovide a unique flying experience. Aboutthe most fun that you can have with yourclothes on.During the Summer, we keep our plane

on a ramp in front of our home on FlatheadLake. It makes a great `lawn ornament' andit is convenient to be airborne in ten min-utes to fly to a lake or river playground. (pic-ture enclosed)Joyce and I Chartered the "Far West"

cruise boat for a party for all of our friendsand neighbors that were retired or wantedto be retired. Of the 6o that attended, sevenwere TWA captains, In the picture, they arefrom left to right: Tom Maher, John Zaeske,Larry Ashcraft, Pat "Hap" Smith, RayRussell, Dick Immel and Darrell Merrill.Over 95 pilots from different airlines livein the Whitefish, Big Fork, Lakeside andGlacier Park area of Northwestern Mon-tana, at least part time.I cherish the good times and the good

people of TWA, but I don' t miss the lastfifteen years of broken promises and shat-tered dreams. But all of that is runway be-hind us and we all are trying to live for to-day and tomorrow by having as much funas possible, before that final `flight west'.


Cont'd

DON'T LOSE YOUR HEADTO SAVE A MINUTEYOU NEED YOUR HEADYOUR BRAINS ARE IN ITBurma Shave

Good to hear from you Darrell. Guess what? I was a PBY pilot too. Spent two years flyingaround Asia and between Japan and Korea during the Korean War. Nice to look back on butat the time I remember them as cold in the winter, hot in the summer and a wet cockpit afterwater takeoffs. At one time I held a dubious record for popping 22 hull rivets on a waterlanding. GR

From Bill Dixon

Looking back into my memories of early TWA, I shall never forget the mosquitoesinhabiting Newark, New Jersey Airport in the late 1940s.

I flew into there as a copilot on DC—3 cargo planes from Kansas City and we wereproud of our fair—sized, aggressive Missouri mosquitoes, especially those in the Ozarks, butNewark's were somethingelse.

After sitting out all night on the mosquito infected airport --it was surrounded byswamps -- we would have to open the cockpit windows on takeoff early the next morning tosuck out dozens of the huge insects. The story around the airport was that the males thoughtthey could mate with the DC—3s! They were big, mean, flying devils, and when they bit you,you knew it. Some felt the big nightly influx were female mosquitoes, thinking the DC—3'swere super—studs!

Today's pilots don't know what pioneering is!

Notes and letters enclosed with dues and sent to

Rufus Mosley

From George Tittinger

Enclosed find cheque for my dues, and a little bit more. The memories that TARPATOPICS evoke are worth so much more than this small sum; and, when I think of all the hardwork so many do to bring this magazine to us.

Might have paid my dues just to read the article by Dave Richwine in this issue; but donot tell Dave, he might decide he is an author and write more.

And, I want to wish you and yours, a Happy, Healthy, Holiday Season.

From Jack Mateer

Just a short note to let you know that we left Sparta, NJ, after 33 years! Moved to Goodyear,AZ, and am renting in Pebble Creek until our home is built here in approximately 6 months.As noted, only our address will change.


Cont'd

PASSING CARSWHEN YOU CAN'T SEEMAY GET YOU AGLIMPSEOF ETERNITYBurma Shave

From Katie Buchanan

May we all remember the meaning of Christmas, especially this year when or world is sotroubled. May we each pray in our own way for peace and love to be restored to our beautifullife, here on earth. May we show kindness to our family, neighbors and friends this is my wishto you for the holiday season. God bless.

From Laurie Woollett

Since I retired I have been doing some volunteer work (non—flying) with an interna-tional relief organization called Food for the Hungry International (FHI). I got involved withthem when my daughter was working for them in Rwanda and the Congo. She asked if Iwould come over to the Congo in 1997 and help her for a few months. Couldn't say no to mydaughter so I ended up spending 3 months in the Congo. A town called Goma right on theRwanda/Congo border. In 1999 they asked if I would go over to Albania to help with therefugee situation so I spent 6 weeks there then, when the bombing stopped, moved over intoKosovo. I spent 6 months their helping to rehabilitate houses.

In the spring of 2000, and again in the spring of 2001, I went over to Mozambique tohelp in getting food to displaced people after bad flooding, and this fall they asked me tocome to Tajikistan and Northern Afghanistan to help with the war refugees. At first we hadplanned to help displaced people but by the time I got here the war front had moved south sofast that all the displaced persons along the Tajik/Afghan border went gone home so we areworking with the Afghans who live in Northern Afghanistan. These people have sufferedfrom a bad earthquake, war, and now a 3 year drought.

We are doing work supplying clothing for the winter and then agriculture/irrigationrehabilitation this spring. I haven't flown an airplane since I retired in 1996 and haven'tmissed it a bit.

The only Atlantic crossings I have made as crew has been delivering yachts (twice).They each took 14 days instead of 5 hours. I have really been too busy doing this work whichis very satisfying. My co—workers often point me out saying, "see that guy, he used to drive a747 and now he drives a Russian made truck. " 747's sure were easier to drive.

Keep up the good fight for our rights and don't let the bastards get you down.

I thought airline flying was an adventure but some people save the best for last. I've nevermet Laurie but I sure want to. GR

From Ron Rubler

Here are my dues. What a wonderful investment. Have a very merry and enjoy your retire-ment. This is a memo from a great airline. (Written on the yellow memo pad that we allremember so well.) GR


Cont'd

HANDS ON THE WHEELEYES ON THE ROADTHAT'S THE SKILLFULDRIVERS CODEBurma Shave

From Jean E. Urbus

Thanks to everyone at TARPA—Adolph's article was so very nice. How could I get asecond copy for American Airline captain Bob Urbas? I sure miss Adolph. I think even hewould be surprised at the depth of my missing him. I've always felt so grateful to TARPA forDAP. That would have been gone.

I still sell real estate and buzz around in our 172. just got TPAS—Now I know howmany airplanes are out there around me on a beautiful Sunday afternoon.

I'm also treasurer of the 99's till next August. Thank God for computers to keep thosedues, addresses, etc. straight

Most sincerely,Jean E Urbas

From Robert D. McMillan

On reading Bill Dixon's 41 years of memories, I thought about my career with TWA. I was in the First SKYSCOUT TROOP, which was sponsored by TWA in 1936 and went to work for TWA as an office boy. I deliveredmail to Bill at 10 Richard's Road, KC.MO I moved into dispatch office and started to learn to be a link instruc-tor. In 1941, when TWA was given the contract to train Bush Pilots for the British Ferry Command I went toAlbuquerque, with the EAGLE NEST FLIGHT SCHOOL until May of 1942 when the Army took over the school.

I then returned to Kansas City for a few months, then was sent to NY as the Eastern Region Chief LinkInstructor. In 1943 I flew as copilot in NY, 1944 I left TWA and obtained the approved school rating for AirwayFlight Service, Kansas City, Missouri, and was flight director until I had my arm broken by a bad ignitionswitch on a Ryan PT 1 7. During that time I was teaching instrument flying for commercial pilots and sendingthem to TWA. As I was about to get married I returned to TWA in Flight Dispatch and was dispatcher inKansas and NY until my retirement in 1983 .

I joined Civil Air Patrol; USAF Auxiliary December 1, 1941 in Albuquerque, NM and then was withMissouri, New York and Kansas Wings in various assignments. In 1985 we moved to Texas. I have been withthe Texas Wing of CAP since. I am presently Director of Safety for the State and my wife is Public AffairsOfficer for the state. She is also a private pilot. We have two programs on Time Warner Cable TV (one programis for CAP.) We both still work a 70 hr week and enjoy it immensely. DON 'T EVER RETIRE!

With fond memories of TWA and the wonderful life it gave us we still work with aviation. I still wantto see airliners with the AMERICAN/TRANS WORLD AIRLINES logo on them—in the sky.

Robert D. McMillan, Lieutenant Colonel, CAPDirector of SafetyTexas Wing Headquarters


Cont'd

AROUND THE CURVELICKITY—SPLITIT'S A BEAUTIFUL CARWASN'T ITBurma Shave

From Thelma M. Dyer

Enclosed is my check for 2002 dues. I am the spouse of Capt. J Willard Dyer. I aminterested in all your efforts toward TARPA. Chic's payroll #24063. Thank you.

From Ev Green

Thanks for all you work. It appears TARPA is alive & well for now, even though we are anendangered species. We will keep the TWA name alive.

From Francis A. Harland

We are all sad for the passing of TWA as an operating airline. We still have thousandsworking. Many thousands of retirees still have passes—also thousands with medical. With-out AA's help there would be thousands walking the street looking for a job in a market glut-ted with layed off airline employees.

From Gordon Hargis

This is just a "cover sheet" for my check. Do have a request, though. Since I'll be 8o on12—25—01 should I "go west" during `02 request the last 2 or 3 BULLetins be sent to my sonPhillip E Hargis. He will get my 20 year collection of bulletins.

It was hard to give up flying, but I 've done it. Last flight was C—172 FTW—NATCHEZ-FTW for my 60th high school reunion.(request duly noted)

From John Malandro, Navigator

Age 79 has come and gone, I'm now awaiting the big 80. My health is still well enoughthat aging is relative only to the calendar. Please note that my dues contribution refuses toacknowledge Eagle status. While visiting Alaska last year, I saw a few Eagles and havedecided that I'd rather be a Falcon. Or maybe an Owl but I can't stay up that late any more.

