A JOY TO FLY dc9

The DC-9 was an aircraft that matched it’s aesthetically pleasing lines with handling qualities that delighted the senses of the pilot’s mind. i lived close to the button of runway 18 in Winnipeg and every time it was in use i’d look up enviously at departing DC-9s. i was vexed by the fact that my squadron mate from cadets, Glen Downes, was already checked out on it. My turn came, however, and after ground school my dancing partner, Denis, and i,with our instructor, headed off on our first flight in this lovely thoroughbred along with our instructor who was a little cranky having encountered some recent marital difficulties. Having Denis as a fellow trainee was an advantage for me. His father had been base manager in Winnipeg and Denis was used to getting his own way. it meant he and i always travelled first class to and from training. The DC-9 for our first trip was scheduled as a ferry flight to do a charter out of Halifax so our instruc- tor commandeered the plane. it would be a two-way trip. We would fly a different plane back to Montreal in time for supper. That was the plan.

We left Montreal with Moncton as our alternate. Halifax was near limits. When we arrived, a full-blown Nor Easter was under way. Denis did a GCA right down to limits in a cross wind while our instructor, in the jump seat, calmly smoked his pipe. in the right seat, i was sweating bullets. Considering it was Denis’s first landing in a jet he did a terrific job. instead of doing our training in Montreal we instead spent the next few days without so much as a toothbrush not to mention a clean shirt, cooling our heels in the Lord Nelson Hotel with three other crews 'till the blizzard was over.

The DC-9 was a joy to fly. it handled like a T-33. For the first time i was flying a plane with a climate control system that actually worked. it was so quiet that even on takeoff with full power you could hear the flight attendants discussing their previous night’s amorous exploits in detail.

The backs of their jump seats were on the opposite side of the cockpit -galley bulkhead. The acceleration on takeoff was noticeable especially on cold days with a light load such as it was on this particular day.

My brother, Owen, and i were paired together for the month. On our way to the plane to go to Toronto we ran into an old friend and mentor, Johnnie Ateah, We had both worked for him in our teens and Owen had married Johnnie's niece. i worked on Johnnie’s mink farm one summer where i fed the mink with a mixture of freshly caught Lake Winnipeg Rough fish, blood from the slaughterhouse and horse meat. Part of my job was also to clean the pens. That’s probably where i lost my sense of smell. Johnnie was a gruff, hard but fair taskmaster. As was my habit with people i knew, i invited him up front for the takeoff. Owen was in the left seat. At the peak of the acceleration his seat locking mechanism failed and he slid so far back he could no longer reach the control column with his short arms. i quickly took control and finished the takeoff. Once in the climb, Owen locked his seat and resumed control.

As soon as i switched off the seat belt signs on the climb Johnnie leapt off the jumpseat and in his usual sarcastic tone dismissed us saying, “i had enough of you two idiots when you were growing up. i’m going back to the cabin for a stiff drink”.

He never bothered waiting around for us at Toronto. i guess he was not impressed.

DC-9 Aerobatics

We had landed in JFK in a DC-9 just after a strong cold frontal passage. The winds were gusting to 45 Knots right down the runway. i was looking forward to our takeoff after a short turnaround. it would be my turn to fly. The noise abatement procedures for takeoff on Runway 31R at JFK called for an immediate 90 degree left turn after takeoff at max climb rate. Boy this is going to be exciting with that strong headwind...it will be like a fighter takeoff what with the lively aileron response of the DC-9. Sure enough, seconds after the gear clunked up i cranked the thing into the mandated left turn and with our light load the plane appeared to stand on its left wing. it wasn’t very professional i admit but my ego could not resist the rare chance to showboat. i wasn’t so much nearly fired over my remarks about the left seat requirement— it would have been more a parting of the ways. As for the Viscount that shoulda, if it hadn't been for the intervention of one of the more sane check pilots i would have been fired for poor judgement. it was just before Christmas. We had already done one turnaround from Vancouver to Calgary and now we were setting off for an Edmonton turnaround. it was raining hard with a slight crosswind and at 60 knots the

Sure enough a few days later the chief pilot requested my presence in his office. He said a passenger on the JFK flight had complained about our aerobatic departure. Airlines pay heavy fines if noise abatement procedures are violated and i knew i could justify my actions. i told him i would be glad to meet him in his office with my lawyer. He slammed the phone down in my ear and it was never mentioned again. i did not have a lawyer nor did i even know one but i was beginning to see a pattern emerging.

This time, i was sure i would be fired and probably should have been.

DC-9 just started hydroplaning for the rhubarb in the soggy infield. i called reject and even with full reverse and max braking we slithered into the muck. i put the airstairs down and went to have a look. The wheels were up to the axles. We were not going anywhere soon. We got the passengers off... not much fun for them waltzing through the mud to the runway and a waiting bus. Their baggage and freight were removed and i could see the wheels had floated up a little so i thought i could probably taxi the thing to the nearest taxiway. My luck turned when the Vancouver duty pilot showed up at my side. it was big Jim Little. His name notwithstanding, he was a big man but a sort of cuffy giant and he agreed i should start up and try to taxi the plane up onto a nearby taxiway. if it had been any other check pilot than Jim i would have been in trouble. He was calm and reassuring. He plunked his big frame between me and the F/O on the DC-9’s small jumpseat. We started up and as i looked ahead, i could see a lake of muddy water right on our nose. We would have to plunge right through the thing to make it to the taxiway. i applied power ... nothing moved... more power... nothing... i pictured myself like Joe Patroni from the movie, Airplane, but without the cigar and just like the movie i finally had the throttles almost to the firewall.