Staying busy brings me the pleasure of looking forward to most days. I get them oneat a time, so I live them as they come. I teach computers at our local college in the Senior Edprogram. Also serve as a docent at a nearby Air museum. In between those I do a bit ofengineering drafting for local steel fabricators. Keeps me in pocket change and off the streets.

I've recently enrolled my son John in TARPA. His name is the same as mine, JohnW. Malandro Jr. His status is MD80 Captain with TWA LLC. So I guess you should havesomeone add a Sr. after my name and a Jr. after his when you revise the TARPA roster. Iguess I'm making the differentiation to keep the sheriffs and police after the correctMalandro rapscallion.

Life is kind. I think we are aging well. My bride still spoils me rotten and I reassure


Cont'd

A GUY WHO DRIVESA CAR WIDE OPENIS NOT THINKIN'

HE'S JUST HOPIN'Burma Shave

her I deserve every bit of it. Mostly it's those Pecan pies and Cheese cakes that keep her inmy good graces. Now if I can get this letter in the envelope before she reads what I've justwritten.

Keep up the good work, I read the TARPA Topics cover to cover while nostalgia justfills my cup to the brim. The only part I read with sadness is the Flown West section. 1 flew onTWA's International routes in Connies with the most capable pilots, bar none! In each issueI find one more old friend has taken that last long trip west.

My very best to all of my old friends from TWA.

From Bud Powell

Enclosed is my check for the dues for 2002. You guys are doing so well I would notdare to cut my dues payment. I hope TARPA will go on for ever. The new issue is a great one.Keep up the great work. My utmost respect.

From Darrell Merrill

All is going well here on Flathead Lake in Montana.The last gasp is gone from old TWA — not encouraged in regard to "American " but

appreciate the medical.Do you remember my room—mate form Craig AFB, George W McKellar? Well, I wrote

to him about trying to help us get reduced rates. George is past Chief Pilot and is presentlythe president of American's Gray Eagles. He said that they would do all that they can, how-ever, he is not encouraged by a long history with their Human Relations department. Takecare—happy holidays.

From June and Leo McFarland

Thank all for the past years enjoyment derived from the TARPA magazine; the his-tory, current updates, interesting experiences—all resurrection wonderful memories.

I thoroughly enjoy reading each and every one to Leo and look forward to the continu-ance of TARPA—surely on of the wonderful condiments for our "mature years."

From John Schulte

Thanks Rufus for all the work you will be doing as secretary/treasurer for TARPA.I retired at the end of 1987. We sold everything we possessed and moved west in 1988.

We ended up in Las Vegas, purchased a building lot, designed and built our home and startedto teach the locals how to play poker.

My wife is in poor health so we do not go out anymore. Thanks again, Rufus.


Cont'd

CAUTIOUS RIDERTO RECKLESS DEARLET'S HAVE LESS BULLAND LOTS MORE STEERBurma Shave

From Dick Grod

You're enjoying retirement I'm sure — I am — lots of golf, Harley riding, and justkicking back. I'm real glad I don't have to put up with this American deal. A few friends stillflying aren't very happy to finish their last couple of years dealing with the mess. Oh well,good luck and enjoy.

From Frank Ruege, Jr.

Just a note—my dad is now living in Naples, FL, He is 84 years young—would love to hearfrom fellow crew members.

Frank Ruege1000 Arbor Lake Dr Apt 235

Naples, FL 34110

From Lew Bevan

Here is my dues for 2002. Have a good year. I'm trying to keep up with the TWA news thruSenior Club and web site. Seems that retirees are just suppose to fade away. We have a nicegroup here in South West Florida. I'll see a few at our xmas party.

From Louis Barr

As an eagle I know my dues are only $30, but I thought I'd kick in a few extra bucks

From Carol Fallucco

Thank you for the article about Sal. What a huge contribution he make to the airline industry.We miss him terribly.

From Le Butler

Just a note to let you know I appreciate the work you are doing for TARPA! I feel so bad for allthe board members for having to cancel the convention. I know it had to be done. Oh for thegood of days when we worried about simple things , ie, crew scheduling. Keep up your posi-tive attitude. God Bless America!

From the preceding comments it appears that no one

wants TARPA TOPICS or TARPA to do anything but just

keep pluggin' along. Well, it works for me. GR


CHECKITUS

byBlack Dog Davis

"Look up at the overhead panel," the check captain orders. "What do you see?" "Things.""What about a little red guard?" "Got it." "What's under it?" "A switch." "If you actuate it,what happens?" "Water squirts down on the captain's forehead and wakes him up."

The response to this witticism is a glare. The climb to eight thousand feet only takes a jiffy."Give me a simulated auto approach." Select frequency and monitor airspeed. Descent,and the thrust levers move steadily to relevant positions. Flaps. As they travel out anddownward the airplane lurches up slightly, and the yoke begins shaking. A sharp vibratorysound fills the cockpit. "What's that?" the check captain yells. "What's that?" "I guess it'smy stomach. I should have shied away from the garlic last night."

Adam Wycliffe woke up with a start. Same dream, always the same dream, and he alwaysforgets to adjust the air speed. Adam knows why. It 's a warning, a subconscious happen-ing that makes him fully aware of his affliction - Acute Chronic Checkitus. The plague hasbeen with him for twenty years. Twenty years, that is, since the drastic Buddy Club shakeup.

When he first went with The Company, instrument and line checks were sort of like visit-ing. He didn't just jump in the cockpit and start yaking. He engaged in a bit of research inadvance of each period if the session was with a pilot he hadn't flown with before. Thisinvolved a brief discussion with someone who had. It wasn't only, "What kind of a guy ishe?" He wanted specifics - mainly his interests and activities when he wasn't aloft.

"You say that Bledsoe is a farmer?" "Yep. I had a ride with him last week and he had justbought a brand new John Deere tractor. That's all he talked about the whole trip. You wantthe specs? I could tear one down and put it back together again.

Adam went to a farm equipment outlet and picked up some John Deere literature andmemorized the contents.

"Captain, is yours the one with that new synchromesh transmission? Launched. Everytime Captain Bledsoe would start to wind down Adam would bring up a particular andthey were off and running. "Nice trip," Captain Bledsoe said at the end of the trip. "Keepup the good work."

"Bridge?" "You didn't know? Contract player. Wins tournaments. Take along a deck ofcards." Adam rushed down to the library and spent hours studying the rudiments of thegame. Right after takeoff he looked over at the check captain and said, "Auction neverappealed to you?" That's all it took. By the time they got home he had acquired a fullknowledge of bridge, a game he loathed, and a severe headache.

It wasn't all smooth sailing. When he got wind of Captain Muncy's prime diversion henearly called in sick. "What?" "That's right. Harmonize. And when you step into that cock-pit that'll be the first thing he'll ask you, `do you harmonize?' and you better by God come


up with an affirmative enthusiastic "YES! And if you want to pass the check ride withflying colors tell him it's your main hobby." "But I can't even carry a tune." "Doesn't mat-ter. He blasts away so loud the passengers in the rear can hear him. Don't worry about thelyrics just make some kind of racket.

Adam had two round trips with Captain Muncy, and since he wanted desperately to passthe check ride, engaged heartily in all the vocals. After the last ride, Captain Muncy pattedhim chummily on the back and said, "If you get bumped back to copilot bid my flight andwe can do it all over again." Adam knew he would not lose a wink of sleep over this pro-jected arrangement because if it did happen he would bid out of the domicile.

Instrument checks were pleasant and even enjoyable. Those pilots endowed with this su-pervisory position were top of the list granddaddies. They were mellow, patient and kind."What would like to do today? I don't want to be too hard on you."

Adam's favorite was a real old-timer who sold real estate on the side. His preamble wasunique. As they moved away from the ramp (especially on the first ride with the gentle-man) he said, "I can tell taxiing out if a pilot has what it takes. We got to get the time inthough, so might as well take it aloft. I want to look at some property north of town any-

,way.

Then there was Captain Wesley, a true nonconformist. Adam asked around. "What's hisangle? How do I prepare?" "There's no preparation. He'll do most of the flying and youmight even be amazed and even entertained."

After leveling off Captain Wesley looked over at Adam and said, "What do you want to do,fly or visit? If you don 't want to practice I 've got my annual duty to perform. " Adam, totallypuzzled, said, "OK by me. Better get it out of the way." In minutes they were at deck leveland approaching an aux-military field that was used for training. Captain Wesley was scan-ning the terrain adjacent to the field and suddenly issued a firm command: "Land."

On the approach and touchdown Adam noticed a mature stand of corn edging up to withina few feet of the taxi strips. For the next thirty minutes, and at Captain Wesley 's insistence,"Move it over! Move it over! You've got plenty of slab!" Adam guided the airplane aroundthe perimeter taxi strip with the starboard prop cutting a flawless arc two-thirds of theway up the corn stalks. He was speechless and Captain Wesley gave him an impatient lookand said, "Well?" Adam gulped and said, "Pretty damn impressive I'd say."

But the idyllic period was drawing to a close. He was scheduled for one more instrumentcheck before the new regime moved in and that would be like a swan song. Knowing thatthis specter was hovering and ready to pounce had put him in a traumatic state. Rumorshad filtered through the system from other domiciles where the vast change had alreadytaken place, and the alien procedures the "students" were being subjected to had causedhis mind to reel. He was having a good deal of trouble concentrating.

Since he had not flown with Captain Pegler before he still proceeded with his researcheffort. He was building a house on some acreage in the suburbs and was about halfway


along. Walking out to the airplane Adam said, "Understand you're in the throes of houseconstruction." "Throes is right. My first and last." Captain Pegler said. "You being diddledby a general contractor or are you subletting?" "Oh, subletting. I pick and choose and I'mgoing to save thirty or forty percent. "

It was like opening the coffers of a dam. Captain Pegler's rhetoric didn't even includepunctuation. He covered the whole effort in one garbled blast. Pausing to catch his breathhe managed a concise sentence. "I'd like to check on the roofers if you don't mind, and wecan do a little air work afterwards." "Suits me," Adam said. "I'd like to see your placeanyway."

Captain Pegler performed several forty-five degree banks around the construction siteand slid the window back once and stuck his head out for a few seconds. "Still got a way togo. Shakes all over the place. Big waste." He glanced at his watch. "Say, I got anotherinstrument check. We better do something. Feather a prop.

After throttling back Adam reached up andtapped the red button and the blades cameto a halt. During the maneuvers with noneed to concentrate on air work, he haddwelt on his dismal future and the initialqualms of the grim malady to be had dulledhis senses. He barely heard Captain Peglersay, "Unfeather it and let's get back." Stillcontemplating the horrors of his next ridehe reached up and punched the other but-ton. When the vibration stopped it wasdead quiet. Captain Pegler appeared to be

in shock and the only thing that Adam could think of to say was, "Check list" This broughtthe captain back to full consciousness and he mumbled, "Hope we got a hot battery. Noproblem there and when the props started churning he grabbed the controls and said, "Ibetter fly this leg and what say we keep this little happening on the QT? "

Even though Adam's next instrument check was a year away a line check was right aroundthe corner. Prior to this initial engagement he had commenced his usual preliminary."What about Cameron?" The "student" had just gotten in from his first encounter andappeared to be shaken. "What do you mean? What about him?" "Did you visit? Any hob-bies? Pastimes? You know, like the Old Guys." "Like the Old Guys. Hah!" "Doesn't he eventalk?"

"Talk? He never shuts up. The pre-flight oral was transferred right up to the cockpit. Nothingyou do is right. We had instruments into La Guardia and he blabbed the whole time. I hadto keep asking approach control to repeat. And remember, it's his way or no way.

Adam felt a chill. "What's this pre-flight oral bit?" "When your scheduled you'll get a notein your mail box requesting that you arrive at the airport an hour and a half before depar-ture so he can see how much you know." "Did you pass?" "Who knows?"


Numbness and a great surge of Checkitus attacked Adams entire system. As usual hot andcold flashes began and then his sweat glands began to generate. This was followed up withvertigo and a need to sit down and weep.

The torture had begun almost immediately. Cameron spent a good five minutes arrangingmanuals, charts and unfamiliar looking documents on top of the table. Adam had a sud-den brain cloud and the paraphernalia became a fortress with the snouts of huge cannonspointing directly at him. During the interim he fantasized what would be a novel responseto whatever Cameron would lay on him.

"You don't seem to be very familiar with the contents of these manuals." "Do tell." "Do youconsider yourself competent to execute the duties that are required in the cockpit of acommercial airliner?" "Hell no." "What do you suggest I do about it?" "Get lost."

Adam was shaken out of his reverie when he realized that Cameron had made eye contactand folded his hands in front of him. "I assume that you are familiar with the contents ofthese manuals, but over a period of time I've accumulated a good deal of facts, pertinent tothe operation, that are touched on lightly in the book or not at all." Adam tasted old pen-nies.

For the rest of his life if there were any pronouncements or statements that would staywith him forever, it was, "Do you know that ...? Or, "Are you aware of ...? The oral lastedthe full hour and a half and he didn't, "Know that ... or was "Aware of hardly any of it. Hedid a lot of nodding and the only thing he could think of to say when there was the usualpause after the "know that" and the "aware of' was, "I didn't know that, thanks."

During the first hour of the line check there was silence and Adam figured held have oneshot at a "visit". "Where do you live?" The ensuing quietude lasted a full minute and thenCameron said, "Are you going to bother tuning in the next station?"

Dwelling on the infinite number of check rides that he would have to be subjected to be-fore his retirement date began to get to him physically. There were the usual symptoms,constipation and the opposite, insomnia, and of course, gas but a new one popped up inthe form of a rash. Itching and burning were the chief symptoms and pubescent eruptionsbegan to appear on his face. He visited a dermatologist and after a brief examination thefirst words he uttered were, "Are you under some kind of stress?"

Adam had definitely planned to weather the ordeals and make it to retirement age butwith his health starting to deteriorate he began to reconsider. When he started experienc-ing dizzy spells he decided to have a chat with the chief pilot and maybe call it quits.

The door to the chief pilot's office was open and Adam could see him at his desk. He was onthe phone so Adam found a chair and sat down. He began to ponder whether on not his re-quest would be the right move when his name was called out from the inner sanctum."Wycliffe, been trying to get a hold of you. Step in here a moment. Got an offer you can'trefuse. Grab a chair and see if this appeals to you. Adam sat down, nervously wonderingwhat was about to be proffered.


"We're losing our check pilots. Cameron 's going uptown and Byron is already on his way torun the International Division. You've got the seniority and if you're interested there's apay raise guarantee and you can pick your flights. Have to know right now. " Adam wastransfixed. His first clear thought was to ask for a repeat. How could his luck have changedso radically for the better? The chief pilot began to fidget. "Gotta know right now."Heaven. The pay raise was substantial and it was goodbye red eye and no departures be-fore noon. His health improved immediately and the sandman was providing him witheight to ten hours of deep slumber every night. Check pilot fretting was history. Also, the"substantial" gave him extra funds to play the stock market, something he had alwayswanted to get involved in, but never had the extra funding for that kind of investment. Hewent whole hog, attended seminars, purchased volumes of financial publications and wason every stock market mailing list. Alongside his nav kit in the cockpit was a brief case thatwould be snapped open during a ground delay or a tediously long flight. With knitted browand pursed lips Adam would intently peruse some document, occasionally shaking hishead or nodding.

After a few months of enjoying his new role of check pilot and investor, he was assigned apilot he had never checked before. His name was Jack Mullins and as they were readingthe checklist the cockpit door opened and an agent advised them that there would be ashort delay due to baggage transfer. Mullins opened his nav kit and withdrew some mar-ket reports. Adam looked over and said, "What do you have there?" "These are yesterdays.I got up too early to check the numbers this morning but I picked up some dope on theradio on the way to the airport." "You did?" Adam said, as something strangely familiarbegan to infiltrate his brain. "IBM.'s holding steady. Airlines are down. I won't even men-tion Silicon Valley. I'm thinking of going for the money market until there's some action."

Adam looked out of his side window and had mixed emotions.

PILOTS

You see them at airport terminals around the world. You see them in the morning early,sometimes at night. They come neatly uniformed and hatted, sleeves striped; they showup looking fresh. There's a brisk, young-old look of efficiency about them.

They arrive fresh from home, from hotels, carrying suitcases, battered briefcases, bulging,with a wealth of technical information, data, filled with regulations, rules.

They know the new, harsh sheen of Chicago's O'Hare. They know the cluttered approachesto Newark; they know the tricky shuttle that is Rio; they know, but do not relish, threadingthe needle into Hong Kong.

They respect foggy San Francisco. They know the up-and-down walk to the gates at Dallas,the Texas sparseness of Abilene, the Berlin Corridor, New Orleans' sparking terminal, themilling crowds at Washington. They know Butte, Boston, and Beirut. They appreciateMiami's perfect weather; they recognize the danger of an ice-slick runway at JFK.

They understand about short runways, antiquated fire equipment, inadequate approachlighting, but there is one thing they will never comprehend: complacency.


They remember the workhorse efficiency of theDC-3 's, the reliability of the DC- 4 's and DC-6 's,the trouble with the DC-7's. They discuss thebeauty of an old gal named Connie. They recog-nize the high shrill whine of a Viscount, the rum-bling thrust of a DC-8 or 707. And a Convair.

They speak a language unknown to Webster. Theydiscuss ALPA, EPR's, fans, mach and bogie swiv-els. And, strangely, such things as bugs, thump-ers, crickets, and CATs, but they are inclined to

change the subject when the uninitiated approaches.

They have tasted the characteristic loneliness of the sky, and occasionally the adrenalineof danger. They respect the unseen thing called turbulence; they know what it means tofight for self-control, to discipline one's senses.

They buy life insurance-but make no concession to the possibility of complete disaster, forthey have uncommon faith in themselves and what they are doing.

They concede that the glamour is gone from flying. They deny that a man is through atsixty. They know that tomorrow, or the following night, something will come along thatthey have never met before; they know that flying requires perseverance. They know thatthey must practice, lest they retrograde.

They realize why some wit once quipped: "Flying is year after year of monotony punctu-ated by seconds of stark terror."

As a group, they defy mortality tables, yet approach semi-annual physical examinationswith trepidation. They are individualistic, yet bonded together. They are family men, yetrated poor marriage bets. They are reputedly overpaid, yet entrusted with equipment worthmillions. And entrusted with lives, countless lives.

At times they are reverent: They have watched the Pacific sky turn purple at dusk. Theyknow the twinkling, jeweled beauty of Los Angeles at night; they have seen snow up on theRockies.