Jim said, “it’s not going to work we will have to try and get a tug to come and get us out”.

Although, how a tug would get to the plane without sinking out of sight, i was not sure.

“Come on Jim give me one more try” i urged. “i’m sure i can get it going”.

“Okay” he sighed. “One shot and that’s all. Then we will call for a tow.”

Now, i did firewall it. Suddenly first one wheel moved then the other and whaadya know we were going about 20 knots...would it be enough to get through the pond? We splashed through that thing like shit through a goose and with a thump up onto the taxiway.

Big Jim said,” Okay boys go to the hotel and get some rest i will call you in the morning ... he did... to tell me both of us were suspended pending investigation.

Within days, a meeting was set up with the Vancouver Director of Flight Operations, My boss, his henchman and me. After my experience with the Viscount that shoulda i was expecting another inquisition. Again, the gods smiled. Fate was on my side. i took a direct flight to Vancouver while the inquisitors took an earlier flight to beat me to it. Unfortunately, it was not a direct flight and a weather delay in Regina denied their chance to beat me to the meeting. i was ushered into the director’s office and faced a kindly looking white haired gentleman. He told me that the Douglas Aircraft Company was worried about my incident, as was the airline and Transport Canada. He hinted that both Douglas and Air Canada might be having ongoing issues with the plane’s nosewheel steering. He further reassured me that he only wanted to either confirm or deny their worries. He gave me a blank pad of foolscap and told me to write down everything that happened in my own words. With that, he left saying he would be back in thirty minutes. As directed, i told my story. i thought to myself...now i get it. if i admitted, i had over or crosscontrolled the plane the heat would be off both Douglas, Air Canada and Transport Canada would not have its nose out of joint.

A union rep was standing by if i needed him. As with the Viscount charade, i had my big boy pants on and declined.

As my mother told me, “in this world you have to fight your own battles Jimmie”.

Airplanes that look good usually are good as is the case for the DC9. Popular with crews and passengers alike the 9 was a good fit into Canada's airport system carrying its own airstairs for use at those small airports without full facilities.

At about 60 knots, i perjured, the plane started a right hand drift, which i tried to correct with opposite rudder and aileron. it did not respond and we hit the ditch. i thought i might have over controlled the rudder. it would be case closed for any Transport Canada investigation and Air Canada flight operations and Douglas could breathe a sigh of relief. it was the old pilot error catch-all. best seat in the house

How could i have been so naive?

The whole ugly thing made me question the integrity of aircraft accident investigations by manufacturers, the airline and Transport Canada. Especially since i was the union flight safety chairman for the Winnipeg Base.

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Seating Plan Dummies For

it was about this time, in 1974, that Yasser Arafat had the world's attention when he made his gun-toting address to the UN General Assembly.

My friend Kent Davis told me this story. He was the first officer on a DC-9 out of Winnipeg. The Captain, who was well known on the base as one who sometimes paid more attention than he should to the business of other departments in the airline, and less to his own business of aviating.

The routing of this flight was YWG-YYZ-JFK-YYZ (that's Winnipeg, Toronto, New York back to Toronto foryou groundlings) all with a layover in New York. As the crew sat in the cockpit in Toronto, a police officer arrived and asked them if he could check the cockpit for security.

The Captain asked why. The officer said that it was standard when they had a high profile political person on board.

The crew had not been informed of anything out of the ordinary about the flight but the Captain, not wanting to appear out of the loop, said “By all means”.

The officer asked Kent and the captain to get out of their seats and it was then that they spotted the dog. The cop took the dog into the cockpit and let him sniff around, then he left and continued with the dog throughout the entire aircraft. The Captain spotted a ground service agent and asked who the political passenger was.

The agent said, “Yasser Arafat.”

Arafat had been in Toronto and was on his way to New York to address the UN General Assembly for the first time and as history records, to brandish his pistol at that august body.

Those who knew the Captain could only begin to understand what happened next—he went ballistic, demanding to speak to anyone and everyone about why he was not in the loop. "it was a disgrace to leave the Captain out." On and on it went until he finally calmed down. The passengers boarded and the last person to be brought down was Arafat. Nothing more was said as they pushed back, taxied and took off. About 20 minutes into the flight there was a hell of a commotion in the back behind the cockpit door. Of course this Captain was flying the airplane as he always did when flying into JFK so he told Kent to go back and see what was happening.

Kent opened the door and when he got into first class, he saw the incharge had a passenger pinned to the bulkhead with a trolley. There was a six-foot-six guy guarding Arafat with a gun in his hand. it was then they learned that he had been boarded at the last minute and was seated in first class across from Arafat but more importantly, this passenger was a Rabi.

The man being held against the bulkhead looked to be in his seventies and was very distraught. Kent assisted the in-charge and they seated the passenger at the back of the aircraft. They had the flight attendants keep an eye on him.

Good old Air Canada.

When Kent went back to the cockpit and advised the Captain.... the Captain went nuts. it was a good thing they had another half an hour before landing as Kent didn’t think they would have been able to complete the task.

True to his form the Captain wrote 2000 letters to 4000 people over this.