They remember the vast unending mat of green Amazon jungle, the twisting silver roadthat is the father of Waters, an ice cream cone called Fujiyama. And the hump of Africa.

They have watched a satellite streak across a starry sky, seen the clear, deep blue of thestratosphere, felt the incalculable force of the heavens.

They have marveled at sun-streaked evenings, dappled earth, velvet night; spun silverclouds, sculptured cumulus: God's weather. They have viewed the Northern Lights, a wil-derness of sky; a pilot's halo, a bomber's moon, horizontal rain, contrails and St Elmo'sFire.

They have learned to accept these challenge in everyday, they have realized a completeremoval from earthy attachments, and they have reveled in a sense of high suspension.Only a pilot experiences all these. It is their world.

Submitted by Gary Huss and Mal Yarke


IN MEMORY OF

CAPTAIN ADOLPH MATHEW URBAS

JUNE 22, 1915 - JANUARY 24, 2001

Born June 22nd, 1915 in Youngstown, Ohio to Austrian immigrants, Mathew Urbas andFrances Rapus, Adolph Mathew Urbas passed away on January 24, 2001 at RockfordMemorial Hospital (Illinois), with his family at his side. Adolph suffered during much ofhis life from ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, enduring intravenous feeding for sevenyears and dialysis during the last seven months. Undaunted by that and other struggles,he nonetheless lived a vigorous and courageous life filled with the joy of flying.

Adolph's first airplane was a Travelaire that he and Clarence Graether, who later becamean FAA accident investigator, owned. George Tabraham, their high school machine shopteacher, loaned them $500 to purchase the plane, made it a class project to make it flyable,and then turned it over to them. The Depression forced Adolph to join a CivilianConservation Corps camp near Trout Lake in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Most ofhis meager earnings were sent home to support his parents. But when he returned home,


he discovered his parents had saved all of that money. They gave it to him to continue hisflying career. He had started to take as many lessons as he could afford while he was in anaeronautical program at Cass Technical High School in Detroit. In 1933, at the tender ageof 18, he soloed in a 1929 Waco with an OX5 90 HP engine. Adolph was always very proudof his early OX5 number: 10 11.

Very early in his career, he taught flying from dawn to dusk, seven days a week, at theTriangle and Wayne County airports near Detroit. That 's where a TWA scout found him,and he was hired on August 1, 1940. Adolph flew DC2s, DC3s, and DC4s on a Deltainterchange and on international over the Alps, and Martin 404s. By 1950, he flew all ofthe dolphin sleek tri tailed Constellations on domestic and international routes to Europeand the Middle East as a Captain. He had checked out in less than 2 years. During 1

954,Adolph broke a speed record flying a Lockheed Constellation between Lisbon and NewYork, which still stands today. By the time of his retirement in 1974, he was flying the fourengine Convair 88o jetliner.

Adolph also maintained and flew his own planes: first a Stinson Voyager Station Wagon,later a Cessna 182, and finally a Cessna 172 owned with his son Bob, which his wife Jean,a private pilot, continues to fly. He taught his son, an American Airlines pilot, and hisdaughter, an environmental lawyer and champion rower, to fly. Adolph supported andinspired his wife to fly. Several months before his death, on a mutually satisfying flight,Adolph landed his little Cessna softly and said to Jean, "This is one of the last good flyingdays."

Although he had lived in Medinah, Illinois since 1957, when he retired Adolph built ahouse on Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, where he enjoyed many years of boating, tennis anddownhill skiing.

As a TWA Captain, Adolph was dedicated to furthering the careers of the co pilots whoflew with him. Many of those pilots have written to us to express their gratitude and to tellus that he was always helpful and a great joy to fly with. No other compliment would havemeant more to Adolph. We miss him every day. by Jean, Bob andSusan

IN MEMORY OF

RICHARD HELLAR

MAY 11, 1913 — DECEMBER 24, 2001

IN MEMORY OF

CAPTAIN PAUL F. RATHERT

JULY 7, 1923 - NOVEMBER 16, 2001


IN MEMORY OF

CAPTAIN VERL M. HOLDEN

JUNE 21, 1922 - NOVEMBER 3, 2001

Verl Holden, a long-time resident of Los Altos, died on November 3. He was 79 years old.

Holden, a retired veteran of 35 years as a pilot with TWA, was born in Oklahoma City. Hejoined the Army Air Corps in 1941, and graduated Class 43-A from George Field, IL. AfterC46 training and duty in North Africa, Holden requested a transfer to ICD, and was trans-ferred to Luliang, China, where he flew the "Hump" through the rest of WWII.

After separation from the military in 1946, Holden began his commercial flying careerwith TWA, progressing from DC-3 to B-747 over his career, and flying both internationaland domestic assignments. In 1948, Holden took a six-month leave of absence from thecompany and returned to active military duty, in order to fly the Berlin Airlift. He com-pleted over loo missions before the end of the blockade.

Among his many interests were photography, golf, and a life-long love of jazz music. Hewas also an avid Bay Area sports enthusiast.Holden is survived by his wife of 51 yearsHelen ("Teddy"), his two sons, Clayton and Brent, Brent's wife Cheryl, their two sons Trevorand Hunter and his two sisters, Gladys Sigman of Ardmore, OK and Ex'Mae Naylor ofDallas, TX. by Teddy Holden

IN MEMORY OF

CAPTAIN JOHN J. KIEFFER

JUNE 4, 1910 - DECEMBER 17, 2001

IN MEMORY OF

HARRY W. JOHNSON

DECEMBER 9, 1919 - DECEMBER 19, 2001


IN MEMORY OF

CAPTAIN NESTOR PETLAK

DECEMBER 29, 1934 - OCTOBER 14, 2001

Nestor Petlak died peacefully in his home at Danien Connecticut on October 14, 200 1. Hiswife Manuela survives him. I was privileged to speak at his memorial service. These arethe words I said.

It was a cold winters night in the mid ninteen thirties. With only two days left before NewYears Eve a cold Canadian winter had descended across Saskatchewan with all its fury.There were rumblings of war in Europe and the remnants of the great depression still leftits mark on the Canadian west. It was on this blustery winter night that Nestor began hisJourney through life. Twenty two years later as a young 19 year old flight cadet, I wasassigned to a two year flight training school as part of my Officer Training for the RoyalCanadian Air Force. Our heroes there were the cool, confident and chauvinistic youngflight instructors who would guide and mold us for the next two years. Nestor was one ofthese instructors.

After three Years as a flight instructor Nestor was assigned to the VIP transport squadronin Ottawa. Their mission was to transport the Canadian Prime Minister and high rankinggovernment officials. The Canadian equivalent to Air Force One. After six year in the RCAFNestor received an appointment to the Department of Transportion as an aviation inspec-tor. He was given his own government issued air plane and flew around the country in-specting and evaluating aviation facilities and issuing pilots licenses. After three years ofthis the airlines beckoned and Nestor headed south.

It was in September 1964 that I found myself sitting next to Nestor in a Pilot New Hireclass at TWA. That was the beginning of a long and close friendship. Soon after, Nestorwould meet the love of his life, Manuela a TWA flight attendant and a thirty-year loveaffair was the result. Nestor went on to fly and Captain every airplane that TWA flew. Hewas a man's man, an avid skier, golfer and world traveler, but most of all he was a goodfriend. Always there when there was a need. Always cheerful. Always full of hope. Alwayswilling to listen. Always ready to help. How do you find words to praise such a life. Thispoem is a gift to my friend. by Neville Fryling


A piece of Life, Taken awayA vision of hope is gone todayNestor, Nestor, Come out and play.I can 't he said, I've gone away.

I've had this friend for forty years.We'd talk and laugh and have some beers.And ski and fly and feel life's tears.Nestor, Nestor, come out and play.He can 't come out, he's gone away.

Whenever I called he'd answer my plea,Whatever I needed, he'd be there for me.Nestor, Nestor, I know your free.But can't you come out and play with me.

He's taken a flight to see his God.He's flown where only angels trod.He wheeled and soared then left the earth.And we're left here to honor his birth.Nestor, Nestor, come out and play.There was no answer, he 's gone away.

Larry is there, and his mom and dad,And his sister and all of the heroes he had.At the head of the table pouring ChampagneIs the Captain himself and he's glad he came.Nestor, Nestor come out and play.There's only silence, he's gone away.

by Neville Fryling

IN MEMORY OF

JAMES R. SHERARD

FEBRUARY 13, 1923 - JUNE 9, 2001

Jim was born in Seattle, Washington on a date that he learned later from an autobiogra-phy by Chuck Yeager was also the birthday of the renowned test pilot. Growing up in thehome of Boeing Aircraft Company, Jim was drawn to the idea of being involved withairplanes. His mother complained of his taking over the dining room table to make hisairplane models which were mostly carved from balsa wood and some even flew.

After graduation from Queen Anne High School in 1940, just before United States ' entryinto WWII in 1941, he worked for American Express delivering messages via bicycle inthe heart of Seattle. A slight inheritance from his grandparents gave him a chance to go toa technical school in Spokane, Washington to learn to be an aircraft mechanic. He took ajob with Boeing Aircraft which was too boring and repetitive for an inquisitive mind. In1943 he took a job with Pan American Airlines as an aircraft mechanic thinking he wouldsoon be drafted into the military. But soon after that, Pan Am arranged for its employeesto be enlisted into the Navy Reserve; as PAA had many contracts with the government.He spent WWII with Pan Am as an aircraft mechanic in Seattle, Juneau, Anchorage,Fairbanks, and San Francisco. On a trip 50 years later with his wife, Barbara, and TARPA,he retraced his old haunts in Alaska and shared memories.

As he told it, thinking he would be drafted after the war was over, he went to the island ofWake with PAA. On returning no one was interested in drafting him. His last years withPan Am were spent in San Francisco where he met his wife, Barbara Trousdale, and settleddown in Redwood City for some four-years before joining TWA as a flight engineer. Bythis time they had two girls Lynn, 2, Nan, 6 weeks. The trip to Kansas City, where he wasto be trained as a flight engineer, took place in his 1949 Plymouth with a homemadewooden box filled with essentials on top and his family within, was quite an adventure.


After training he was assigned to New York and immediately to International flights whichwas a dream come true for him. Over the years, while in the home they bought in Oakdale,Long Island, three other children, Mary, Paul and Alice, were born.. Jim took flyinglessons at a local airport, courtesy of TWA and the Federal Feinsinger Report, preparedto insure a third man in the cockpit with piloting skills, This agreement was developedafter the light engineers struck to fight for their jobs. Jim achieved a commercial pilotlicense. After this, he returned to being a third person in the cockpit since his age pre-cluded his going on to become pilot and captain as some flight engineers were able to do.

Later, in his time off which was considerable, he added on to his house to accommodatehis growing family. He became an avid jogger when not working on his house. He ful-filled another dream when he purchased a telescope with which he, his family and friendsviewed the rings on Saturn, the moons on Jupiter, the craters on the moon and, at onetime, the collision of a comet into Jupiter. Astronomy: reading and viewing was his avo-cation. In later years, discussions with his son, a MS in Physics, on astronomy and phys-ics was a great pleasure. .

Jim retired in 1986 after 32 years with TWA. His plans to not retire until age 70, which hecould do as a flight engineer, changed when Icahn took over TWA and caused much al-most daily jogging in local parks until his feet insisted he slow down and then he walkedeach day always in a park. He actively maintained and patrolled various trails establishedby the Greenbelt Trail Conference in Suffolk County. Though his children have lived allover the country, his pass privileges with TWA allowed him and Barbara to visit themand their grandchildren often.

A good life: a grown family, six grandchildren, ages 19 to 21/2, (the 19 year old in collegestudying to be a pilot), a job he loved, an appreciation of the beauty of the earth and thesky, all add to our memory of him. by Barbara Trousdale Sherard

IN MEMORY OF

CAPTAIN JOHN W. NIVEN

NOVEMBER 1, 1914 - SEPTEMBER 9, 2001

IN MEMORY OF

BRUCE MCGLASSON

FEBRUARY 11, 1935 - AUGUST 31, 2001

IN MEMORY OF

CAPTAIN GEORGE SHANK

MAY 2, 1920 - SEPTEMBER 28, 2001


IN MEMORY OF

CAPTAIN THEOPHIEL H. WIDMAYER

NOVEMBER 19, 1918 — DECEMBER 18, 2001

Ted was born in Missouri, the second of 6 children His father was a German speakingMinister, so the family moved occasionally to parishes that needed him Ted grew up inMissouri, Iowa, North Dakota and Michigan where he graduated from high school. Hethen attended the University of Dubuque. His wanderlust took hold and he migrated toCalifornia, where he worked as a busboy and packing raisins for Sun Maid. With his savings,he purchased a 40 horsepower J-2 Cub and learned to fly.

When World War II began, he enlisted in the Army. In 1943 he was transferred to Phoenixwhere he was a pilot-instructor of Cadets in the Stearman biplane. This group ofThunderbird Pilots formed the "Last of the Helmet and Goggle Boys" and had reunions inArizona for many years. Some former Cadets and some of their offspring from Britain andTaiwan always attended.

After the war, Ted went with TWA for thirty-three years, based in Boston and New York,flying Domestic and International. He met his wife Jane Carque, a TWA Hostess in NewYork. They were married in 1947 and had 54 wonderful years together, during which time,they traveled extensively courtesy of TWA.

Ted was a Mr. Fixit. He loved fishing, music and his big vegetable garden, which heeventually had to give up. Ted had successfully battled lymphoma and prostate cancer,but Parkinson's finally grounded him, and from1999 on he became less and less mobile.He never complained about his lot even when he could do nothing for himself. He wastruly a gentleman and a gentle man who will be missed greatly by his family and friends.He leaves his wife, son Stephen and grandchildren, Michelle and Don.

by Jane Widmayer

IN MEMORY OF

CAPTAIN RONALD A. HECKMAN

JUNE 6, 1920 - DECEMBER 14, 2001


IN MEMORY OF

CAPTAIN JAMES A. MCINTYRE

OCTOBER 10, 1927 - NOVEMBER 19, 2001

Capt. James A. McIntyre, 74, formerly of Deerfield, NH, died Nov. 19, at the Elliot Hospi-tal in Manchester after a lengthy battle with lung disease. Born in Norwood, MA Oct. lo,1927. He lived most of his life in Deerfield, but recently moved to Waterville Valley. Hegraduated from LaSalle Academy in New York City in 1945 and was accepted as a Navy V-5 student attending Tufts College for two years of engineering studies prior to Navy flighttraining at NAS Pensacola, FL. He subsequently flew with the Pacific fleet and then re-turned to Columbia University to earn his degree.

Hired by Pan American World Airways in early 1952, he flew to Africa, South America andthe Caribbean. He then joined TWA and flew their U.S. domestic and international routesbefore retiring as a Boeing 747 Captain in 1987. During this time Capt. McIntyre stayedaffiliated with Naval Air Reserve and was called to active duty with the U.S. Navy for threeyears in late 1961. He flew with the Fleet Tactical Support Squadron assigned to the PacificFleet and rejoined the Reserves afterwards. He also retired as a Navy Captain.

Capt. McIntyre was very active in air safety work throughout his career. Awarded the AirLine Pilot Association Air Safety award in 1985, he continued his air safety efforts in re-tirement. He was President of the U.S. Society of Air Safety Investigators (ISASI) andchaired the ISASI Human Factors Working Group.

In 1999, Capt. McIntyre was presented the prestigious Jerome P. Lederer Award in frontof 130 delegates from 35 nations for his lifetime devotion to aviation.

Jim also served as Town Moderator in Deerfield for 18 years and was the Director of theDeerfield Fair Publicity Dept. for over a quarter of a century.

His wife Anna of 48 years, a daughter Mary Ames, three sons, James, Jeffrey, Christopher,and brother Harry survive him.


IN MEMORY OF

CAPTAIN JACK ROBERTSON

NOVEMBER 7, 1922 - NOVEMBER 19, 2001

Jack was born November 7, 1922 in a very small town in Alabama, called Edwardsville.Times were hard. He grew up with just nickels and dimes but he was fortunate and receiveda scholarship for flying at Anniston, Alabama. Soon, he was hired by TWA at age 19 andflew out of Detroit City Airport

During World War II, Jack served in the Navy flying transports across the Pacific. Afterthe war, he returned to TWA and at first, was based in San Francisco. He was then sent toDetroit where he received his Captain checkout. He later became a Check Pilot and duringthat time, he was assigned to write a report on Saudi Arabian Airlines.

He was transferred to Paris where he spent three years. One of his jobs there was to fly theC-82 Fairchild Packet, which was dubbed "Ontos" Greek for "thing". The C-82 was used tocarry good engines to replace Connie engines that had failed anywhere on the InternationalSystem. He also made many trips to JFK and back, checking the Doppler Navigation System.

Jack's next assignment was as Chief Pilot in Chicago. One of his favorite memories therewas the "Go Program". His next job was Chief Pilot in San Francisco. His high there wasflying the press for President Ford's trip to Vladivostok, in the Soviet Union. In 1983, aftertwo years flying the line, primarily the LAX to London Polar Flights, Jack retired.

Jack passed away November 19, 2001 at his home in Scottsdale, Arizona. He leaves hiswife of fifty years, Phyllis, and three sons John, Don and Jim and four Grandsons. As Jackalways said, "Who gets the girls?" by Phyllis Robertson

IN MEMORY OF

CAPTAIN JOHN R. MORRISON

MAY 14, 1915 - NOVEMBER 18, 2001


A Quiet Remembranceby

Jim Breslin

"Grampa, what are heroes?", the little boy wanted to know. "Yeah Grampa", his sisterwas just as eager to learn, "what are heroes?"

Their sudden curiosity caught Grampa off-guard, and quite unprepared as he reached forthe first thought that come into his head. "Well most of all", he explained, "heroes arevery special people among us."

"Could I be a hero some day Grampa?", his grandson wanted to know.

Grampa reflected on the words he'd just spoken, and then reluctantly had to concede,"Well yes, I'm quite sure that you could."

"And me too Grampa?", his granddaughter wanted to know.

"Yes, and you too. And you would be called a heroine.", he repeated with the same cautiousreluctance. (And then he caught himself quietly praying, "But I ask God to keep you safealways.")

"How Grampa? How can we become heroes?", they both wanted to know.

"Well that's not so easy to answer. You see, it's not like wanting to be a nurse or a doctor,or a policeman or a fireman, or a pilot, or a teacher, or anything like that. You have to goto school to learn all of those noble professions, and if you study hard, you can becomeanything that you want to be."

"Heroes and heroines come from all of those professions, and others as well, but to be ahero or a heroine starts from something much deeper within you. If you're kind to animals,and if you're respectful of all those around you, regardless of race or of creed, and ifyou're willing to share all that you have with those who are less fortunate than you are,and if you strive to live your lives by the Commandments, then you might very well becalled upon to become a hero some day, and you'll respond without ever thinking aboutit. It's called having the Right Stuff."

"When Grampa? When do you think we can be heroes?"

"Well, that's not so easy to answer either. See, heroes and heroines are much like thestars in the heavens. When it's sunny and bright all around us, we can't see the stars, canwe? Still, we know that they're there all the same, just waiting for the darkness to set in sothat they can shine brightly in the heavens above us. And that's the way that heroes andheroines are."

"We never know who the heroes or heroines among us are going to be until darkness setsin, and that's when they shine their brightest as well, making life safer for all of us. So yousee, heroes and heroines are very much like the stars in the heavens."


"Come, I'll show you. Let's go outside on the porch."

"See up there in the heavens - see that brilliant cluster of stars shining down on us? Well,there are more than 400 of them now, and do you know what's so special about them?They all got their call on the very same day."

"When Grampa?", both children were anxious to learn.

"On September 11, 2001. And even though it was a beautiful Tuesday morning startingout, it became suddenly dark and God needed their help to save thousands of people -moms and dads, and brothers and sisters, and uncles and aunts, and cousins, and friends- people they didn't even know."

"And there's something else that's very special about heroes and heroines. They neverthink of themselves as heroes or heroines, even while we salute their unselfish sacrifices.They believe that they haven't been anything more than good neighbors. So what do youthink about that?"

"Cool Grampa!" His sister gave him one of those admonishing looks as only big sisters cando, while Grampa reached over and playfully pulled the boys cap down over his eyes, smilingdown on the young boys unrestrained innocence, while wistfully musing, (Hmmm Cool?Yeah, maybe. I'll have to give that one more thought")

"Well now that we are all looking up at that brilliant cluster of stars in the heavens, what doyou think if we all join hands and say THANK YOU? Thank you for giving so many thousandsof families their Merriest Christmas ever."

"Were all deeply saddened for the families who had one vacant chair at the Christmastable this year, but just think how much sadder this Christmas would have been if it hadn'tbeen for their courage and their unselfish bravery - if they hadn't been heroes and heroinesat all."

"Does that help explain what heroes and heroines are?", Grampa wanted to know.

"Yes Grampa. It's just like you said in the beginning. Heroes and heroines are very specialpeople, and we should never forget their unselfish bravery."

Grampa smiled down on them warmly, satisfied that they understood as much as theyneeded to know about 9/11 for now.


More Speed

Fellow TWA 'ers,In response to a diminishing number of requests I have compiled this continuation of the2000 diary of my travels through the world of Land Speed racing. To give a quick overviewof this form of motor sports racing, it began in the mid to late 1930's in an area calledRosamond Dry Lake in the Mojave Desert of California. Hot rodders from the Los AngelesBasin would travel the 2 hrs. to the dry (in the summer) lakebeds that now are a part ofEdwards Air Force Base and race against each other. Soon an umbrella organization madeup of the various Los Angeles area car clubs was formed to organize these impromptuevents. This organization named itself the Southern California Timing Association (SCTA),invested in a set of timing devices, established rules dividing the competing cars by enginedisplacement, type of fuel used (gasoline or unlimited), and the body used (coupes,roadsters, special construction, etc.). At that time the racecourse was standardized as a 1.3mile acceleration strip with the 132 'timing trap at the end. This format is still in use today.

The advent of World War 11 put these monthly races on hold and sent many of the youthfulcompetitors into military service. In addition, the USAF took over the SCTA

's playground

when they opened Edwards AFB in the early 1940's. When the war was over and the youngmen returned they resumed their races at El Mirage Dry Lake, several miles to the southeastof Rosamond. Since that time the SCTA has annually conducted 5 one-day meets plus onetwo-day meet during the months of May through November at El Mirage.

El Mirage has its own set of records in several hundred SCTA classes of cars and motorcyclesbased on the guidelines mentioned above. Cars must pass a rigorous safety inspection andfit into one of the many classes. The driver must attend a rookie orientation session if he/she is new to El Mirage, plus make their first run down the course at less than full power.

In 1949the SCTA realized that the post-war technology had progressed to the point that a

longer timing course was needed to accommodate the emerging overhead-valve enginesand the speed technology that was spawned by World War 11 inspired innovation. At thispoint the search for a new "speed" home led the SCTA to the Bonneville Salt Flats, 120miles west of Salt Lake City on the Nevada-Utah Border.

The Bonneville Salt Flats had been used for automotive endurance testing for many yearsusing improvised oval courses on which cars could be run for 24-48 hours. There had beensome limited private straight-line speed testing by England's Sir Malcolm Campbell andJohn Cobb, but never a "grass-roots " event such as had been operating at Rosamond and

El Mirage.

The first Bonneville Speed Week was the 1949 meet, with approximately 50 racecars entered

in a handful of classes. Top speed of the meet was probably between 150 & 175MPH. The2001 Speed Week had approximately 320 entrants, 2 separate race courses (one 5 mile for

cars over 175MPH and one 3 mile for the cars under 175MPH), and top time of the meet

was 470MPH .

Anyway, back to the subject at hand. The King$ Ran$om car is what is called a "ModifiedRoadster", meaning that the body must be based on a roadster between 1923 and 1938 of


American origin, and can be streamlined and modified from the original windshield lineforward and the original bottom of the body downward. In addition, the roll-bar area andthe parachute mounting areas may be streamlined.

Our engine class is restricted to Ford Flathead -(pre-1954) V-8 engines with aftermarketoverhead valve conversions and superchargers. We alternate between the gasoline classand the unlimited class that commonly uses a combination of methanol and nitromethanefor fuel. In 2000 we ran in the normally aspirated (no supercharger) class. In 2001 weadded a "Roots" type supercharger borrowed from a GIVIC diesel bus engine.

Speed Week at the Bonneville, Utah Salt Flats was our first outing of 2001. While Bonnevilleoperates under the same basic SCTA rules, the course has a 2-mile acceleration followedby 3-one mile timing traps for a total distance traveled of 5 miles.

There was an existing record of about 165MPH in our class. My son Brian did most of thedriving this year and had the privilege of making the first pass of the meet and creating thefirst rooster-tail of powdered salt behind the car as it approached 200MPH . UnfortunatelyI had the straight-methanol tune-up a little lean and he turned out just before the firsttimed mile when the engine started complaining. We richened the fuel injection setting a"click" and made a second pass in mid-afternoon of 219MPH in the first timed mile,qualifying us to make a backup return record run the next morning. After going throughImpound inspection we got in line again, but the meet was called because of poor tractionconditions when we were #2 to run.

The November El Mirage was our final event of the year. This time we switched back to theSupercharged Unlimited Fuel class, running against a 195MPH open record minimum.Despite the engine being only 26o cubic inches in a 325 maximum cubic inch class I feltthat we could go 200MPH on straight methanol, without the addition of the always potent(and hard on engine parts) nitromethane.

I arrived at the lakebed early afternoon on Friday, rolled the car out of the trailer, and gotthrough the technical inspection with the help of some fellow racers. The crew, consistingof my son Brian and several friends from the SF Bay Area, started arriving after dark Friday,taking up residence in their pickups and 20' enclosed trailer/bunkhouse that we transportthe race car in.

Saturday morning we were #46 to run out of about 100 cars registered, mainly due tosetting a record in October. Brian 's first pass at about noon was 198MPH+ on straightmethanol, not quite what I wanted, but a record is a record. We made some minor tune-upchanges and got back into line. When the first day of the meet was called at 3:00PM to givethe staff time to move the course and do a course-walk inspection for foreign objects thatcould puncture tires, we were far back in line. Our position in line, however, got us a prettygood starting spot for Sunday morning.

Saturday night we held the 3rd annual King Pot-Luck Bar-B-Q, attended by no less than 9people. Afterwards we sat around the fire lying to each other about our speed prowess, thepower of our tow-vehicles, our various health concerns, and our PSA readings. During thecourse of Saturday evening a fellow racer suggested that we "sweeten" Sunday's methanol


fuel with a little nitromethane "just to make the sparkplugs easier to read" and put a littlehigher gear in the rear axle. I had some 13% nitromethane, 87% methanol mixed that Ididn't use during Bonneville Speed Week, so we dumped that in the tank first thing Sundaymorning, exchanged the 2.7:1 rear axle gear for a 2.58:1, richened the fuel injection setting,and got back in line.

Shortly after the starter waved Brian off on his first run Sunday AM, I knew that the fuelinjection setting was somewhat lean. The engine "shot ducks" (backfired loudly) all theway down the course, but managed a 200MPH+ clocking, good enough to "bump" the198MPH record he had set the day before, plus earn induction into the El Mirage 200 MPH200MPHClub. It was reported that the meet had to be shut down while all the waterfowl carcasseswere cleared from the course.

I still felt that the car had more potential than it had shown so far during the meet. We hadtime for one more run, so we richened the fuel injection and got back in line at about1:00PM. This time the car launched perfectly, made enough power to keep the tractionloose and elusive through low, second, and the first part of high gear, and turned a

210MPH+ .

After the run the supercharger pressure "tattle-tale" readout gauge showed over20psiboost (close to 500HP), quite a bit for a 50 year old engine block that Ford originallydesigned to produce 100 horsepower. It seems that the only thing the hemisphericalcombustion chambered Ardun cylinder heads like more than nitromethane is superchargednitromethane.

In 2002 we may back off a little regards LSR. Brian and his wife Camille are expecting ourfirst grandchild in late April. In that we have just about done everything with thesupercharged motor that we set out to do I may re-install the normally aspirated Ardun/Mere and run against our 2000 181 MPH Bonneville gas record, try to improve our 2000Bonneville unlimited fuel record of 210MPH, and run against the El Mirage 178MPHnormally aspirated gas record, the only one in our engine and body classes that we haveyet to try for.

Thanks for reading this far,Doug KingTWA/SFO-LAX 1966-1990


King Photos and Notes


Aviator Quotations

A man can criticize a pilot for flying intoamountainside in fog, but I would rather byfar die on a mountainside than in bed. Whatsort of man would live where there is nodaring? Is life itself so dear that we shouldblame one for dying in adventure? Is therea better way to die?

- Charles A. Lindbergh

Life expands in an aeroplane. The traveleris a mere slave in a train, and,should he manage to escape fromthis particular yoke, the car andthe ship present him with onlylimited horizons. Air travel, on theother hand, makes it possible forhim to enjoy the `solitary delights ofinfinite space.' The earth speeds belowhim, with nothing hidden, yet full ofsurprises. Introduce yourself to your pilot.He is always a man of the world as well as aflying ace.

- Early French advertisement for airlineservice, quoted in `The Airline Builders,'Oliver B. Allen.

Science, freedom, beauty, adventure: whatmore could you ask of life? Aviationcombined all the elements I loved. Therewas science in each curve of an airfoil, ineach angle between strut and wire, in thegap of a spark plug or the color of theexhaust flame. There was freedom in theunlimited horizon, on the open fields whereone landed. A pilot was surrounded bybeauty of earth and sky. He brushedtreetops with the birds, leapt valleys andrivers, explored the cloud canyons he hadgazed at as a child. Adventure lay in eachpuff of wind. I began to feel that I lived on ahigher plane than the skeptics of theground; one that was richer because of itsvery association with the element of dangerthey dreaded, because it was freer of the

earth to which they were bound. In flying, Itasted a wine of the gods of which they couldknow nothing. Who valued life more highly,the aviators who spent it on the art theyloved, or these misers who doled it out likepennies through their antlike days? Idecided that if I could fly for ten years beforeI was killed in a crash, it would be aworthwhile trade for an ordinary life time.

- Charles A. Lindbergh,`The Spirit of St. Louis. '

I think there is somethingexhilarating in flying amongst

clouds, and always get a feeling ofwanting to pit my aeroplane againstthem, charge at them, climb overthem to show them you have thembeat, circle round them, and generally

play with them; but clouds can onoccasion hold their own against the aviator,and many a pilot has found himselfemerging from a cloud not on a level keel.Cloud-flying requires practice, even if youhave every modern instrument, and unlessyou keep calm and collected you will get intotrouble after you have been inside a reallythick one for a few minutes. In the very earlydays of aviation, 1912 to be correct, Iemerged from a cloud upside down, muchto my discomfort, as I didn't know how toget right way up again. I found outsomehow, or I wouldn't be writing this.

- Charles Rumney Samson, `A Flight fromCairo to Cape Town and Back,' 1931.

An airplane may disappoint a good pilot,but it won't surprise him.

- anonymous

Any girl who has flown at all grows used tothe prejudice of most men pilots who will


trot out any number of reasons why womencan 't possibly be good pilots. The only wayto show the disbelievers, the snickeringhanger pilots is to show them.

-Cornelia Fort

Beware of men on airplanes. The minute aman reaches thirty thousand feet, heimmediately becomes consumed bydistasteful sexual fantasies which involvedoing uncomfortable things in those tinytoilets. These men should not beencouraged, their fantasies are sadly low-rent and unimaginative. Affect an aloof, cooldemeanor as soon as any man tries to drawyou out. Unless, of course, he's the pilot.

- Cynthia Heimel

The pilots life is founded on three things:sex, seniority, and salary, in that order.

- Dr. Ludwig Lederer, corporate physicianAmerican Airlines

As the years go by, he returns to thisinvisible world rather than to earth for peaceand solace. There also he finds a profoundenchantment, although he can seldomdescribe it. He can discuss it with others ofhis kind, and because they too know and feelits power they understand. But his attemptsto communicate his feelings to his wife orother earthly confidants invariable end infailure. Flying is hypnotic and all pilots arewilling victims to the spell. Their world islike a magic island in which the factors oflife and death assume their proper values.Thinking becomes clear because there areno earthly foibles or embellishments toconfuse it. Professional pilots are, ofnecessity, uncomplicated, simple men.Their thinking must remainstraightforward, or they die - violently.Themen in this book are fictitious characters buttheir counterparts can be found in cockpits

all over the world. Now they are flying a war.Tomorrow they will be flying a peace, for,regardless of the world's condition, flyingis their life.

-Ernest K. Gann, forward to `Island in theSky,' 1

944.

Who was the best pilot I ever saw? You'relookin' at ` im.

- Gordon Cooper in the movie `The RightStuff,' 1

983 .

The thing is, helicopters are different fromplanes. An airplane by it 's nature wants tofly, and if not interfered with too stronglyby unusual events or by a deliberatelyincompetent pilot, it will fly. A helicopterdoes not want to fly. It is maintained in theair by a variety of forces and controlsworking in opposition to each other, and ifthere is any disturbance in this delicatebalance the helicopter stops flying;immediately and disastrously. There is nosuch thing as a gliding helicopter. This iswhy being a helicopter pilot is so differentfrom being an airplane pilot, and why ingenerality, airplane pilots are open, clear-eyed, buoyant extroverts and helicopterpilots are brooding introspectiveanticipators of trouble. They know ifsomething bad has not happened it is aboutto.

-Harry Reasoner, 1971.

What is it in fact, this learning to fly? To beprecise, it is `to learn NOT to fly wrong. ' Tolearn to become a pilot is to learn — not tolet oneself fly too slowly. Not to let oneselfturn without accelerating. Not to cross thecontrols. Not to do this, and not to do that.To pilot is negation.

-Henri Mignoet, `L'Aviation de L 'Amateur;Le Sport de I'Air,' 1934.


Pilots take no special joy in walking. Pilotslike flying.

- Neil Armstrong

Nowadays a businessman can go from his

office straight to the airport, get into hisairplane and fly six hundred or sevenhundred miles without taking off his hat. Heprobably will not even mention this flight,which abare twenty-five years ago wouldhave meant wearing leather jacket andhelmet and goggles and risking his neckevery minute of the way. No, he probablywouldn't mention it - except to another flier.Then they will talk for hours. They will re-create all the things seen and felt in thatwonderful world of air: the sense ofremoteness from the busy world below, thefeeling of intense brotherhood formed withthose who man the radio ranges and controltowers and weather stations that bring thepilot home, the clouds and the colors, thesurge of the wind on their wings. They willspeak of things that are spiritual andbeautiful and of things that are practical andutilitarian; they will mix up angels andengines, sunsets and spark plugs, fraternityand frequencies in one all-encompassingcomradeship of interests that makes for thebest and most lasting kind of friendship anyman can have.

- Percy Knauth, `Wind on my wings, ' 196o.

I had that morning gone to say my farewellsto Broadhurst and to the RAF. I had made apoint of going to HQ at Schleswig in my`Grand Charles'. Coming back I had takenhim high up in the cloudless summer sky,for it was only there that I could fittinglytake my leave. Together we climbed for thelast time straight towards the sun.We looped once, perhaps twice, welovingly did a few slow, meticulousrolls, so that I could take away in my

finger-tips the vibration of his supple, docilewings. And in that narrow cockpit I wept,as I shall never weep again, when I felt theconcrete brush against his wheels and, witha great sweep of the wrist, dropped him onthe ground like a cut flower. As always, Icarefully cleared the engine, turned off allthe switches one by one, removed the straps,the wires and the tubes which tied me tohim, like a child to his mother. And whenmy waiting pilots and my mechanics saw mydowncast eyes and my shaking shoulders,they understood and returned to thedispersal in silence.

-Pierre Clostermann, `The big show, ' 1951.

It is now possible for a flight attendant toget a pilot pregnant.

-Richard J. Ferris, President, UnitedAirlines.

A pilot lives in a world of perfection, or not

at all.

-Richard S. Drury, `My Secret War. '

The engine is the heart of an aeroplane, butthe pilot is its soul.

-Sir Walter Raleigh

You've got to land here son, this is wherethe food is.

-Unknown landing signal officer tocarrier pilot after his 6th unsuccessfullanding.

I could be president of Sikorsky for sixmonths before they found me out, but

the president would only have myjob for six seconds before he'd killhimself.

- Walter R. `Dick' Faull, test pilot.


Sometimes I watch myself fly. For in thehistory of human flight it is not yet so verylate; and a man may still wonder once in awhile and ask: how is it that I, poorearth-habitituated animal, can fly? Anyyoung boy can nowadays explain humanflight — mechanistically:... and to climbyou shove the throttle all the way forwardand pull back just a little on the stick. Onemight as well explain music by saying thatthe further over to the right you hit the pianothe higher it will sound. The makings of aflight are not in the levers, wheels, andpedals but in the nervous system of the pilot:physical sensations, bits of textbook,deep-rooted instincts, burnt-childmemories of trouble aloft, hangar talk.-Wolfgang Langewiesche, `A Flyer's World. '

Basic Flying1:Try to stay in the middle of the air.2:Do not go near the edges of it.3:The edges of the air can be recognised bythe appearance of ground, buildings, sea,trees and interstellar space. It is muchmore difficult to fly there.

- anonymous

If God had meant for men to fly he wouldhave made their bones hollow and not theirheads.

-cliche

If you're faced with a forced landing, fly thething as far into the crash as possible.

-Bob Hoover

The cockpit was my office. It was a placewhere I experienced many emotions andlearned many lessons. It was a place of work,but also a keeper of dreams. It was a placeof deadly serious encounters, yet there Idiscovered much about life. I learned aboutjoy and sorrow, pride and humility, fear andovercoming fear. I saw much from that

office that most people would never see. Attimes it terrified me, yet I could always feelat home there. It was my place, at that timein space, and the jet was mine for thosemoments. Though it was a place where Icould quickly die, the cockpit was a placewhere I truly lived.

- Brian Shul, ` Sled Driver; Flying TheWorld 's Fastest Jet, ' 1992

The facts are that flying satisfies deeplyrooted desires. For as long as time thesedesires have hungered vainly for fulfillment.The horse, and later the motorcar, havemerely teased them. The upward sweep ofthe airplane signifies release.

-Bruce Gould, `Sky Larking, ' 1929

Ladies and gentleman, this is your captainspeaking. We have a small problem. All fourengines have stopped. We are doing ourdamnedest to get them going again. I trustyou are not in too much distress.

-Captain Eric Moody, British Airways, afterflying through volcanic ash in a B-747.

The worst day of flying still beats the bestday of real work.

-cliché

Flying is inherently dangerous. We like togloss that over with clever rhetoric andcomforting statistics, but these factsremain: gravity is constant and powerful,and speed kills. In combination, they areparticularly destructive.

- Dan Manningham, `Business andCommercial Aviation ' magazine.

But what I could never tell of was the beautyand exaltation of flying itself. Above thehaze layer with the sun behind you or


sinking ahead, alone in an open cockpit,there is nothing and everything to see. Theupper surface of the haze stretches on likean endless desert, featureless and flat, andempty to the horizon. It seems your worldalone. Threading one's way through thegreat piles of summer cumulus that hangover the plains, the patches of ground thatshow far far below are for earthbound folk,and the cloud shapes are sculptured just foryou. The flash of rain, the shining rainbowriding completely around the plane, the liftover mountain ridges, the steady, pure airat dawn take-offs. It was so alive and rich alife that any other conceivable choiceseemed dull, prosaic, and humdrum.

-Dean Smith, `By the Seat of My Pants '

The air is annoyingly potted with a ultitudeof minor vertical disturbances which sickenthe passengers and keep us captives of ourseat belts. We sweat in the cockpit, thoughmuch of the time we fly with the sidewindows open. The airplanes smell of hotoil and simmering aluminum, disinfectant,feces, leather, and puke the stewardesses,short-tempered and reeking of vomit, comeforward as often as they can for what is abreath of comparatively fresh air.

-Ernest K. Gann, describing airline flyingin the 1930's.

Beware of men on airplanes. The minute aman reaches thirty thousand feet, heimmediately becomes consumed bydistasteful sexual fantasies which involvedoing uncomfortable things in those tinytoilets. These men should not beencouraged, their fantasies are sadly low-rent and unimaginative. Affect an aloof, cooldemeanor as soon as any man tries to drawyou out. Unless, of course, he's the pilot.

-Cynthia Heimel

I have flown in just about everything, withall kinds of pilots in all parts of the world -British, French, Pakistani, Iranian,Japanese, Chinese - and there wasn't adime's worth of difference between any ofthem except for one unchanging, certainfact: the best, most skillful pilot has the mostexperience.

-Chuck Yeager

A pilot who says he has never been fright-ened in an airplane is, I'm afraid, lying.

- Louise Thaden

Pilots track their lives by the number ofhours in the air, as if any other kind of timeisn't worth noting.

- Michael Parfit, `The Corn was Two FeetBelow the Wheels', Smithsonian Magazine,May 2000.

Son, your wife's legs have more time in theair than you do.

-welcome to a new co-pilot from an oldcaptain.

Submitted by Ed Toner


Dear John,

I was flattered and mildly surprised reading the poem "Flying West" in the Novemberedition of TARPA TOPICS. (Author Unknown) Apparently, Captain Thad May has forgottenhis old co-pilot he nicknamed, "Hawkeye." This poem was written in 1991 and firstpublished in February 1995 in the ALPA magazine, attributed to me and dedicated toCaptain Edward R. (Buddy) Boland, who passed away in 1991. This poem along with TheAviator, War Stories, and Reno Races is included in a new aviation poetry anthologypublished in November, 2001, by McGraw-Hill, entitled "Because I Fly" edited by Lt. Col.Helmut Reda, USAF. (www.geocities.com/becauseifly) And now, as Paul Harvey wouldsay, "The rest of the story. "

It seems that Captain May, F/O Larkin and his fiancee, Hostess Kay Cullison, were flyingthe B-7o7 from Kansas City to SFO, then down to LAX in the summer of 1971. (Flight 95).Ms. Cullison opined many times that Captain May was the epitome of how a TWA Captainshould comport himself. His professional demeanor and quiet `southern gentlemen' charmwere, in her opinion, the epitome of Captainhood. Unfortunately, few of these attributesrubbed off on her future husband.

En route from SFO to LAX, Approach Control called to ask if we had an aircraft in sight, 12o'clock, ten miles. I answered, "Yes, we have the United 727 in sight." (I could tell by theflashing white tail light it was a 727, I was guessing that it was UAL).

After a pause, Approach called back and asked, "TWA, how can you tell that's a United 727ten miles away?" I answered, "Well, you have to have good eyes to be a pilot."

Approach Control laughed, then handed us off to LAX Tower, and they asked, "TWA, doyou have the field in sight?"

I looked way out south towards Orange County, saw nothing, and replied, "Negative." Thefield was right under our right wing. Captain May said, "Tell them we have it."

I did...and he did, we were cleared for a Visual Approach to 26 Right, and we landed.

Afterwards, Captain May asked, jokingly, "How can you see a United 727 ten miles away,and not the LAX airport 5 miles away?" From that day on, I was known as "Hawkeye" byCaptain May!

Michael J. LarkinCaptain TWA (Ret.)


FLYING WEST

I HOPE THERE ' S A PLACE, WAY UP IN THE SKY,

WHERE PILOTS CAN GO, WHEN THEY HAVE TO DIE.

A PLACE WHERE A GUY COULD BUY A COLD BEER

FOR A FRIEND AND COMRADE WHOSE MEMORY IS DEAR.

A PLACE WHERE NO DOCTOR OR LAWYER COULD TREAD,

NOR A MANAGEMENT TYPE WOULD E ' RE BE CAUGHT DEAD!

JUST A QUAINT LITTLE PLACE; KIND OF DARK, FULL OF SMOKE,

WHERE THEY LIKE TO SING LOUD, AND LOVE A GOOD JOKE.

THE KIND OF PLACE WHERE A LADY COULD GO

AND FEEL SAFE AND PROTECTED BY THE MEN SHE WOULD KNOW.

THERE MUST BE A PLACE WHERE OLD PILOTS GO

WHEN THEIR WINGS GET TOO WEARY, AND THEIR AIRSPEED GETS LOW.

WHERE THE WHISKEY IS OLD AND THE WOMEN ARE YOUNG,

AND SONGS ABOUT FLYING AND DYING ARE SUNG.

WHERE YOU ' D SEE ALL THE FELLOWS WHO ' D FLOWN WEST BEFORE,

AND THEY' D CALL OUT YOUR NAME, AS YOU CAME THRU THE DOOR,

WHO WOULD BUY YOU A DRINK, IF YOUR THIRST SHOULD BE BAD

AND RELATE TO THE OTHERS, "HE WAS QUITE A GOOD LAD! "

AND THEN THRU THE MIST YOU ' D SPOT AN OLD GUY

YOU HAD NOT SEEN IN YEARS, THOUGH HE ' D TAUGHT YOU TO FLY.

HE' D NOD HIS OLD HEAD AND GRIN EAR TO EAR,

AND SAY "WELCOME MY SON, I ' M PLEASED THAT YOU ' RE HERE!

FOR THIS IS THE PLACE WHERE TRUE FLYERS COME

WHEN THE BATTLES ARE OVER, AND THE WARS HAVE BEEN WON.

THEY ' VE COME HERE AT LAST TO BE SAFE AND AFAR

FROM THE GOVERNMENT CLERK AND THE MANAGEMENT CZAR,

POLITICIANS AND LAWYERS, THE FEDS AND THE NOISE,

WHERE ALL HOURS ARE HAPPY, AND THESE GOOD OLD BOYS,

CAN RELAX WITH A COOL ONE, AND A WELL DESERVED REST!

THIS IS HEAVEN, MY SON. YOU 'VE PASSED YOUR LAST TEST! "

CAPT. MICHAEL LARKIN, TWA


2002.03.TARPA_TOPICS

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